Andrew Grevas
For the 40th anniversary of the film, I revisited modern horror classic, Poltergeist, in an essay for Horror Obsessive. Hailed as a cinematic masterpiece and one of the scariest films of the generation, the film has an off screen reputation almost as large as its onscreen reputation, all of which I dove into.
As part of my essay on Poltergeist, I look at the supposed curse of the film (and franchise), as well as the decades long rumors about the dynamic between Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper and who did what exactly in terms of the film’s creation. How much is urban legend and how much isn’t has been up for debate for a long time and in my essay, I offer my thoughts and analysis on the situation.
I also look at the film’s PG rating and how that ultimately makes the legend of Poltergeist even greater. Without blood, guts and other horror tropes that typically result in R ratings (or even a PG-13 rating in modern times), the film is even more impressive. It’s stood the test of time as a horror classic while still being suitable for younger audiences to view.
You can read my essay in full at this link here.
