(1982)
Dir - Tobe Hooper
Overall: MEH
A popcorn horror hallmark and one of the most popular that the genre ever produced, the initial Poltergeist represents the pinnacle of "more is more" when it comes to on screen supernatural shenanigans. Lighter in tone than 1979's The Amityville Horror to the point of being full-blown family friendly, it takes just as bombastic of an approach with the primary emphasis being a visual effects-laden showcase. The haunted house story which was co-written and steamrolled by Steven Spielberg is as guilty as any other of hammering home the cliche of mostly white people behaving illogically while the ghost activity itself is utterly random. Never before though was the presentation so glossy or user friendly, and the movie produced a plethora of iconic scenes, plot points, and dialog that have been parodied/ripped-off ever since. A joint collaborative effort between Spielberg and official director Tobe Hooper, it certainly has all of the auteur trappings of the former, with sweeping, whimsical music, overt sentimentality, and a primary narrative focus on clean-cut, every day family dynamics. Not even remotely frightening with a style that lacks any and all goosebumps-causing nuance, the blockbuster approach nevertheless proved undeniably enduring.
(1986)
Dir - Brian Gibson
Overall: MEH
For the inevitable second entry in the Poltergeist series, Poltergeist II: The Other Side goes through most of the same motions as the first film, which is to say that it does not improve on much yet because of that, fans will have little to complain about. Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper dropped out with director Brian Gibson stepping in, yet screenwriters Michael Grais and Mark Victor returned and concocted a textbook "If it ain't broke..." story that is once again an excuse to bang out a series of creative yet random special effects sequences. The concept of Native American spiritualism, hereditary psychic gifts, and an evil ninetieth century preacher representing the malevolent force at play are all introduced to deepen the mythos, and they work well enough in a melodramatic sense. Plus Rev. Kane is cartoonishly creepy enough to get the job done, which is a good thing in that nothing else that transpires is at all frightening, in keeping with the franchise's family oriented vein of horror spectacle. There is a bit more humor for this round as well, yet the finale is sugar-coated and silly, even with sinister elements like H.G. Giger's creature design and composer Jerry Goldsmith virtually recycling his score from The Omen.
(1988)
Dir - Gary Sherman
Overall: MEH
Overall: MEH
Poltergeist III wraps up the series in a lukewarm way. Director/co-writer Gary Sherman switched the location from California suburbia to the John Hancock Center in Chicago, and with only Heather O'Rourke and Zelda Rubinstein resuming their roles, the focus is on new characters as well as new scare tactics. This does pleasantly differentiate if from the first two similar movies at least, even if it once again brings back Rev. Kane as the main baddie, (who is now played by a new actor wearing a mask that makes him both more silly and unsettling). The special effects work was done in house, takes center stage, and is overall effective and fun, with some of the most persistent mileage gotten out of the ole "mirrors = creepy" motif. This is really the only plus side though as the story itself is vapid and borderline terrible. It is hard not to laugh at/get annoyed with embarrassing dialog, character's yelling "Carroll Anne" and everyone else's name hundreds of times, nonsensical plot points, and a lousy, lazy, and sappy ending that was re-shot. Two elements which were outside of the filmmaker's control was budgetary constraints and the tragic death of O'Rourke during post-production, forcing them to use an obvious stand-in for re-shoots, with no character resolution for her. The mess unfortunately translates to the screen, as it all comes off as a desperate franchise installment that is scraping the barrel for relevance.
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