All are Welcome (in the Light): Poltergeist (1982)

Today’s feature is a special pick by my other half and editor extraordinaire Yassmeen! She reminded me that this is one of our annual summer viewings and we would be remiss if we did not give it its due respect. And like our last featured movie, Jaws, Poltergeist represents another highly formative film for yours truly. So, let’s turn our attention to the light and get started!

“Now clear your minds. It knows what scares you. It has from the very beginning. Don't give it any help, it knows too much already. Now, open the door . . .”

-Tangina

Welcome to Cuesta Verde

The Freelings are a pretty typical middle-class family living in the planned suburban housing community of Cuesta Verde in southern California. Successful real estate agent Steven (Craig T. Nelson) and stay-at-home mom Diane (JoBeth Williams) are proud parents to 16-year-old Dana (Dominique Dunne), eight-year-old Robbie (Oliver Robins), and five-year-old Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke). The family is rounded out by a sweet golden retriever by the name of E. Buzz.

Cuesta Verde, with its rows of uniform homes, is an expanding community thanks in large part to Steven’s skills as a realtor. Steven and Diane have a playful and loving relationship, and together they negotiate a quasi-chaotic life with a teenager, a sweet Star Wars-obsessed son with some primal fears, and cherub-like five-year-old girl. This is, certainly by early ‘80s definition, an all-American family and we are seduced by their idyllic world. However, strange happenings and odd disturbances quickly surface in the Freelings’ home as Carol Anne begins to commune with someone or something through the late-night post-programming “snow” on the living room TV.

The TV People

The family starts to encounter mysterious, frightening, and at times thrilling phenomena. Spoons and forks are found bent, furniture is inexplicably rearranged in gravity-defying ways, and both animate and inanimate objects are pulled by an unseen force. Carol Anne explains to Diane that this is all the work of her new friends, the “TV People.”

Things soon take a dark turn as the disturbances escalate from astonishing yet innocuous to downright menacing. Ominous and unnatural-looking storms engulf Cuesta Verde at night while a ghostly presence haunts the Freelings both physically and psychologically. The sinister forces’ workings culminate in the disappearance of Carol Anne, who has been pulled into another realm from which she only communicates through the TV.

Desperate to find their daughter, Diane and Steven enlist the help of paranormal experts led by parapsychologist Dr. Lesh (Beatrice Straight) and her two assistants Ryan (Richard Lawson) and Marty (Martin Casella). While the team approaches the new case like any other—with a clinical degree of skepticism—they are soon terrified and awestruck by the powerful spectral forces at work in the Freeling home. Dr. Lesh and her team attempt to document and record the disturbances while offering insights into what could be causing these phenomena.

Meanwhile Steven’s boss Mr. Teague (Robert Karen), not privy to the cause of Steven’s recent absences, is anxious to woo his best salesman back to work. It becomes clear that Teague is not being completely forthright about the origins of Cuesta Verde, which we learn was built on land once home to a cemetery that was relocated to make way for the development.

Into the light

Recognizing the urgent need for more help, Dr. Lesh enlists Tangina (Zelda Rubinstein), a powerful and charismatic clairvoyant. Standing at a modest 4-feet-three inches, she is small in stature but looms large in her powerful presence and firm belief that she can “clean” the house of this spectral presence. Tangina also explains to the Freelings that around the house are restless and sad souls who are attracted to Carol Anne’s potent life force, which is distracting them from passing through the next plane of existence marked by a near blinding white light. This flashing and swirling light, which emanates from a closet in the kids’ bedroom, acts as a portal to the spirit realm. Tangina also describes the powerful, malevolent, and covetous entity that keeps a hold on Carol Anne:

“A terrible presence is in there with her. So much rage, so much betrayal. I've never sensed anything like it. I don't know what hovers over this house, but it was strong enough to punch a hole into this world and take your daughter away from you. It keeps Carol Anne very close to it and away from the spectral light. It lies to her, it tells her things only a child could understand. It has been using her to restrain the others. To her, it simply is another child. To us, it is the Beast.”

