- "Poltergeist curse" redirects here. This article is about the 1982 film, for the article about the ghost, please see poltergeist.
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Poltergeist is an American horror film, directed by Tobe Hooper and released on June 4, 1982. It is the first and most successful of the Poltergeist film trilogy and was nominated for three Academy Awards[1]. The film was co-produced and co-written by Steven Spielberg along with Michael Grais and Mark Victor—his first major success as a producer. The plot revolves around the haunting of a suburban family home that is suspected to be the work of poltergeists.
The franchise is often said to be cursed, because several people associated with it, including stars Dominique Dunne and Heather O'Rourke, died prematurely. "The Poltergeist Curse" has been the focus of an E! True Hollywood Story.
This film was ranked as #80 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments and the Chicago Film Critics Association named it the 20th scariest film ever made.[2]
Plot
A group of seemingly benign ghosts begin communicating with five-year-old Carol Anne Freeling (Heather O'Rourke) in her parents' suburban California home via static on the television. Eventually they use the television as their path into the house itself.
First, there are a few signs that the ghosts have arrived. Carol Anne carries on a seemingly one-sided conversation with a television set that's turned on but has no signal, an earthquake occurs that only the Freelings feel. Carol Anne later announces, "They're here." The next morning, glasses break at breakfast, forks bend by themselves, and when the mother, Diane (JoBeth Williams), asks Carol Anne, "What did you mean? Who's here?" she answers, "The TV people." At first the ghosts play harmless tricks and amuse the mother, including moving and stacking the kitchen table chairs. Diane must convince Steven (Craig T. Nelson) that night by showing him. He then announces that "Nobody goes into the kitchen until I know what's happening."
During a rainstorm, a gnarled tree comes to life and grabs Robbie (Oliver Robins), Carol Anne's brother, through a window. However, this is merely a distraction used by the ghosts to get Carol Anne's parents to leave her unattended. Like a black hole, a shining light appears in the closet that pulls everything from the room into it; however, only Carol Anne was taken into their dimension. The tree attempts to swallow Robbie whole but he is rescued, and as the family watches Steven pull Robbie out of the tree, a tornado drags the tree into oblivion. They then realize that they can't find Carol Anne. They search the entire house including the hole dug for their new swimming pool, which is extremely muddy and shallow, until Robbie hears Carol Anne through the television.
Steven reluctantly calls on a group of parapsychologists from UC Irvine: Dr. Lesh (Beatrice Straight), Ryan (Richard Lawson), and Marty (Martin Casella), who are awestruck by the manifestations they witness. With the parapsychologists present, the Freelings show them things they've never before seen. They open the door to the children's room to reveal toys and other objects flying around by themselves and disembodied laughing voices reverberating throughout the room. Previously, one of the parapsychologists described a Matchbox car taking seven hours to move seven feet, calling it "[F]antastic. Of course, this would never register on the naked eye." After they see the Freelings' house, they are all humbled.
Over coffee (and a coffee urn that moves by itself), the parapsychologists explain to the Freelings the difference between a poltergeist and a haunting. They determine that indeed, it is a poltergeist they are experiencing.
It turns out that the spirits have left this life but have not gone into the "Light." They are stuck inbetween dimensions, watching their loved ones grow up, but feeling alone. Carol Anne was born in the house. Only 5 years old, she gives off her own life force that is as bright as the Light. It distracts and confuses the spirits, who think Carol Anne is their salvation. Hence, they take her. (This theory was expanded on in the second film).
What is also in the other dimension is a malevolent spirit, what the parapsychologists call "The Beast". It exploits the fact that the spirits are confused and lost, and uses Carol Anne as a distraction so they cannot move on into the Light. After the group witnesses several paranormal episodes where they hear Carol Anne talking to Diane through the television, see spirits, and hear the pounding footsteps of the spirit, which subsequently injures Marty, the parapsychologists leave, admitting they need more help. Carol Anne's elder sister Dana (Dominique Dunne), shaken and overwhelmed, leaves to stay with friends. The Freelings also send Robbie to his grandmother's house for his safety.
