Writer: Steven Spielberg (story)
Screenplay: Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais, and Mark Victor
Special Effects: Industrial Lights and Magic (Lucas)
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Steven Spielberg
Musical Score: Jerry Goldsmith [1] (Oscar, Best Musical Score, The Omen) [2]
This year is the 25th anniversary of the film. One reason Poltergeist is so perfect is because of the people involved in the production: Tobe Hooper, Steven Spielberg, Jerry Goldsmith, and George Lucas' Industrial Lights and Magic. The list reads like a who's who of classic and expert film production. How could it not be perfect with this ensemble?
Many horror films have been made in over a hundred years of film making and certainly, most are a dime a dozen. There are many genres of horror films: the slasher films, creature features, 'B' horror, to name a few. Nearly all of the genres seem apt to become dated as they are often reflective of a specific period in cultural time and tossed on the winds of fad culture. Only one genre stands the test of time, no matter how old the story or film becomes: The Ghost Story. The cast of creators aside, what makes Poltergeist so perfect is the story. What makes the film so unusual as a horror film is that it does have great writing. But this is no usual Ghost Story. The Ghost Story is merely the vehicle for the larger message (which horror films almost never possess).
Poltergeist uses all the typical devices of a classic Ghost Story horror film: creaking sounds, subtle voices, play on light and dark, simulated heartbeat sounds, things emerging from the periphery, cropping, surprise, terror juxtaposed with ordinary objects, people, etc. Spielberg, et al. take the right approach with fear, which is, that it is simple and not complicated, and doesn't require a lot of gore. It is this sparseness and simplicity and earnestness of acting by a then unknown cast of characters that makes the film so terrifying. I saw this film when I was eleven years old. I watched it at a friend's house on cable. It was scandalously uncut and it terrified the living daylights out of me. It was the first horror film that really blew me away. However, I was too young to appreciate its broader meaning. It is not only a timeless ghost story but a timeless cultural commentary as well.
The trailer to the film makes the best plot summary:
The film is a classic Ghost Story but it is also about the microcosm of house/home/family that symbolize the country. It's about patriotism and nostalgia, economic downturns, innocence and the loss of it, greed and abundance, form without substance in American culture, and ultimately, the loss of the American Dream.
The Freelings and the American Dream
The family is Steven and Diane Freeling and their children Dana, Robbie, and Carol Anne, and their dog E. Buzz. First, their name is "Free-ling." Much like "underling" or "earthling," it is not so much a name as a designation.
Photo CreditThese "free" people live in a suburban home in a development called Cuesta Verde (loosely
translated = "it costs green"). It is a manufactured neighborhood of suburban sprawl where all of the homes look the same, which is a quality that recalls Malvina Reynolds' song, "Little Boxes." [3] The family's life reads like a commercial for middle class abundance: the perfect house, 2.5 kids, toys and other products filling the house, etc. Douglas Kellner states, "By depicting with affection its residents, houses, goods, toys, and electronics, it presents advertisements for a U.S. way of life which defines happiness in terms of middle-class lifestyle and consumption." [4] Kellner calls Spielberg's films "clever ideological fables" and "meticulously constructed ideology machines." [5] He states, "The film attempts to manipulate its audience through carefully planned, carefully paced jolts, special effects, frightening scenes, sentimental depictions of a loving family, and the assuring presence of technology, professionals, and spiritual powers. " [6]Kellner's observations are poignant and astute. I personally think the term "sentimental" as applied to the depictions of the Freelings as a loving family would be better termed "idealized." In the film, the family is shown as a tight unit that only begins to break up under the assault of
the poltergeist intrusion. They share a bed, they joke and play with one another, and even when they embark on the rescue of Carol Anne, they show courage and a tight bond. When deciding who should enter the closet/portal to rescue the child, Diane convinces Tangina (the spiritualist) that she should go since she is Carol Anne's mother. Steven says that he should go instead. Diane says, "Who's strong enough to stay up here and hold the rope?" He relents and as she starts walking into the closet, she turns and
shouts to Steven, "Steven, don't let go!" Diane goes into the unknown and Steven "tows the line." The image of the Freelings is idealized and heroic. They face their fears to save their daughter--head on. And this is no difficult task, because the supernatural force that they are fighting knows their fears and exploits them.