This exposition, delivered with a hushed sense of gravitas, has always given me chills. It’s perhaps one of the most memorable moments in a film knowns for its many memorable moments.

I don’t want to spoil the final third of the movie but will just say that it features a frightening and emotionally charged series of events as Tangina, Dr. Lesh, Ryan, Diane and Steven do all they can to rescue Carol Anne. Meanwhile, the beast will not give up easily as it lashes out, armed with the knowledge of what scares us.

My two cents

I went to see Poltergeist with my family during its initial theatrical run back in the summer of 1982. I was ten years old at the time and can vividly recall waiting in line outside the theater and hearing the shrieks of terror from inside. I was both petrified and intrigued by what awaited me; I did and did not want to go in. Once we settled into our seats and the movie began it quickly became clear that we were in for an absolute roller coaster ride of horror, laughter, and pure thrills. It truly was one of those formative theatrical experiences embodying all that we love about cinema. In short, this is why we go to the movies!

I love the lived-in production design of the Freeling home with all its little touches evoking a slightly chaotic household of five (six if you count E. Buzz). The house is full of pop culture references from the late 1970s and early 1980s that fans of the era will enjoy. The production showcases props and set elements that are referenced early then pay off with frightful satisfaction later on, including an excavation for a pool, a menacing tree outside the kids’ bedroom window, and a super creepy clown doll that has no business adorning any child’s room. Truly.

Lighting plays a huge part in this film—just think of the disorienting strobe-like glow of the TV snow, which is employed in several key scenes. The pre-CGI special effects, both practical and optical, were created in large part by the Industrial Light and Magic (ILM). George Lucas-founded ILM created a wonderful suite of visual elements like the chilling and wondrous spectral beast, a parade of forlorn spirits, a gooey gelatinous substance slathered on those of have passed between the other world and ours—the list goes on. There is also a particularly gory body horror sequence. For those who have seen this film you know exactly which scene I am referecing; for those first timers, you’ll know it when you see it.

Poltergeist is brimming with spirited performances that infuse the movie with so much warmth and heart. The cast is simply fantastic and, frankly, essential to this film’s success. JoBeth Williams shines as the chill, good-humored yet fiercely protective mama bear Diane Freeling. Craig T. Nelson pairs nicely with Williams as the talented real estate pitch man who shares Diane’s irreverent sense of humor, if not her imagination. Oliver Robbins is sympathetic as the endearing middle son grappling with fears of thunderstorms and monstrous-looking trees—as it turns out, for good reason. And, of course, there is the adorable Heather O’Rourke as Carol Anne, the pure-hearted and irresistible beacon to those floating through the spirit world. Not to be outdone is our cast of paranormal investigators, including Beatrice Straight as the warm and experienced parapsychologist Dr. Lesh and Richard Lawson as her enthusiastic colleague Ryan. And finally, we come to Zelda Rubinstein—our eccentric, diminutive, and mesmerizing Tangina. Her performance, reserved for the final third of the film, is truly electric.  

The music for Poltergeist was scored by the great Jerry Goldsmith, whose catalog of memorable music rivals that of John Williams. If you are someone who prefers a low-key musical presence in a film, I am not sure this one is for you. Poltergeist’s is an exhilarating full orchestral score that commands your attention and sweeps you up into the action. The music evokes intrigue, terror, suspense, and familial love, the latter of which is best embodied by the warm, child-like “Carol Anne’s Theme.” Goldsmith’s genre-specific filmography is huge, but here are some stand outs for me: Planet of the Apes (1968); Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971); Chinatown (1974); The Omen (1976); Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979); Alien (1979); Gremlins (1984); Total Recall (1990); and LA Confidential (1997). Many of these were nominated for an Academy Award and The Omen won the Oscar for Best Original score. His score for Patton (1970), a film that doesn’t fit the genre movie label, is also quite a force.