When the parapsychologists return, they bring a spiritual medium, Tangina Barrons (Zelda Rubinstein), who informs Diane that her daughter is "alive and in this house." She also explains the malevolent spirit in the house to Diane, saying "it lies to her and tells her things only a child can understand. To her, it simply is another child. To us, it is the Beast."
They realize the entrance to the other dimension is through the children's bedroom closet, and the way out is through the living room ceiling. By tying a rope around a live person who can enter, and presumably exit the other side, with enough time to grab Carol Anne, they could bring her back. Diane is the only choice to go. What happens next is a terrifying sequence where Diane gets Carol Anne and Tangina coaxes the agonized spirits away from Carol Anne to the real Light (during this, Steve panics, thinking that she's talking to Carol Anne and not the spirits, and pulls on the rope, causing the Beast to appear right in front of him). Diane falls through the living room ceiling clutching Carol Anne and bearing new streaks of grey hair, presumably from fright; both Diane and Carol Anne are also covered in ectoplasm. After both are revived in the downstairs bathtub, Tangina pronounces that "this house is clean."
Unfortunately, though the spirits have seemingly moved on, the Beast hasn't, and wants revenge. On their final night in the house, when they are almost packed up and ready to go, the Beast returns to reclaim what he believes is his: Carol Anne. This time, the Beast does his own dirty work and comes after Carol Anne personally.
While Robbie and Carol Anne are getting ready for bed, Robbie's clown doll comes to life and pulls him under the bed. Diane, in the other room hears her son's screaming voice and tries to investigate but is pulled against the wall and ceiling by an unknown force. Robbie manages to defeat the clown doll but a strange, mouth-like portal appears in Carol Anne's closet and attempts to pull the children in yet again.
Diane tries to get to her son and daughter but runs into the Beast himself, in the form of a snarling, skeletal demon. He blocks Carol Anne's and Robbie's door and lunges at her, causing her to fall down the stairs. Diane runs to the backyard to seek help from her next-door neighbors, but slips into the mud filled pool which is now infested by skeletons, as well as a coffin, which bursts out of the ground and opens. Her neighbors hear the commotion and arrive to help Diane out of the pool, but they refuse to enter the house with its windows now blazing with ghostly energy, so Diane runs back into the house alone to get Robbie and Carol Anne.
Through skill and luck, the Freelings finally escape the house, but not before the anger of the Beast reveals the reason (so far until the sequel) for the spirits being there in the first place: coffins and skeletal bodies begin exploding out of the ground throughout the neighborhood. When the neighborhood was first built the real estate developer Steven worked for moved a cemetery that was on the location, but in reality in order to save money they moved the cemetery headstones but left the bodies, building houses right on top of them, thus desecrating the burial grounds. As the Freelings flee down the street in their car, the Beast is so angry that the house implodes into the other dimension as stunned neighbors (including Steven's boss) look on. The family checks into a Holiday Inn for the night. Not wishing to tempt fate, Steven puts the television set outside their room.
Cast
Production
Director Tobe Hooper claims to have experienced poltergeist activity as a young man. During his teenage years, Hooper's father had died and for weeks after his death Hooper witnessed "doors breaking in, dishes flying around the residence and other bizarre occurrences". Hooper comments that's what attracted him to the project.
Creative relationship
A clause in his contract with Universal Studios prevented Spielberg from directing any other film while preparing E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.[3] Time and Newsweek tagged the summer of 1982 "The Spielberg Summer" because E.T. and Poltergeist were released a week apart in June. As such a marketable name, some began to question Spielberg's role during production. Suggestions that Spielberg had greater directorial influence than the credits suggest were aided by comments made by the writer/producer:
"Tobe isn't... a take-charge sort of guy. If a question was asked and an answer wasn't immediately forthcoming, I'd jump in and say what we could do. Tobe would nod agreement, and that become the process of collaboration."[4]
The Directors Guild of America "opened an investigation into the question of whether or not Hooper's official credit was being denigrated by statements Spielberg has made, apparently claiming authorship."[3] Co-producer Frank Marshall told the Los Angeles Times that "the creative force of the movie was Steven. Tobe was the director and was on the set every day. But Steven did the design for every storyboard and he was on the set every day except for three days when he was in Hawaii with Lucas."[3] However, Hooper claimed that he "did fully half of the storyboards."[3]
The Hollywood Reporter printed an open letter from Spielberg to Hooper in the week of the film's release.