Photo Credit
Photo Credit
Photo CreditThe theme of the American Dream is further reinforced by elements in the film. First, the film opens with a very blatant use of the Star-Spangled Banner being played at the end of day broadcast of a network channel on television. Steve Freeling has fallen asleep in his chair in front of the television as the broadcast day winds down in this iconic way. I don't think it's unintentional on Steven Spielberg's part. Opening the film in this way is a tight piece of foreshadowing as well as a symbolic representation of the American Dream coming to an end: in this case, reverting to the low power "snow" mode of the television channel. It is also a genius creative choice in terms of the musical score. This scene is shown not once, but twice--the second time being as the whole family (except the teenage daughter) are asleep in the parents' bed and right before the poltergeist makes contact with Carol Anne and causes an earthquake (only in the Freelings home, interestingly enough). Johannes Grenzfurthner states, "It is no coincidence that in the film “Poltergeist” from the early 80s Tobe Hooper used just this phenomenon as something calculated to give one the creeps. After the American national anthem the broadcast is over; the snowstorm sets in. And it doesn’t take long for the eerie voices of the damned to start calling out of the hypnotic blizzard. It seems as if we would like to ban this snow from our world." [7]
As Kellner stated, happiness is defined "in terms of middle-class lifestyle and consumption." The American Dream to Spielberg and Hooper is about the acquisition of a home, updated technology, a swimming pool, 2.5 children, and an abundant collection of (Lucas-based) toys for those children. The teenage daughter even has her own phone in her room. This is the age of innocence and abundance for the Freelings. The musical score by Jerry Goldsmith reinforces this period of the film by scoring it initially with what is basically a lullaby. Gradually, as the Freelings' lives go out of control, the score alternates with darker and moodier tones with intense, bombastic music.
Besides the use of the Star-Spangled Banner, economics (and politics) are alluded to in another subtle way. Near the beginning of the film, Steve Freeling is laying on his stomach on their bed while Diane is rolling joints. He is reading a book entitled Reagan: The Man, The President. [8] Reagan would later become the President who posited "Trickle-down Economics" which is also known as Reaganomics or Supply-side Economics. "Proponents of these policies claim that they will promote new investment and economic growth, thereby indirectly benefiting people in lower tax brackets who do not receive the direct benefits of lower taxes. Opponents characterize this as a claim that the people who would otherwise pay the tax will distribute their benefit to less wealthy individuals, so that a fraction will reach the general population and stimulate the economy." [9] In addition, even though the modern War on Drugs was started by President Nixon in 1969, it was Reagan who created the Office of National Drug Control Policy in 1988. So, the irony is not lost on the contemporary viewer when watching Diane prepare marijuana for their mutual consumption while Steve is reading a book on Reagan. There was also a real life economic contradiction going on during the age of Reaganomics. While the economy was being presented as good, the reality was that it wasn't. Mortgage interest rates only dropped below 10% once during the Reagan Presidency (1987) . During the year that Poltergeist takes place, the mortgage interest rate was 14.72/14.74% (fixed/adjustable). [10] So, buying a home was out of reach for most low income wage earners--unless they were willing to sacrifice their family on the altar of work to "keep up with the Joneses." Viewers of the film know that Steve Freeling is upper middle class because his boss, Mr. Teague, offers him a brand new home at no cost to keep him employed because Steve is singlehandedly responsible for bringing the company over $70 million in real estate sales. However, pitted against this wealth and idealistic family harmony is the isolation of the nuclear family, the forces of nature, failed technology, and the mesmerism of television. We also eventually find out that the initial cause for all the disturbances in the Freelings' house is GREED. Mr. Teague, knowingly, and probably in cahoots with other questionable characters, decided to cut corners and increase profits by only moving the headstones of the cemetery on which the Freelings' house rests.