For me, Poltergeist hits all its marks. And while more recent viewings may not inspire the same terror in me that I felt on that day in 1982, I still get great pleasure from what feels like an immersive experience. The film never completely abandons its sense warmth and humor, even in the most intense sequences.

Many of you may have read about the rumors surrounding the true creative drivers behind Poltergeist. While the official credits list Tobe Hooper as the director and Steven Spielberg as producer and co-writer, some have speculated that Spielberg—perhaps too heavy-handed with his partnership—was the true director. At the end of the day, this film has some of the wondrous elements of a hallmark Spielberg film yet also brings the horror and subversiveness of a Hooper film, so my best guest would be that it was a true collaborative effort. To unpack this a bit more and learn about how the film came to be check out the Collider piece, Who Really Directed ‘Poltergeist’?: Steven Spielberg or Tobe Hooper?

Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper look during filming

Did you know?

Poltergeist is chock full of pop culture references, especially in the kids’ room. We glimpse Star Wars posters and action figures, a Darth Vader Helmet, the murder mystery board game Clue, and a Rubik’s Cube.

Character actor James Karen has some solid genre film credentials including Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster (1965), the cult horror/comedy Return of the Living Dead (1985), the Tobe Hooper-directed remake of Invaders from Mars (1986), and Mulholland Drive (2001).

Actor Richard Lawson is wonderful in a supporting role playing Ryan, a member of Dr. Lesh’s team of parapsychologists. We last met Lawson when we featured Sugar Hill (1974), in which he plays Lieutenant Valentine.

Like our last featured film, Jaws, Poltergeist’s initial rating of PG will confound many audiences today considering the intense frights and smattering of gore. The PG-13 rating came about a few years later, reportedly with some lobbying from Spielberg himself.

This film has long been associated with tragedy, including the death of Dominique Dunne, who was murdered by an ex-boyfriend in the fall of 1982. Heather O’Rourke, who starred in all three Poltergeist films, including sequels Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) and Poltergeist III (1988), died from complications from an intestinal abnormality that had been misdiagnosed.

Fans of Brooklyn Nine-Nine may spot actor Dirk Blocker in a comedic little bit at the beginning of the film as he attempts a beer run on a boy’s bicycle. Blocker played Detective Michael Hitchcock on Brooklyn Nine-Nine from 2013-2021.

Poltergeist was nominated for three Oscars at the 55th Academy Awards: Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound Editing Effects (it didn’t win in any of those categories). However, the movie did win for Best Special Visual Effects at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).

How did I watch?
Blu ray Warner Home Video

Cast (abridged)
Joe Beth Williams – Diane Freeling
Craig T. Nelson – Steven Freeling
Dominique Dunne – Dana freeling
Oliver Robins – Robbie Freeling
Heather O’Rourke – Carol Anne Freeling
Beatrice Straight – Dr. Lesh
Richard Lawson – Ryan
Martin Casella – Marty
Zelda Rubinstein – Tangina Barrons
James Karen - Mr. Teague

Crew (abridged)
Director – Tobe Hooper
Music – Jerry Goldsmith
Screenwriters – Steven Spielberg, Michale Grais, Mark Victor
Cinematographer – Matthew F. Leonetti
Editor – Michael Kahn
Production Designer – James H. Spencer
Visual effects supervisor – Richard Edlund
Production Company – Metro-Goldwyn Mayer

Running Time: 1h 54m

Recommendations Based on Poltergeist
The Haunting (1963)
The Changeling (1980)
Paranormal Activity (2007)
The Conjuring (2013)

Supplements

Poltergeist at 40: Spielberg’s haunted house hit brought horror home

What Really Happened During the Making of Poltergeist (Vanity Fair)

Poltergeist’s PG Rating Was a Crime Against Kids of the ‘80s (Polygon)