Poltergeist

It could never be pinned down to one thing - not just scary ghosts in the darkness, or chairs moving of their own volition, Poltergeist was religious-like awe. It was cataclysmic shocks, with thunder, light and magic. It was, at it's heart, a story about family, and the love the characters have for each other - about the bright suburban landscapes of an America that existed in the 80s. The imaginative process of storytelling was at it's peak for Steven Spielberg - in Poltergeist a child is not only in peril, but disappears from the physical world altogether - her lonely voice on a static-filled television the last vestige of her existence. It was a thrill-ride for most of us back then, but in the years since the film hasn't receded as if the tricks and surprises had nothing to back them up - Poltergeist remains a classic film that's still very enjoyable to watch. The Freelings still have a genuine feel about them, and the neighborhood they live in has a nostalgic aura which survives.

Diane Freeling (JoBeth Williams) and Steve Freeling (Craig T. Nelson) are raising their three children - Dana (Dominique Dunne), Robbie (Oliver Robins) and little Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke) in Cuesta Verde, a Californian development, of which Steve is a real estate agent, helping to sell lots in adjoining planned communities. Life appears normal - a swimming pool is being constructed, and the kids go to school - until Carol Anne starts becoming fixated on the televisions in the house. Objects, such as chairs, start moving by themselves - but the Freeling's wonder is soon turned to horror when during a storm Robbie is snatched by a tree, and Carol Anne disappears into the ether. The supernatural activity around the house picks up to an alarming degree, so parapsychologist Dr. Martha Lesh (Beatrice Straight) is called in with two of her assistants to investigate - and after experiencing some of these events she calls Tangina (Zelda Rubinstein) to help rescue the Freeling's young daughter from the other side. In the meantime, Steve learns the truth about the land on which his house was built.

Obviously Poltergeist was an effects-driven movie, and that's where two of it's Oscar nominations came from. Industrial Light and Magic and visual effects supervisor Richard Edlund did a tremendous job during the shoot and in post-production, creating animated and live effects that are convincing to this very day. "Light and Magic" would be a very apt way to describe what we get onscreen during the film. Edlund was already a 2-time Oscar winner (for Star Wars in 1978 and Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1982) and one of the leading lights in the industry at that time. His work has been recognized with many other awards and nominations. He won a BAFTA for the effects in Poltergeist and worked on many other huge films which would net him Oscar nominations. For the Oscar for Sound Effects Editing, Stephen Hunter Flick (who'd win an Oscar for Speed in 1995) and Richard L. Anderson (who won a special Oscar for his work on Raiders of the Lost Ark) were nominated. Both Oscars went to E.T. the Extraterrestrial - making Spielberg's influence at those awards noteworthy - but nothing can be taken away from the ghostly visions, ghastly creatures, blinding lights and other spectral visions which are entrancing.

Behind the lens was a cinematographer who has become special for me - Matthew F. Leonetti may not necessarily have only worked on superb highbrow films, but so many of the titles on his resume that are either schlock, cheap or not up to scratch are at least fun and noteworthy. I had the pleasure of taking a good look at his fast-paced work on 1995 film Strange Days, and under the direction and instruction from both Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg he does some interesting things and really brings suburban living to colourful life in Poltergeist's wonderful early scenic scenes. There's something vibrantly real about it, but at the same time majestic and soaring when we take in the entire area from on high. Leonetti seems to thrive while working with such great filmmakers, and he turns Poltergeist into something magical. It would be very much remiss of me if I were not to mention the reverse dolly zoom we get during the last sequence, when Diane finds herself running along a seemingly never-ending corridor. Those shots are so rare, and I enjoy them so much. A lot of what we get in Poltergeist is straightforward, but it has spectacular moments such as those.

What adds a note of perfection is the simply sublime and ultra-enjoyable score the film got from one of the big guns of the industry Jerry Goldsmith. How do I even start to describe it? Lots of brass. At it's peak it ranges from horror to religious wonder and reverance. But Poltergeist has a score that shines from the very start - with lullabies, love, enchantment, fun and more all expressed in a loud way that isn't overbearing, despite it's strong presence during the whole film. Carol Anne's Theme, which is heard at the start of the film, was released on a soundtrack album with lyrics which we don't hear in the actual movie. It's a cute, gleeful and soft tune that balances out the more severe shocks that come later in the film, and sets up the perfect kind of suburban life the film wants us to tune into when meeting the Freeling family. Goldsmith was nominated for an Oscar for this score - but once again E.T. would steal the thunder, and John Williams would be taking away another Oscar that night. Out of 18 nominations, Goldsmith has only ever won once - for The Omen in 1977. He must hate Oscar night.