Regrettably, some of the press has misunderstood the rather unique, creative relationship which you and I shared throughout the making of Poltergeist.
I enjoyed your openness in allowing me... a wide berth for creative involvement, just as I know you were happy with the freedom you had to direct Poltergeist so wonderfully.
Through the screenplay you accepted a vision of this very intense movie from the start, and as the director, you delivered the goods. You performed responsibly and professionally throughout, and I wish you great success on your next project.[5]
Several members of the Poltergeist cast and crew have over the years consistently alleged that Spielberg was the 'de facto director' of the picture. While other actors have claimed Hooper directed the film. In a 2007 interview with Ain't It Cool News, Zelda Rubinstein discussed her recollections of the shooting process. She said that "Steven directed all six days" that she was on set: "Tobe set up the shots and Steven made the adjustments." She also alleged that Hooper "allowed some unacceptable chemical agents into his work," and at her interview felt that time "Tobe was only partially there."[6] In a interview with Deadpit radio, Lou Perryman stated "Tobe directed me and everything I saw while I was there, he directed". Oliver Robbins (who played Robbie) said that Tobe Hooper was the director. Craig T. Nelson also confirmed Hooper as the director, strongly influenced by Spielberg.
Special effects
In 2002, on an episode of VH1's I Love the '80s, JoBeth Williams revealed that the production used real skeletons when filming the swimming pool scene. Many of the people on the set were alarmed by this and led others to believe the "curse" on the film series was because of this use. Craig Reardon, a special effects artist who worked on the film, commented at the time that it was cheaper to purchase real skeletons than plastic ones as the plastic ones involved labor in making them. Williams wasn't afraid of the prop skeletons, but she was nervous working in water around so many electrically-powered lights. Producer Spielberg comforted her by being in the water during her scenes, claiming that if a light fell into the pool, they'd both be killed.
During the scene when one of the researchers hallucinates tearing his face off in the mirror, Steven Spielberg's hands were used to claw the flesh off the dummy. The actor who played the part, Martin Casella, was Spielberg's assistant on Raiders of the Lost Ark and also served as a PA on Robert Zemeckis' film Used Cars, on which Spielberg served as executive producer.
Location
Location scouts for the studio decided upon Roxbury Street, Simi Valley, California after realizing it met all of their requirements. The homes were new and, at the time, the land behind the street was free, allowing plenty of access for the studio trucks. The studio didn't tell the residents that the street was to be used in a Spielberg production as they would've demanded more money. Instead they were told it was for a low-budget B movie, and by way of payment, the residents were offered free landscaping in their front yards. The houses which were brand new had no lawns at the time and so all residents accepted. The first house on the street, which looks the same as the Freelings' home, had no one living there. Close observation suggests no landscaping was done there. The coach lamps at the entrance to the pathway of the Freelings' home were added on by production and wires that power them can be seen, taped to the pillars, at the film's climax.
The house used in the movie (4267 Roxbury) received substantial earthquake damage in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The garage came free of its foundation, the driveway had to be re-poured, the pinafore wall under the main windows and main garden wall also shook loose and collapsed. Today concrete breeze blocks replace the garden wall.
The clown doll that tortured young Robbie can be seen at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.
