Movies: Poltergeist

In the spirit of Halloween, I've been reviewing horror movies this past month. Today's entry is "Poltergeist," a movie I've seen several times before:



In the movie, a typical American family in the suburbs experiences strange phenomena in their house. These occurrences eventually culminate in the mysterious disappearance of the youngest daughter, Carol Anne. The family's efforts to get her back occupy the rest of the film, along with some nifty-for-their-time special effects.

"Poltergeist" is a film steeped in controversy. First, there was some question as to who was the actual director of the film - rumor has it that Steven Spielberg, credited as producer and co-writer, was the de facto director instead of Tobe Hooper. More infamous, however, is the "curse" associated with the movie due to its misuse of prop skeletons that were, in fact, skeletons of actual people (talk about life imitating art).

Rating: 7/10 ("This house...is clean.")