The Tuthills
The Tuthills are the Freelings' next door neighbors. They have achieved the same measure of success as the Freelings although they are presented as less sophisticated (e.g. the son is portrayed as a slack-jawed child). Mr. Tuthill is competitive with Steve and it is obvious that neither wants a "neighborly" relationship with the other. The competition is expressed through the television remote fight that they have when both are apparently on the same frequency and Mr. Tuthill's children would like to watch Mr. Rogers and Steve would like to watch football with his buddies. The scene is one of the most humorous but also the clearest representation of their competitive relationship. The men have achieved everything (presumably), yet assert their power in this childish way. The Tuthills are not only competitive, they are oblivious to the travails the Freelings are enduring in their home. None of the disturbances are happening on their property. But even when they are pulling Diane from the skeleton-filled swimming pool, it is unclear whether or not that they notice the bodies at all. They seem to respond only to the screams of the children inside the house. It is not until the house finally implodes that they seem to react to the supernatural events. It is possible, however, that they perceive the imploding of the house to be related to a gas main explosion. Either way, the impression left with the viewer of the film is that the family is in utter isolation in its experiences, even though they are surrounded by suburban sprawl and neighbors that are literally a stone's throw away.
Man Versus Nature
Three forces of nature are pitted against the Freelings. One is the manifesting force that Diane calls "another side of nature" which is the appearance of supernatural events in the home. The other two more tangible forces of nature are the dead tree that springs to life and tries to devour Robbie and the tornado (that is presumed to be a part of the thunderstorm) that whisks the tree away before it has a chance to do so. Robbie shows an early fascination with the dead old tree in the film. He is obsessed with it--terrified by it. It sparks his imagination and disturbs his sleep. Initially, it seems out of place in the new and shiny opulence of the suburban landscape. It seemed to be carefully left there to "add character." In the end, it becomes the fly in the ointment for the Freelings. Not only does it try to devour Robbie, it acts as what appears to be a deliberate distraction for the supernatural elements to abduct Carol Anne, which they do. The storm and subsequent tornado once again seem to only be happening at the Freelings' home. Historically, The Storm has been a symbolic presence in all the arts to represent the forces of nature that humankind battles against. Everything else in the Freelings' lives up to this point seems to be under control. Nature is not under control and supernatural and natural forces conspire to destroy their dream of American "normalcy."
Technology Run Amok
Another theme of the film is that the comfort that technology brings to the modern life is fleeting
and unpredictable. It is the illusion of comfort at best. Shorts and manufacturer's defects happen. Faulty programming happens. Warranties run out. In the Freeling home, light bulbs burn with extreme intensity and don't burn out. They flash, spark, and flicker. Most notably, remote control and electronic toys move on their own and eventually spin around the children's room in a frenzy. The viewer is confronted by an electronic robot in one scene when the paranormal researchers open the door to the children's room. The robot approaches the viewer on its own power, laughing maniacally. At the same time, a lamp flies through the air and "plugs itself in" and turns on. A record is played by a compass point. It is during this frenzy of spinning toys that we are once again reminded of the amount of things the children possess. These things are out of control in this context. Later we are simultaneously reminded of affluence and recalcitrant technology in the form of Robbie's ominous talking clown at the foot of his bed. Eventually, the fear that the poltergeist knows he has comes true and the clown attacks and tries to strangle the boy. The clown's face has become contorted with evil and he also laughs maniacally as he attacks the boy. Robbie is at once strangled by what Whitman called the "mania of owning things" and technology. Fortunately, the ordinarily fearful and timid Robbie finally gains his courage, owns his power, and rips into the wayward toy shouting, "I hate you!" Of course, by now, the viewer has realized that the clown was another distraction to try and abduct Carol Anne a second time.
