FILM CHALLENGE: 169) Poltergeist

169) Poltergeist

Director: Tobe Hooper

Year: 1982

Plot Summary: The daughter of an American family is taken by a host of ghosts who invade their home.

Produced and written by Steven Spielberg, it would be wrong to expect an atmospheric, haunting and genuinely frightening horror movie from Poltergeist. Instead, the legendary film-maker who has brought us the likes of Indiana Jones, E.T. and Jurassic Park does exactly what he's best at here: He crafts a spectacular piece of escapism that brings the cinema screen to life.

Collaborating with director Tobe Hooper, they together tell the story of a young family are visited by ghosts in their home. At first the ghosts appear friendly, moving objects around the house to the amusement of everyone, then they turn nasty and start to terrorise the family before they kidnap the youngest daughter.

While the narrative and the characters both play out exactly as you would expect here and, very frequently, Poltergeist slips into cliched and overly conventional territory, the movie's held together by the fact that it's such good fun. There are moments of suspense that'll keep you on the edge of your seat, moments of humour that'll bring a smile to your face and moments of breathtaking action that take you on a thrill ride.

In many ways, because Poltergeist never aims to be a work of art and, instead, simply asks you strap yourself in and enjoy the ride, picking apart the glaring issues in the storytelling and character development feels somewhat unfair. After all, it succeeds admirably in what it sets out to do.

A visually stunning and exciting slice of entertainment, Poltergeist is about as much fun as the horror genre could ever be. Suspend your disbelief and switch your brain off and you'll be taken on a thrilling journey.

3/5

By Daniel Sarath with No comments