Review: Poltergeist (1982)

There's a lot that has been said about this movie over the years.  It's supposed curse, the debate over who the 'real' director is, and the general appreciation of the movie overall.  Zelda Rubinstein's performance is justly lauded (just think of how she entered the cultural zeitgeist despite approximately 15 minutes of screen time), and the movie is rightly considered a classic.  How do I approach a movie so thoroughly discussed?

I've decided to just talk about what I love about this movie, starting with what is - to me - the standout performance of the film from JoBeth Williams.

So much of the movie depends on her - you can trace the stakes of the movie by gauging her performance.  The mild concern that something isn't right after the first earthquake, the wonder at the initial interactions with the chairs and sliding across the floor, the sheer terror as one of her children is almost sucked into a tree - all of it comes across as very real.  You easily forget that you are watching an actor.

She continues to be the emotional through line of the movie after Carol Anne's disappearance - the worry and emotional fatigue is always a constant presence, even when receiving comfort from Dr. Lesh (Beatrice Straight).  Even once Carol Anne is rescued - though the danger isn't over yet - Williams allows you to see not just the joy of having her child back, but the lingering emotional trauma at almost having lost her.  While not a final girl - this movie, unlike its sequels, doesn't have any characters die - Diane Freeling should be listed among the great horror movie heroines alongside the likes of Laurie Strode and Sidney Prescott.

I also want to give mention to the special effects of this movie.  Like Razorback, the effects definitely show their age, but the are nonetheless effective.  Someone who hasn't seen the movie before would likely jump at certain points, and the Meat Scene in particular is still an unsettling moment within the film (and ultimately, why I come down on the Tobe Hooper side of the 'who actually directed the movie?' of that particular debate).

An underappreciated aspect of the movie that I only rarely see commented on is the production design and setting.  Subtly, the audience is given the layout of the house and where the safe/unsafe areas are in the early parts of the movie, and the suburban hell that surrounds their home - mostly demonstrated by a somewhat antagonistic neighbor - is the exact sort of banality that lulls you into thinking that nothing truly terrible could happen here.

At this point, I could start delving into the oft-discussed parts of the movie - the iconic clown prop, the tree that seems benign in daylight but becomes a monster in the shadows, etc - but I think I'll let this review end here.  Why discuss what is already widely known?

9 out of 10 - though I might give it a 9.5 depending on my mood.