Robbie's Clown, Before (Photo Credit)
Robbie's Clown, After (Photo Credit)
As Kellner stated, happiness is defined "in terms of middle-class lifestyle and consumption." The American Dream to Spielberg and Hooper is about the acquisition of a home, updated technology, a swimming pool, 2.5 children, and an abundant collection of (Lucas-based) toys for those children. The teenage daughter even has her own phone in her room. This is the age of innocence and abundance for the Freelings. The musical score by Jerry Goldsmith reinforces this period of the film by scoring it initially with what is basically a lullaby. Gradually, as the Freelings' lives go out of control, the score alternates with darker and moodier tones with intense, bombastic music.
Besides the use of the Star-Spangled Banner, economics (and politics) are alluded to in another subtle way. Near the beginning of the film, Steve Freeling is laying on his stomach on their bed while Diane is rolling joints. He is reading a book entitled Reagan: The Man, The President. [8] Reagan would later become the President who posited "Trickle-down Economics" which is also known as Reaganomics or Supply-side Economics. "Proponents of these policies claim that they will promote new investment and economic growth, thereby indirectly benefiting people in lower tax brackets who do not receive the direct benefits of lower taxes. Opponents characterize this as a claim that the people who would otherwise pay the tax will distribute their benefit to less wealthy individuals, so that a fraction will reach the general population and stimulate the economy." [9] In addition, even though the modern War on Drugs was started by President Nixon in 1969, it was Reagan who created the Office of National Drug Control Policy in 1988. So, the irony is not lost on the contemporary viewer when watching Diane prepare marijuana for their mutual consumption while Steve is reading a book on Reagan. There was also a real life economic contradiction going on during the age of Reaganomics. While the economy was being presented as good, the reality was that it wasn't. Mortgage interest rates only dropped below 10% once during the Reagan Presidency (1987) . During the year that Poltergeist takes place, the mortgage interest rate was 14.72/14.74% (fixed/adjustable). [10] So, buying a home was out of reach for most low income wage earners--unless they were willing to sacrifice their family on the altar of work to "keep up with the Joneses." Viewers of the film know that Steve Freeling is upper middle class because his boss, Mr. Teague, offers him a brand new home at no cost to keep him employed because Steve is singlehandedly responsible for bringing the company over $70 million in real estate sales. However, pitted against this wealth and idealistic family harmony is the isolation of the nuclear family, the forces of nature, failed technology, and the mesmerism of television. We also eventually find out that the initial cause for all the disturbances in the Freelings' house is GREED. Mr. Teague, knowingly, and probably in cahoots with other questionable characters, decided to cut corners and increase profits by only moving the headstones of the cemetery on which the Freelings' house rests.
The Tuthills
The Tuthills are the Freelings' next door neighbors. They have achieved the same measure of success as the Freelings although they are presented as less sophisticated (e.g. the son is portrayed as a slack-jawed child). Mr. Tuthill is competitive with Steve and it is obvious that neither wants a "neighborly" relationship with the other. The competition is expressed through the television remote fight that they have when both are apparently on the same frequency and Mr. Tuthill's children would like to watch Mr. Rogers and Steve would like to watch football with his buddies. The scene is one of the most humorous but also the clearest representation of their competitive relationship. The men have achieved everything (presumably), yet assert their power in this childish way. The Tuthills are not only competitive, they are oblivious to the travails the Freelings are enduring in their home. None of the disturbances are happening on their property. But even when they are pulling Diane from the skeleton-filled swimming pool, it is unclear whether or not that they notice the bodies at all. They seem to respond only to the screams of the children inside the house. It is not until the house finally implodes that they seem to react to the supernatural events. It is possible, however, that they perceive the imploding of the house to be related to a gas main explosion. Either way, the impression left with the viewer of the film is that the family is in utter isolation in its experiences, even though they are surrounded by suburban sprawl and neighbors that are literally a stone's throw away.
