"They're here."
Babyboomer couple Steve and Diane Freeling (Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams) seem to be living the American Dream: they have a nice suburban home, have three children and a dog, and are about to put in a brand new pool in their backyard. But five-year-old Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke), the Freeling's youngest child, has begun to act strangely- she talks to the television when it is displaying static, and after a mysterious earthquake that only the Freelings can feel she makes the odd announcement: "They're here."
Soon thereafter it becomes clear that there is something very odd going on in the Freeling's house: Spoons bend, glasses break, and chairs stack themselves neatly on the dining room table. At first Steve and Diane are merely puzzled by the strange phenomenon- but then Carol Anne disappears during a violent thunderstorm, and the Freelings begin to hear her voice talking to them from their television . . .
When I was compiling this list it didn't take me long to put Poltergeist at number one. Produced and partially story boarded by Stephen Spielburg and directed by Tobe Hooper (who's other notable work was 1974's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), the film is a unique mix of the these two director's sensibilities. There's a real feeling of wonder that pervades the piece, buoyed by the excellent score by Jerry Goldsmith, that can quickly degenerate into grotesque horror when necessary.
Poltergeist also obviously had a huge budget: I honestly can't think of a horror film that has as many unique set pieces as this, and all well before the advent of CGI. Most likely due to Spielburg, the movie has the feel of a wild theme park attraction (especially its explosive climax), making it a great companion piece to a popcorn film like Jaws. But for all of its crowd pleasing aspects, there's a far more interesting layer of complexity that makes it more than just a simple haunted house film.
First of all, I think its fairly interesting to note that the film plays heavily upon one of the subconscious fears of the baby-boomer generation: notably, will they make suitable parents? There are a lot of not-so-subtle elements to suggest this: the Freelings smoke pot while their kids are asleep, Diane switches the television from static to a violent war film to entertain Carol-Anne, and its implied that their teenage daughter, Dana (Dominque Dunne), is sexually promiscuous- and given that Diane is 32, Dana can't be that old, and yet has apparently spent a night at a nearby motel . . . I also find it hilarious that she has a hickey on her neck during the climax of the film. The fact that Carol-Anne is snatched from the Freelings while they are- understandably- otherwise occupied, mirrors the real fear of many parents of the era: child kidnappers. (I was born in 1978, so I actually was Carol-Anne's age when this came out, and I definitely remember the constant admonitions to never talk to strangers.) This makes the movie a trial by fire for the Freelings to prove their worth as parents, something which they do with flying colors.
The other element of the film that I find fascinating is that the title of the film itself is a ruse (lots of spoilers ahead.) This is not a film about a Poltergeist, it's a haunting brought on by incredibly pissed off spirits- and in this way I think the film is a very clever condemnation of the American Dream itself- the Freelings comfortable life is built entirely upon a graveyard- both literally and figuratively. In this way, it shares a lot of elements with the Shining, whose haunted hotel is filled with imagery of the Native American cultures that were destroyed to make way for Manifest Destiny, and I love the way the truth is visually hinted at throughout the film: the dog attempting to dig up the buried canary, the gaping pool, and the old jewelry that falls through the portal in the living room to name just a few.
Finally, I suppose I should talk briefly about the "Poltergeist Curse," a rumor that came about due to the fact that both Dominque Dunne and Heather O'Rourke died young- Dunne at 22, strangled to death by her jealous boyfriend, and O'Rourke of septic shock at 12. The "curse" supposedly also claimed the lives of some of the actors that worked on the sequels of Poltergeist, but seeing as these were men at least fifty years old, I think we can rule out the supernatural.
Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this trip with me down memory lane! Perhaps someday down the road I'll post my top ten "feel good" films just to balance this one out . . . but don't hold your breath.
We now return you to your regular programming.
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