Poltergeist editor Michael Kahn has been much used by Spielberg, winning Oscars for Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List and Raiders of the Lost Ark among 5 other nominations (some for other Spielberg films.) He does a fine job with many short shots. The production design by James H. Spencer (Innerspace, The 'Burbs) and the set decoration by Cheryal Kearney is absolutely excellent - when you see the film in a cinema, you notice all of the toys and various bric-a-brac that fills the Freeling's house. It truly feels like a very lived-in house that's real - and that young Robbie has a love of Star Wars with various posters and merchandise. This extends to pictures the kids have drawn, school projects and other small items and books of note. This production has had a lot of care and attention put into it, and the talent that's been drawn into the filmmaking vortex that Poltergeist was is impressive. Behind all of these industry leaders was an army of technicians working on the finer details and making the experience of watching this film as immersive as it can be. To this day, it looks flawless.

I can't say much more about the film without addressing the elephant in the room - who directed Poltergeist, Tobe Hooper or Steven Spielberg? It's a controversy that's raged for years, with many people insisting that Spielberg should have been given a co-director's credit. The producer was on set most of the time, and giving Hooper, the actors and other crew members instructions - that much is clear. It can probably never be determined just how far this went, with various people giving us differing accounts. The film was made the way it was made, and credit is often given or taken away leaving us with impressions that don't tell the whole story - so perhaps it doesn't matter too much who was credited as director. It's common for producers to lean on people - in the end it's up to them to get what they want from everyone, and it just depends on how closely producers are watching the proceedings. Spielberg was free, watched closely and participated. We're better off for that, I feel - and perhaps the fact that Tobe Hooper didn't make any more films like Poltergeist is what makes many people consider this a Spielberg film through and through. Debating the controversy more thoroughly feels wrong anyway, since Hooper no longer has a chance to defend himself on this matter.

There's a great sense of mystery to the story Poltergeist tells, and the thrill we get from it is the thrill of the unknown. Tangina and Dr. Lesh talk vaguely about beings from other dimensions and beasts - souls finding their way to the light. Of course, once the story continued in the inevitable sequels reasons and causes found their way into screenplays and diluted that wonderful sense of the unknowable. There are actually a few causes directly implicated in the first film, but for the most part the film just dazzles the senses and leaves the paranormal as a riddle with no answer. Steven Spielberg came up with the story, and reasoned that Hooper would be a good person to direct due to his frightening Texas Chainsaw Massacre - while Michael Grais and Mark Victor cobbled together the screenplay after a suggestion from Spielberg about doing a "ghost story". There hadn't been anything quite like Poltergeist that I'd come across when I first saw it. These stories tended to be much more low-key and quiet, with occasional frights. Instead what we get here is a constant blast - almost like a paranormal war.

Poltergeist happens to be one of those films I've seen many times, and one of those films that has held up - while other films have dipped and showed their flaws, this one never has. It's mix of visual effects and music seems to be absolutely timeless, and there's not a single line that feels out of place - every step it takes is right on the money. It's not a creepy, scary film as much as a wild explosion of out-of-control spectacle. Everyone performs their role well, and meets their requirements. Sadly, Dominique Dunne was murdered the same year Poltergeist was released - the first in a string of unusual deaths that led to the speculation of a "Poltergeist Curse" surrounding the production of these films. It was followed by a sub-par sequel, Poltergeist II : The Other Side and Poltergeist III, which was simply awful, and I tend to only think about the original film when I think 'Poltergeist'. There was a remake released in 2015 that was completely forgettable. The original, though, is unforgettable. Tobe Hooper, meanwhile, would never really live up to the potential that Poltergeist (with help) and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre showed he had, but his output was interesting and worth exploring if only because most of his films have been long forgotten.