Man Versus Nature
Three forces of nature are pitted against the Freelings. One is the manifesting force that Diane calls "another side of nature" which is the appearance of supernatural events in the home. The other two more tangible forces of nature are the dead tree that springs to life and tries to devour Robbie and the tornado (that is presumed to be a part of the thunderstorm) that whisks the tree away before it has a chance to do so. Robbie shows an early fascination with the dead old tree in the film. He is obsessed with it--terrified by it. It sparks his imagination and disturbs his sleep. Initially, it seems out of place in the new and shiny opulence of the suburban landscape. It seemed to be carefully left there to "add character." In the end, it becomes the fly in the ointment for the Freelings. Not only does it try to devour Robbie, it acts as what appears to be a deliberate distraction for the supernatural elements to abduct Carol Anne, which they do. The storm and subsequent tornado once again seem to only be happening at the Freelings' home. Historically, The Storm has been a symbolic presence in all the arts to represent the forces of nature that humankind battles against. Everything else in the Freelings' lives up to this point seems to be under control. Nature is not under control and supernatural and natural forces conspire to destroy their dream of American "normalcy."
Technology Run Amok
Another theme of the film is that the comfort that technology brings to the modern life is fleeting
and unpredictable. It is the illusion of comfort at best. Shorts and manufacturer's defects happen. Faulty programming happens. Warranties run out. In the Freeling home, light bulbs burn with extreme intensity and don't burn out. They flash, spark, and flicker. Most notably, remote control and electronic toys move on their own and eventually spin around the children's room in a frenzy. The viewer is confronted by an electronic robot in one scene when the paranormal researchers open the door to the children's room. The robot approaches the viewer on its own power, laughing maniacally. At the same time, a lamp flies through the air and "plugs itself in" and turns on. A record is played by a compass point. It is during this frenzy of spinning toys that we are once again reminded of the amount of things the children possess. These things are out of control in this context. Later we are simultaneously reminded of affluence and recalcitrant technology in the form of Robbie's ominous talking clown at the foot of his bed. Eventually, the fear that the poltergeist knows he has comes true and the clown attacks and tries to strangle the boy. The clown's face has become contorted with evil and he also laughs maniacally as he attacks the boy. Robbie is at once strangled by what Whitman called the "mania of owning things" and technology. Fortunately, the ordinarily fearful and timid Robbie finally gains his courage, owns his power, and rips into the wayward toy shouting, "I hate you!" Of course, by now, the viewer has realized that the clown was another distraction to try and abduct Carol Anne a second time.
Robbie's Clown, Before (Photo Credit)
Robbie's Clown, After (Photo Credit)The Medium is the Message
The most apparent technology in the film is the television. It is the through the television that Carol Anne is first contacted by the poltergeist. It whispers to her and eventually reaches out with a ghostly appendage to touch her. It shoots energy through her prior to the "earthquake" in the
Freelings' home. Once abducted, she communicates through it with the family. Ultimately, her communication through the television is unsatisfying and ineffective. One can't have an intimate relationship with a television. Steve Freeling has fallen asleep in front of the television. It is kept running in the background. At one time, the whole family falls asleep in front of the television. There is a television in every room. It is essentially treated like a member of the family. But this "member of the family" has a hidden agenda.
It seeks to seduce the most innocent corporeal member of the family into its realm. One doesn't have to delve too deeply to understand the statement Spielberg and Hooper are trying to convey. There's even a touch of irony after the poltergeist contacts Carol Anne the first time through the television and after she becomes fascinated with the low power station from which the poltergeist's communications come. The scene takes place during breakfast on Monday morning. Carol Anne is too young to go to school. Once the other two children start heading off to school, Carol Anne heads over to the small television in the kitchen, climbs up on a stool and switches the channel to the snow channel to see if she can hear the voices again. Diane passes Carol Anne as she's cleaning up the breakfast table and declares, "Oh honey, I wish you wouldn't stare at that channel. You'll hurt your eyes." As Diane utters these words, she simultaneously changes the channel to a violent war film. Again, the irony is deliberate and not lost on the viewer. One will hurt the child's eyes. The other will hurt the child's mind (as many believe, though this is not necessarily agreed upon by experts). Of course, we know today that Spielberg personally believes this because he took the extra effort in the re-release of E.T. to digitally remove the guns out of the federal agents' hands at the end and replace them with walkie talkies--because he believed that ultimately, it was too violent an image for a children's film.