Home video release
In 1997, MGM released Poltergeist on DVD in a snap case, and the only special feature was a trailer. In 1998, Poltergeist was re-released on DVD with the same cover and disc as the 1997 release, but in a keep case and with an eight page booklet. In 1999, it was released on DVD again by Warner Home Video in a snap case with the same disc, but a different cover. Warner Home Video tentatively scheduled releases for the 25th anniversary edition of the film on standard DVD, HD DVD and Blu-Ray[7] in Spain and the US on 9 October 2007. The re-release claimed to have digitally remastered picture and sound, and a two-part documentary: "They Are Here: The Real World of Poltergeists", which makes extensive use of clips from the film. The remastered DVD of the film was released as scheduled but both high-definition releases were eventually canceled. Warner rescheduled the high definition version of the film and eventually released it only on the Blu-Ray disc format on October 14, 2008.[8]
The Blu-ray disc release still had the "25th Anniversary Edition" banner[9] even though this particular release was a full year behind the actual anniversary of the film. The Blu-ray disc release was packaged in collectible, non-standard Blu-Ray disc packaging Warner Home Video calls "digibook" which is supposed to resemble a coffee table book and contains pictures from the film on its pages.
A six disc prototype, from the abandoned 20th Anniversary Special Edition, surfaced on eBay a few years ago and still crops up from time to time. Special features included the The First Real Ghost Story and The Making of Poltergeist featurettes, screenplay, several photo galleries and Fangoria interviews, and the documentaries E! True Hollywood Story, Hollywood Ghost Stories and Terror in The Aisles. The 6th disc was a copy of the original motion picture soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith.
Reception
Poltergeist was a box office success worldwide. The film grossed $76,606,280[10] in the United States, making it the 8th biggest release (regardless of genre) and highest grossing horror film of 1982.[11]
Many critics discussed the role of the white American middle class family in the film. Douglas Brode compares the "family values" in Poltergeist to the Bush/Quayle 1992 reelection campaign.[12] Andrew Sarris, in The Village Voice, wrote that when Carol Ann is lost the parents and the two older children "come together in blood-kin empathy to form a larger-than-life family that will reach down to the gates of hell to save its loved ones."[12] In the L.A. Herald Examiner, Peter Rainer wrote:
Buried within the plot of Poltergeist is a basic, splendid fairy tale scheme: the story of a little girl who puts her parents through the most outrageous tribulation to prove their love for her. Underlying most fairy tales is a common theme: the comforts of family. Virtually all fairy tales begin with a disrupting of the family order, and their conclusion is usually a return to order.[12]
The film was re-released in cinemas for one night only on Thursday, October 4, 2007 as a promotion for the new restored and remastered 25th anniversary DVD released on October 9. This event also included the documentary "They Are Here: The Real World of Poltergeists" that was created for the new DVD.
The film spawned two sequels, Poltergeist II: The Other Side and Poltergeist III. They retained the family but introduced all-new reasons for the Beast's behavior, tying him to an evil preacher named Henry Kane, who led his religious sect to their doom in the 1820s. As the Beast, Kane went to extraordinary lengths to keep his "flock" under his control, even in death. He used Carol Anne to do this, as he discovered his flock was attracted to her innocence. Kane and his flock were never mentioned in the first movie, only that the Beast needed Carol Anne to hold spirits captive. But the original motive--building a housing development on top of a cemetery, thus disturbing the souls of those buried there--was altered; the cemetery was now on top of a cave where Kane and his flock met their ends.
The Poltergeist curse
"The Poltergeist curse" is the rumor of a supposed curse attached to the Poltergeist motion picture series and its stars.
The rumor is superstition largely derived from the fact that four cast members died in the six years between the release of the first film and the release of the third, with one dying during production of the second film. Two of them died at young ages, 12 and 22. It is not clear that these particular films are atypical in the number or nature of the deaths of their actors, and at least two of the supposed victims had serious health problems before becoming attached to the film series.
The actors who are supposed victims of the curse include:
- Dominique Dunne, who played the oldest sibling Dana in the first movie, died in 1982 at age 22 after being strangled by her jealous boyfriend.[13] The boyfriend, John Thomas Sweeney, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to six years in prison, but was paroled after serving three and a half years. [14]
- Julian Beck, 60-year-old actor who played Kane in Poltergeist II: The Other Side, died in 1985 of stomach cancer diagnosed before he had accepted the role.[15]
- Will Sampson, 53 years old, who played Taylor the Medicine Man in Poltergeist II, died as a result of post-operative kidney failure and pre-operative malnutrition problems in 1987.[16]
- Heather O'Rourke, who played Carol Anne in all three Poltergeist movies, died in 1988 at the age of 12 after what doctors initially described as an acute form of influenza but later changed to septic shock after bacterial toxins invaded her bloodstream.[17] At the time, she had suffered acute bowel obstruction, initially diagnosed as Crohn's disease, which may have been the cause of death.
