It is okay to think Poltergeist is cool.
OR
That it is a classic, dated, lame, entertaining, scary, or
anything else because they all can be argued for the first entry in the series.
Like many movies, judging it is merely subjective based on our viewing history,
our real life experience to apply to the viewing, when it was made, and a
million other variables. I LOVE the first entry and here is why.
Poltergeist is not buried (pun intended) deeply in the
typical approaches to horror. Its approach is high octane cinematic story-telling
rather than jump scares or gore. It is not based in even a close attempt to any
type of historical lore or alleged definitions of any of the subject matter
tackled in this film, and it does not matter. It focuses on things that scared
us as children and what scares as adults. A child can find fear in inanimate
objects like a tree outside the window or a clown doll. Adults can find fear in
the jeopardy of their home and their family living in it. This film could be
seen by the entire family because Spielberg *cough cough* sorry, Tobe Hooper
provided a film that didn’t rely on cheap gimmicks and adult-driven
sensationalism. You will not find gratuitous swearing, drug use, sex, or many
of the other things that titillate young viewers. However, you will find an
original story put on screen with creative movie magic and a charming effort. There
are moments of pure terror and there are moments of mysterious wonder.
Yet, like with any movie, there are those that merely want
to tear it down because it is regarded highly. That is unfortunate because this
is a film worth watching. Sure some parts of it are already dated, but that shouldn't spoil the many other great components of the film. Those who are too hip for it
today can trash it all they want to, it cannot diminish the love and success
this film received in its day and continues to now decades later. Until next
time….
Beware the moon
The Professor
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