Poltergeist

Hooper’s contribution and Spielberg’s creative control over the final result will likely remain a mystery forever, but that’s not the point with this slightly gritter version of Ghostbusters. What interests me is the mysterious atmosphere of the first half, the ability to lighten the mood, and the authentic retro vibe of the kids' room, which out-retros all episodes of Stranger Things combined. The antics of Maya the Bee and the subsequent "don’t count your chickens before you’re in the Holiday Inn" slightly suffer from the overuse of ILM's capabilities of the time, but as one of the cornerstones of the genre, it deserves respect. I just hope they didn’t lay it on human remains. (22/11/2022)

An excellent family Spielberg horror that even children can watch. Well, I´m not completely sure. If I had watched this one at the age of six or seven, so I would have never been willing to sleep in my bed alone anymore. However, the film could have been much better if it had not been so intoxicated by the technical achievements and did not use effects only for effects´ sake, which today, however, inevitably seem ridiculous. What it lacks is timelessness and this disturbs the otherwise carefully constructed atmosphere. At the same time, when the creators are content with the murmur of television, the blue light behind the door, they sensitively know their parents about "Beast Behind the Curtain", a motionless clown toy by the crib (with an intruder poster in the background), Goldsmith's music. Practical effects or directly human remains, so it can be impressive even today. There is simply a certain contradiction in this, which is clearly seen in many aspects. This is most noticeable in the final half hour, when the regular final (Aťka Janoušková versus From beyond) and the closing take place. But instead of subtitles, the second part follows in the form of the second regular final, which, however, is made in a completely different mode. And both are excellent, although I much prefer the second one. The poltergeist should have been shorter, to rely less on "CGI" effects, and not to have such a noticeable discrepancy between Hooper's and Spielberg's visions. Even so (or because of that,) it is still a movie that you can easily find in every good ranking of the most important genre films. And there´s a clear reason for that. (10/01/2017)

There has been much speculation about the extent to which Tobe Hooper, the nominal director, or producer Steven Spielberg had control over the project. In terms of overall style and motifs, the film fits in with Spielberg’s 1980s directorial and production work, with which it shares both the transplanting of a fantastical premise into the essentially domestic suburban setting of the time and the motif of family togetherness as an absolute good. Though we can also find parallels with Hooper’s filmography, particularly in the motif of terrifying and haunted houses, his own Invaders from Mars makes it clear that he doesn’t know how to work with child actors, which is not at all evident in Poltergeist. In any case, their joint creation can be considered the beginning of the 1980s trend of children’s horror movies. Though in comparison with later movies, Poltergeist resides more in the realm of horror; children and youths are its primary audience (it is no coincidence that the distributor asked the MPAA to change its rating to PG), which is reflected in the fact that it builds on unease and fearful wonder instead of terror. In other words, Poltergeist is an excellent horror film for the whole family that will keep especially children glued to the screen. (11/10/2015)

I can't believe that this is truly the work of the same Tobe Hooper who in 1974 enveloped the world in a cloud of fear in the form of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This is nothing but a one-off and desperately boring farce whose main goal was probably to scare you with the sight of a buzzing TV set. Anyway, the effects were very impressive, especially towards the end, and even Goldsmith's music had something to it, but all the good stuff ends up in a head-scratching story with a terrible bad ending, something I definitely wouldn't expect from a Spielberg-influenced horror film. Such sloppy wasted potential should perhaps be punished. (10/08/2022)

The film has an excellent technical side (where Spielberg's work is most visible) and the nomination for visual and sound effects is, in my opinion, absolutely deserved. The ending is literally a whirlwind of directorial ideas, various visual tricks, and throughout the film, we can see scenes masterfully set with lights. Maybe if it had a faster pace, I would have pressed for a higher rating. (10/04/2005)