- Louis "Lou" Perryman, who played Pugsley in the first movie, was murdered at the age of 67 in his Austin, Texas home in April, 2009, by Seth Christopher Tatum (the two did not know each other.) Tatum stabbed Perryman several times with a sharp object (possibly an axe) and then stole his car to flee from police due to an unrelated aggravated assault charge.
Other occurrences that have been attributed to the curse include:
- While writing the novelization of the screenplay, author James Kahn told People magazine that seconds after he wrote the line "Lightning ripped open the sky", the building was struck by lightning and all the arcade games in the lounge began playing themselves.
The Poltergeist series is just one of a handful of movies and television series that have been said to have been cursed. Others include Rebel Without a Cause, The Omen, The Exorcist, Diff'rent Strokes, Seinfeld, Bewitched, Saturday Night Live, The Crow, the In the Heat of the Night TV series, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Our Gang, and various Superman-related series and films.
The curse is said to be the most famous in movie history.[18]
Cultural impact
Poltergeist has been referenced in several films, television shows and music videos.
In "
Petergeist", the tree is based on the one that captures Robbie.
An episode of Family Guy called "Petergeist" parodied the events in Poltergeist. Peter builds a multiplex in his backyard and discovers an Indian burial ground. When he takes an Indian chief’s skull, a poltergeist invades the Griffins’ home. The episode also used some of the same musical cues heard in the film, and recreated four scenes, including baby Stewie saying "they're here", the portal in the closet, Peter hallucinating ripping his face off and changes to that of Hank Hill from King of the Hill, and the house imploding. However the clown is replaced with Ronald McDonald and after Lois leaves the television outside, Peter pushes the television back and leaves Meg outside.[19]
In the American Dad! episode "The American Dad After School Special", Francine discovers a pool filled with food, just like Diane's discovery of the pool hole filled with coffins and dead bodies. Hayley yells, "What's happening?!", just like Dana did in Poltergeist.
At the end of the first Simpsons Treehouse of Horror installment, Bad Dream House, the house in which the Simpsons move turns out to be haunted. After repeated failed attempts to scare them away, it implodes in a way similar to that of the house at the end of Poltergeist, rather than spend life with the Simpson family. In Treehouse of Horror VI's Homer³, Homer enters the third dimension and communicates with his family in a reverberating voice similar to that of Carol Anne's when she speaks through the television. In an attempt to rescue Homer, Bart enters the dimension with a rope tied around him, similar to the manner Carol Anne is retrieved by Diane.
South Park has referenced the film several times. In "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson", Cartman makes Dr. Nelson say "Carol Anne - don't go into the light" during the fight with him. In the episode "Spookyfish", a pet store built over unmoved bodies in a former cemetery causes a vortex behind a closed door akin to the rift in Carol Anne's bedroom closet. In the episode "The Biggest Douche in the Universe", Chef's mother exorcises Kenny's soul out of Cartman then states, "This child is clean," a parody of Tangina's line, "This house is clean" in the film. The episode "Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes", the boys are told to break a mirror to bring down the Wall-Mart store, just as Tangina told Carol Anne to do to get away from Kane in Poltergeist III. Once Stan and Kyle break the mirror, the store implodes and disappears into another dimension just as the Freeling house does at the end of Poltergeist. A doctor resembling Dr. Tangina appears when Ike is possessed by Michael Jackson in the episode "Dead Celebrities".
In The X-Files episode "Shadows", Mulder and Scully were discussing what had taken over their car and caused them to crash. Mulder believes that a young woman they had just visited had caused the crash via psychokinetic powers. When Scully questions Mulder's beliefs, Mulder also says it could be a poltergeist. Scully then mocks him by saying, "They're here!" Mulder replies, "Yes, they just might be."