Those Who Don't Study History....
...are condemned to repeat it. We've all heard the adage. The Freelings also express 1) The lack of knowledge of history, and 2) seem to not be capable of learning from their experiences. These two qualities are extremely prevalent in Americans (one could, of course, argue all of humanity). Steven is the top salesperson at the company who built his house and he was not aware of Mr. Teague leaving the bodies and just moving the headstones prior to construction of the subdivision? The family is literally blissfully unaware that their house is on a sea of bodies--some of which are centuries old. Our ancestors are our history. Ghosts symbolize memory and history. When the ghosts are finally captured on film, Diane says, "Look at all of them." Robbie responds, "Where are they all coming from?" This dialogue expresses their obliviousness to the true history of the house.
The Freelings have encountered a poltergeist that tried to drive them out, devour their son, and succeeded at kidnapping their daughter. They are told by Tangina that the other presence inside the house was The Beast, or Lucifer, or Satan, or Beelzebub, or the Lord of the Flies, or whatever you want to call him/it. It is after all this, that they STILL decide to spend one more day (and night) at the house. It seems crazy by any standard. They seem determined to return to the bliss and normalcy that they had before--to their own detriment. Steve goes to work. Diane has the children tuck themselves into the same beds that are in the same room where Steven faced The Beast. While they're tucking themselves in, she goes into the bathroom to dye her hair. The children are left alone to fend for themselves even after the extreme risk Diane took by spelunking via a hemp rope into the supernatural world of the poltergeist and The Beast and exiting through the living room ceiling. The results of this laissez-faire attitude are predictable.
The "Experts"
In Poltergeist, the experts are the three paranormal investigators, and the eccentric spiritualist, Tangina. The paranormal investigators are clearly overwhelmed by the extreme nature of the Freelings' problem. Tangina admits not encountering such energy before. If we see the former as representing "science," and the latter representing "religion," both are poor substitutes for the "real" things and are incapable of rescuing the Freelings from their situation. It is up to the family in a "man versus supernatural" battle, in which only their bond equips them for this battle. Science and Religion can't rescue them from their suburban malaise either.
Conclusion
Poltergeist's perfection lies in its cleverly, yet thinly disguised story of a heroic family's journey. There are all the Joseph Campbell elements in this family's journey (which is really no surprise since Spielberg and Lucas go way back, and Lucas was a student of Campbell's). These heroes participate in battles and individuals are resurrected. Innocence is lost. It has the cautionary nature of an medieval fairy tale set in a modern suburb. It is a not-so-subtle piece of socio-economic and political propaganda. It explores the themes of man versus himself, man versus nature, man versus man, and man versus the supernatural. And of course, it still terrifies movie watchers through its masterfully applied horror creation techniques. It is a "ghost story" to end all ghost stories.
