By Melissa Antoinette Garza
The Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper classic Poltergeist (1982) has earned its place in the heart of every true horror. The casting was remarkable. It took chances. It was rated PG and most of the horror involved children, thus making it in many homes a “family film.” Due to that, there’s an entire generation who fears trees and clowns.
Then there were the rumors of a Poltergeist curse, not to mention the tragic deaths that followed each sequel. Still, even without all the controversy and real-life calamities that occurred, Poltergeist would always be fondly remembered as an amazingly suspenseful production.
I didn’t expect the re-imagination to be nearly as revered, but unlike a lot of the other unfortunate remakes, this one in particular seemed to respect the original, want to add to the story and cast the film perfectly.
The movie begins when the Bowen family downgrade and move into a smaller home. The patriarch Eric (Sam Rockwell) was laid off from John Deere and the matriarch Amy (Rosemarie Dewitt) was a writer and stay-at-home mom.
There eldest daughter Kendra (Saxon Sharbino) is an attempt at the “average” teenage daughter. The issue is that hercharacter is not a believable one. When her youngest sibling Madison (Kennedi Clements) is taken by the dead that reside within the closet, she wasn’t fazed. Then, when Carrigan Burke (Jared Harris) a host of a paranormal TV show appears to help, she goes nuts. The portrayal isn’t really Sharbino’s fault. She reminds me of a young Lindsay Lohan. I think she has acting skills, but this was just the wrong role for anyone in her age group. No one could pull off the reading of her dialogue with any believability.
The Bowen’s middle child Griffin (Kyle Catlett) is forced to live in the attic which does lead to one of the best scenes. Griffin is afraid of everything. He reminds me of Eddy in IT. He’s a nervous child that has a window on the ceiling of his bedroom. The tree moves harshly in the wind and crashes upon his window. Fans of the original know what’s coming next – and kudos to this scene because with today’s CGI, it was pulled off fantastically well. The mixture of practical effects with CGI helped this movie tremendously.
Most of the cool and chilling moments happen with Griffin. Madison just comes off as a strange odd kid. Most can relate to Griffin. He’s shy, quiet and afraid of his own shadow so when he’s terrorized the viewers really feel for him. Without revealing what they did, the powers-that-be took an old concept and made it new, appealing and freaky as hell. It’s the “comic book” scene for anyone who has seen the picture.
Next is the clown. Damn that clown. Though they did Annabelle the doll up a bit. In the original it wasn’t dirty and didn’t look evil which made them more terrifying. This one was evil from jump. He also had friends that came with him. I wonder how the next generation who grew up with Toy Story will react to that scene. I thought it was truly frightening.
The movie dies for one reason. No one reacts when Madison goes missing. Everything is fast moving and even Amy doesn’t seem passionate about getting her back. Sure, she cries a few times, but remember when Diane Freeling sensed that Carol Anne was in the room with her. She smiled and the music kicked in and everyone watching got chills because the motherly instinct and pure love brought Carol Anne to her. That just doesn’t happen here. Even when Amy puts her hand to the TV and Madison puts her hand up, there’s no celebration or fear or anything. It’s just a scene.
Rockwell is one of my favorite actors. He needs to be in more. He’s suave, slick and can do anything. I first saw him in
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) which is one of the most underrated cult classics of all time. Moon (2009) is another one of his amazing films that though critically acclaimed was mainly missed by the masses.
As for this new Poltergeist….see it. There are some legitimate scary scenes. If not for the “Poltergeist” stigma I think it would be getting more respect. You will nearly always lose when you’re compared to something iconic. That said, it does raise viewers’ awareness of the movie and they’re more inclined to see it. Only there expectations are higher than they should be.
I also heard some reviewers complain that the family has too many electronics because they’re poor. They’re not poor. They’re cutting back because he was laid off. They could still buy a good size house and have possessions. That was such a stupid gripe. Talk about nit-picking. First, I have friends who are out of work and have families. They still have their smart flat screen TVs, iPhone6, iPad 2, and all the latest game systems. Some of it was purchased before they lost their job and some of it gives them false security after they lose the job. Furthermore this is explained in the movie. When Eric’s credit cards are repeatedly declined, rather than saving money – he goes on a shopping spree. He does it because he’s embarrassed at the hardware store, and this makes him feel temporarily better.
Overall, if you go in without thinking of the original and can resist the urge to wince when they do shout-outs to the classic, it’s definitely worth the $12.00. My best friend Meghan Winkler and I had a blast. We always have fun even if the movie sucks, but here the movie did bring some tension and good scares. Then there’s the cast. Sam Rockwell and Jared Harris can be on screen and not say a word yet their mere presence is so intense one must watch.
The kids did well with what they had. For the most part Griffin was my favorite though there is one point in the end when he finds confidence and the scene is stupid, ridiculous and a little insulting. I don’t want to give spoilers since it’s in the theater but it’s just unbelievably stupid.
Still, I could see this becoming another series. Maybe, like The Conjuring we can follow different families with Poltergeist incidents. I’d be happy to see the character of Kane return. Though, Julian Beck is brilliant, there are some great actors that would be amazing in that role. I think Jon Voight would be an interesting choice. Sir Ian McKellen would be another great choice and I certainly would love to learn more about that character!
Scared Stiff Rating: 6.5/10
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