In the Wonderfalls episode "Lying Pig", Jaye's brother declares "This trailer is clean, kind of" after helping her remove all of the talking objects à la Zelda Rubinstein. In the Chilly Beach episode "Polargeist", a direct spoof of the first film, Dale discovers ghosts in his house and is abducted into the spirit world through his beer fridge.
In the music video for the Spice Girls song "Too Much" Emma Bunton recreates a scene from the movie.
In Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Jim Carrey having just diagnosed that Roger Podactor was murdered instead of having committed suicide remarks: "I have exorcised the demons!" He also later adds "This house is clean." Both of which are quotes from Poltergeist.
In the April 19, 2007 episode of Supernatural, Dean explains to his brother the curse of the set of Poltergeist. Also in a first season episode called Home, Dean makes a reference to Missouri Mosley cleaning out their old house of a poltergeist by commenting on her doing her "whole Zelda Rubinstein thing," a reference to the actress who portrayed Tangina Barrons in all three Poltergeist films.
In an episode of Roseanne, Roseanne's sister Jackie cleans the house thoroughly to get it ready for the homecoming of Darlene's baby. After cleaning, she says, "This house is clean" in a voice that imitates Zelda Rubensteins's when she says the line in the movie.
Scary Movie 2 parodies the clown scene where Ray fights of the clown by sexually assaulting him under the bed.
Remake
MGM announced in 2008 that Vadim Perelman will direct a remake, and that Juliet Snowden and Stiles White are writing the script. MGM will release Poltergeist sometime in the year 2011[20] .[21]
See also
External links
References
- ^ imdb.com. "Poltergeist Award Nominations". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084516/awards. Retrieved 21 October 2009.
- ^ http://www.filmspotting.net/top100.htm
- ^ a b c d Brode, Douglas (2000). The Films of Steven Spielberg. New York: Citadel Press. p. 101. ISBN 0-8065-1951-7.
- ^ Brode, pg 102
- ^ Brode, pg 99-100
- ^ "Click over, children! All are welcome! All welcome! Quint interviews Zelda Rubinstein!!!!". Ain't It Cool News. 2007-10-02. http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34266. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
- ^ "Live Chat with Warner Home Video". Home Theater Forum. 2007-02-26. http://www.hometheaterforum.com/chat/warner07.txt. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
- ^ (For verification, you can visit Warner's pre-order page here: http://whv.warnerbros.com/WHVPORTAL/Portal/product.jsp?OID=50397)
- ^ (as seen here: http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.php?id=540)
- ^ Poltergeist (1982)
- ^ "POLTERGEIST". BOX OFFICE MOJO. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=poltergeist.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
- ^ a b c cited in Brode, p. 111
- ^ "Dominique Dunne, Actress, Dies After Being Choked," The New York Times, November 5, 1982; Biography for Dominique Dunne on the Internet Movie Database
- ^ R. Arnold, "Strangled Actress; Did Slayer's Penalty Fit His Crime?" Los Angeles Times, December 3, 1986; Poltergeist Deaths on the Urban Legends Reference Pages
- ^ S. Freedman, "Julien Beck, 60, is Dead; Founded Living Theater," The New York Times, September 17, 1985
- ^ B. Folkart, "Role in Cuckoo's Nest; Will Sampson, Gentle Indian Giant, Dies," Los Angeles Times, June 4, 1987
- ^ "Heather O'Rourke, 12, Dies, San Diego Actress," The San Diego Union-Tribune, February 2, 1988; B. Folkart, "Poltergeist Star Heather O'Rourke Dies at Age of 12," Los Angeles Times, February 3, 1988
- ^ http://www.foxnews.com/video-search/m/20619524/dark-knight-cursed.htm
- ^ "Petergeist". TV.com. http://www.tv.com/family-guy/petergeist/episode/664917/summary.html. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
- ^ Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (2008-09-03). "Vadim Perelman to Direct MGM's New 'POLTERGEIST'". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS200137+03-Sep-2008+PRN20080903. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
- ^ UPDATE: MGM Puts 'Poltergeist' Release Date on Hold
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