The most apparent technology in the film is the television. It is the through the television that Carol Anne is first contacted by the poltergeist. It whispers to her and eventually reaches out with a ghostly appendage to touch her. It shoots energy through her prior to the "earthquake" in the
Freelings' home. Once abducted, she communicates through it with the family. Ultimately, her communication through the television is unsatisfying and ineffective. One can't have an intimate relationship with a television. Steve Freeling has fallen asleep in front of the television. It is kept running in the background. At one time, the whole family falls asleep in front of the television. There is a television in every room. It is essentially treated like a member of the family. But this "member of the family" has a hidden agenda.It seeks to seduce the most innocent corporeal member of the family into its realm. One doesn't have to delve too deeply to understand the statement Spielberg and Hooper are trying to convey. There's even a touch of irony after the poltergeist contacts Carol Anne the first time through the television and after she becomes fascinated with the low power station from which the poltergeist's communications come. The scene takes place during breakfast on Monday morning. Carol Anne is too young to go to school. Once the other two children start heading off to school, Carol Anne heads over to the small television in the kitchen, climbs up on a stool and switches the channel to the snow channel to see if she can hear the voices again. Diane passes Carol Anne as she's cleaning up the breakfast table and declares, "Oh honey, I wish you wouldn't stare at that channel. You'll hurt your eyes." As Diane utters these words, she simultaneously changes the channel to a violent war film. Again, the irony is deliberate and not lost on the viewer. One will hurt the child's eyes. The other will hurt the child's mind (as many believe, though this is not necessarily agreed upon by experts). Of course, we know today that Spielberg personally believes this because he took the extra effort in the re-release of E.T. to digitally remove the guns out of the federal agents' hands at the end and replace them with walkie talkies--because he believed that ultimately, it was too violent an image for a children's film.
Those Who Don't Study History....
...are condemned to repeat it. We've all heard the adage. The Freelings also express 1) The lack of knowledge of history, and 2) seem to not be capable of learning from their experiences. These two qualities are extremely prevalent in Americans (one could, of course, argue all of humanity). Steven is the top salesperson at the company who built his house and he was not aware of Mr. Teague leaving the bodies and just moving the headstones prior to construction of the subdivision? The family is literally blissfully unaware that their house is on a sea of bodies--some of which are centuries old. Our ancestors are our history. Ghosts symbolize memory and history. When the ghosts are finally captured on film, Diane says, "Look at all of them." Robbie responds, "Where are they all coming from?" This dialogue expresses their obliviousness to the true history of the house.
The Freelings have encountered a poltergeist that tried to drive them out, devour their son, and succeeded at kidnapping their daughter. They are told by Tangina that the other presence inside the house was The Beast, or Lucifer, or Satan, or Beelzebub, or the Lord of the Flies, or whatever you want to call him/it. It is after all this, that they STILL decide to spend one more day (and night) at the house. It seems crazy by any standard. They seem determined to return to the bliss and normalcy that they had before--to their own detriment. Steve goes to work. Diane has the children tuck themselves into the same beds that are in the same room where Steven faced The Beast. While they're tucking themselves in, she goes into the bathroom to dye her hair. The children are left alone to fend for themselves even after the extreme risk Diane took by spelunking via a hemp rope into the supernatural world of the poltergeist and The Beast and exiting through the living room ceiling. The results of this laissez-faire attitude are predictable.
The "Experts"
In Poltergeist, the experts are the three paranormal investigators, and the eccentric spiritualist, Tangina. The paranormal investigators are clearly overwhelmed by the extreme nature of the Freelings' problem. Tangina admits not encountering such energy before. If we see the former as representing "science," and the latter representing "religion," both are poor substitutes for the "real" things and are incapable of rescuing the Freelings from their situation. It is up to the family in a "man versus supernatural" battle, in which only their bond equips them for this battle. Science and Religion can't rescue them from their suburban malaise either.
Conclusion
Poltergeist's perfection lies in its cleverly, yet thinly disguised story of a heroic family's journey. There are all the Joseph Campbell elements in this family's journey (which is really no surprise since Spielberg and Lucas go way back, and Lucas was a student of Campbell's). These heroes participate in battles and individuals are resurrected. Innocence is lost. It has the cautionary nature of an medieval fairy tale set in a modern suburb. It is a not-so-subtle piece of socio-economic and political propaganda. It explores the themes of man versus himself, man versus nature, man versus man, and man versus the supernatural. And of course, it still terrifies movie watchers through its masterfully applied horror creation techniques. It is a "ghost story" to end all ghost stories.
© Stephanie Lewis, 2007
[1] imdb.com
[2] imdb.com
[3] The Red Rock Resistance
[4] ejumpcut.org
[5] ibid.
[6] ibid.
[7] Monochrom
[8] Hedrick Smith Productions
[9] wikipedia.org
[10] U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
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