Poltergeist (1982) watch along
Added 2024-10-22 16:00:14 +0000 UTCHere it is! The winner of the "Your #1 Movie Pick" poll, and wow, it did not disappoint! I’m so glad I remembered correctly and had never seen this one before.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I didn’t expect it to be such a heartfelt family movie with some seriously emotional moments. I was totally invested in the story and the characters. Especially the hot mama! And those jump scares? Got me when I wasn’t expecting them!
I know Spielberg was working on this at the same time as E.T., but this one really gave off major Spielberg vibes. Please tell me I’m not the only one who cried during this? It’s got that classic Spielberg touch!
Thanks so much for voting! Drop your thoughts and stories about this movie in the comments—can't wait to hear em'!
xx
names
ps. My new computer screen timed out on me cause I forgot to set it longer! Polty really got me there! So excuse my slight distraction trying to get it back on... I didn't wanna pause because it was such a good part LOL. There might be a soft hiccup as everything comes back on and reboots, but it doesn't stop the movie so everything should still be ok. I just freeze a bit, but I assure you its all fine!
Comments
I'm late to commenting, because I just joined the channel. But I did want to pass on one of the most well-known bits of lore about this movie, and the one that I personally find the most interesting. Almost since Poltergeist's release, there has been a rumor that Spielberg essentially directed it, even though Tobe Hooper is credited as the director. The thinking is that back then, there was some Director's Guild rule that a director couldn't have more than one directing credit in a year. And Spielberg had already made E.T. And so (according to this theory), Spielberg basically told Hooper what to do each day, how to position shots, etc. Way more influence than a typical producer would have on a set. Of course, if this rumor is untrue, it's tremendously unfair to Hooper. That said, I'm of the camp that there has to be at least some truth in it. When you watch the movie, some of the shots are brilliant. Just these massively long takes with complex blocking. (The one with Tangina and the whole family conferring, right before they enter the room with the strobing closet--that really is the standout.) Poltergeist really is reminiscent of E.T. and Close Encounters at times. I have to believe that at least for certain scenes, Spielberg had a direct hand in their execution.
WastedPo
2024-11-08 03:00:28 +0000 UTCLOVE and my screen decided to be an ass in that moment lol
Amalia Wolf
2024-10-25 21:09:35 +0000 UTCThe scene that REALLY seals this movie as a classic for me is when the medium gathers the family around her and tells them what they're in for. It's SOOOOOO WELL WRITTEN!! Spielberg's dialog here is amazing. The fact that they're all in extreme close-up's, whispering back and forth to each other throughout the scene with Jerry Goldsmith's incredibly haunting score playing faintly in the background, sets the single greatest "eerie" tone and foreboding I've ever seen in a movie. Watching the families horrified reaction to her explaining to them what lurks upstairs is like watching ALL our reactions to this scene. MASTERFUL filmmaking.. I NEVER get tired of watching it...
RFK Fan
2024-10-25 18:09:22 +0000 UTCDirectors guild forbids any DGA Director from working on more than ONE film at a time which is why Tobe was brought in. Spielberg was still working on E.T. at the same time but spent a lot of time on-set here and his fingerprints are all over this movie. Tobe never had another hit after this..
RFK Fan
2024-10-25 18:03:52 +0000 UTCHa!!! I hear ya brother!!
RFK Fan
2024-10-25 18:00:45 +0000 UTCAlthough I saw it in the theater and have always enjoyed it, there are more plot holes than a Swiss cheese. Are we really to believe that "they left the bodies" silliness? Wouldn't word have gotten out from the locals or construction workers that no coffins were moved? And aren't graves traditionally 6' deep? No basements here, I guess (although the homes under construction were on slabs)! And what about other buried utilities, like gas and sewers and water pipes? And how do you dig a swimming pool? Why did they not dredge up bodies when they were digging the pool? Is this a "no pools allowed" neighborhood? And why would there be two huge cemeteries within sight of each other? And what about all of the other obviously vacant land they could have built on instead? And less important: Those TV remote clickers were ultrasonic and wouldn't work through walls or out of sight of the TV. Oh, well. . . But that doesn't detract from some of the coolest scenes in history: The scariest scene in the movie, if you ask me, is when the chairs stack themselves on the table in one continuous shot with no edits (they were pre-assembled and quickly placed by a team of stagehands). What a great shot!
Kinokind
2024-10-24 07:50:19 +0000 UTCYou explained it so I wouldn’t have to. And you did a better job of it than I would have. Tom Gen-X 😎
Tom Occhipinti
2024-10-23 22:00:45 +0000 UTCBack in the days before cable, the broadcast TV channels ceased transmitting signal at the end of the day, which was usually around 1:00 AM. They would start again around 5:00-6:00, depending on where you were. In America, the last thing they all did was play the national anthem, and when transmission stopped there was nothing but "snow" - the non-picture static that Carol Ann stares at. But there was something creepy about that National Anthem going to snow. It was like it signaled the beginning of the real night. That lonely quiet time when everyone was asleep and nothing good could happen. That "even television is gone, why are you still awake?" time of night. Oh, and did you notice the older daughter's suspicious familiarity with the Holiday Inn, and her huge hickey when she returns to the imploding house? Hmm. . . Of course there are real tragedies associated with this film, but I'll leave it to others to address that grim topic.
Kinokind
2024-10-23 07:49:40 +0000 UTCI say the same thing to myself when my daughter says “My room is clean”.
Catchermag
2024-10-23 01:18:46 +0000 UTCThat tree was creepy from the very beginning of the movie. And that big doll clown was creepy, and I don't have a clown phobia. The family was a warm-hearted family with good parents. Agree also good acting. I liked JoBeth Williams (the mom) in "The Big Chill" (1983) released a year after Poltergeist. In my first full watch of Poltergeist (1982), which was about a year ago, when the lady said this house is clean, I thought to myself 'yeah right'.
Clay F
2024-10-23 00:27:27 +0000 UTCCool! Not American and I didn’t have cable so I would never know this !
Amalia Wolf
2024-10-22 20:50:33 +0000 UTCStar Spangled Banner was played at the start and end of the broadcast day by many television stations back then.😜
ded cowbowee
2024-10-22 20:44:52 +0000 UTCLooking forward to everyone posting about the poltergeist “curse” btw
Catchermag
2024-10-22 18:28:29 +0000 UTCI have nothing to say about this movie (love it, my daughter watched it with me and she loved it), but I want to say something about you, this channel, and getting older. It’s supremely surreal when a movie like this, that’s been in the public zeitgeist for over forty years is suddenly new to someone. I love experiencing these with you. Hopefully one day, when Im so old I can’t remember anything, I’ll be able to experience these things for the first time myself. When I’m in a nursing home. And a nurse puts on Cocoon because they think it’s a heartwarming film but really it’s sexy time for old folks.
Catchermag
2024-10-22 18:14:37 +0000 UTCDon’t go in the light!!! Wait!!! GO IN THE LIGHT!!! Then take a left on Mayberry and another right when you get to a stop sign….THEN DONT GO IN THE LIGHT!!
Catchermag
2024-10-22 18:08:44 +0000 UTCI was 14 at the time. We got a couple of great horror movies in a short period of time. Poltergeist and The Thing were released just a couple of weeks apart. The director, Tobe Hooper, did Texas Chainsaw Massacre too. Originally, Poltergeist was going to be a follow-up to Close Encounters of a Third Time and directed by Spielberg but it morphed into a horror movie. Hooper took over due to scheduling.
Rob M
2024-10-22 17:33:31 +0000 UTC
