Poltergeist (1982)

Poltergeist - a classic horror film that we have all come to know one way or another, often as a subject of parody.



The plot follows the tried and true classic of the familiar suburban home haunted by poltergeist. Initially, the home is presented as your typical family home before becoming something much more sinister, something of which is particularly apparent in the contrasts of day and night.



One could really gather a sense of the unhomely on the initial arrival of the poltergeist, particularly with the rearrangement of chairs off camera. Subtle, yet decisively creepy. However, most of this is lost with the actual depiction of supernatural effects and ghosts. While these special effects are surely dated, the film does not lose its quality in the tension and horror of the supernatural. The scene with mirror reflection tearing away at one's own face is a definite highlight that vividly comes to mind.





Oh and you got to hate clowns - especially clown dolls. I'm glad he tore it up in the end.




Overall, Poltergeist stands as one of the prime examples of supernatural horror where the living suburban home becomes haunted. Its good to see the original that spawned so many now familiar concepts in horror. Apparently there were two sequels to this film to form a trilogy, Poltergeist II: The Other Side and Poltergeist III, which were not so successful as rated on over at IMDb here and here. A remake to the original may also be in the works dated for 2011 as seen here on the listings.

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