Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Fright Fest - Poltergeist

They're heeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrreeeee.

There's nothing creepier than a child saying that line. Ok, maybe a My Buddy doll. But that's for another post.

Poltergeist was one of the first, if not the first, horror movies I ever saw. I was 4. And as the story goes, my dad let me watch it and my mom found me in my closet crying and saying over and over, "The skeletons are going to get me." I fail to remember that. My mom remembers clear as day. Apparently the skeletons freaked me out more than the fact that Carol Anne just sucked into a closet Hell that looked a lot like mine. Then again, I can't sleep with the closet door open to this day either so maybe it's a subconscious effect.

The movie was original for its time and twists the traditional haunted house cliche. This takes place in a Levittown type of neighborhood where all the houses are one design, there are 2.5 kids per family and everything's fine. It's not some creepy, run down old Victorian built on an old Indian burial ground. It's a pre-fab raised ranch built on an old indian burial ground.

The thing is, it's not just the EVP in the white noise of a TV and Kane that's creepy. What's creepy is that, for some demented reason, the production crew decided to use real human skeletons in the swimming pool scene. And the actors only found out years later. Then there's the Poltergeist curse since its cast members have a tendency of dying. Dominique Dunne, the eldest sister, was murdered by her crazy boyfriend not long after the movie released. Heather O'Rourke, who played the little Carol Anne, developed a disease that ultimately killed her in the middle of filming the third movie. They had to have a body double come in to finish out and had to cut and paste her voice all over the place.

This was the first movie that had me looking at the TV out of the corner of my eye. And to this day I refuse to listen to white noise. Nope. Leave it.

7 comments:

Zia said...

I love this movie! Definitely one for the creepy books that's for sure!

M.A.D. said...

Mary D

I would take the creepy kid over a creepy doll anytime, never been a doll person at all LOL

Wow, though - good post. It's been ages since I've watched Poltergeist, but it was definitely a frightfest. And, you made me remember, I think I was mildly bugged by white noise tv static, too.

Better yet, after watching the recent movie MIRRORS, I was really creeped out to look in a mirror for a few days.

I'm such a weenie :P

Donna (Bites) said...

Yeah, no Mirrors for me. I hate mirrors. I can thank Poltergeist III for that one. So nothing involving mirrors.

Or dolls. I'm with you there. They just stare at you with their glass eyes and I swear they come alive at night. Eek!

Maria D'Isidoro said...

This is possibly my favorite movie ever, only to be outclassed by It. I was already afraid of my pool after watching Jaws and this did NOT help. :)

My newspaper staff took a vote on our favorite scary movies for Halloween and this was only beat out by The Exorcist. I just posted our complete list on my blog last night if anyone's interested. http://mariameeps.blogspot.com/2009/10/13-movies-to-watch-for-halloween.html

L said...

Ack, this movie freaked me out! I currently call the gray streak that runs down the side of my face by poltergeist streak! My mom wouldn't let me watch this f-o-r-e-v-e-r!
Sheesh, I want to watch it again.
Great review.

Natalie said...

Oooh, looks creepy! I'm at home on a (all too brief) fall break from college now, but the second I get back I'm renting this and making my roomie watch it with me! Yay!

Natalie @ Mindful Musings

Misty said...

Oh my GOD, what was wrong with the company that put out My Buddy?!? Who said, in the wake of Child's Play, 'you know what would be great? Let's put out a life-size doll that looks a hell of a lot like Chucky and terrify children through out the US...' So wrong.
And Carol Anne -- and the tiny little woman with the crazy voice -- haunted me for years!

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