Legendary filmmaker Sam Raimi and director Gil Kenan reimagine and contemporize the classic tale about a family whose suburban home is invaded by angry spirits. When the terrifying apparitions escalate their attacks and take the youngest daughter, the family must come together to rescue her.Written by
20th Century Fox
The first film that 20th Century Fox and MGM actually produce together. Fox has handled international distribution for MGM since the early 2000s, as well as distributing MGM titles on Blu-ray and DVD since 2006, though the two studios have never actually collaborated for a film project outside of distribution. See more »
Goofs
(at around 1h 8 mins) When Eric Bowen is sitting at the table with his son before the final battle, it shows him changing the drill bit to a smaller size, but when the camera shows it again, its changed to a hole saw. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Amy Bowen:
Griffin, what did I say?
Griffin Bowen:
I'm in the middle of a game.
Amy Bowen:
You can't play that in the car unless you take your Dramamine.
Eric Bowen:
Too late for Dramamine. We're practically there.
See more »
Crazy Credits
SPOILER: A scene is shown halfway through the end credits: Carrigan Burke is filming a new episode of his show. Dr. Powell (wearing the same glasses Tangina wore in the original trilogy) is his new co-host. He gets mad at her for messing up her line. See more »
Alternate Versions
In the UK channel 5 network premier version the movie has been formatted from 2:35.1 widescreen to 1:77.1 HDTV format See more »
Blast Him
Written & Performed by Jay Chattaway
Courtesy of Gitsul Management, Inc./Master Licensing, Inc.
By arrangement with Blue Underground, Inc. See more »
Due to competitions that utilize atmosphere and thrill aspect better, this remake of Poltergeist would probably not be as memorable as the original. It also follows the premise rather rigidly, which by now is already outdated. However, it may just present a couple of horror gimmicks bizarre enough to at least entertain the new generation.
Story is predictable, a family is haunted by an unknown entity and the daughter is in danger of being abducted. Usually audience would react unfavorably towards the stiff plot, but considering that the original sets up this theme for the genre, some degree of lenience is warranted. For the acting, this family doesn't really stand out from the rest of haunting victims, although the child actors perform pretty well since much of the movie invests on them.
The original's creepy atmosphere is definitely superior. It has the luxury of being made in simpler time. The remake does try to produce the same effect, yet it feels lacking on a few notes. Movies like Insidious or Sinister arguably have better ambiance and set up, so it opts for a more literal modern touch.
Instead of practical effects, Poltergeist uses plenty of CGI, especially towards the latter half. It has its pro and con, the first being it has more peculiar look, which might not be better than most horror flicks but it does stand out. The flaw is it takes much of the horror away. It dabbles more on shocking visual than instilling dread that culminate in fright, the effectiveness of such method hinges on one's taste.
In a way Poltergeist tries to modernize itself, it doesn't reach the same air of its original, but the sense of uniqueness helps in presenting a decent eccentric spectacle.
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Due to competitions that utilize atmosphere and thrill aspect better, this remake of Poltergeist would probably not be as memorable as the original. It also follows the premise rather rigidly, which by now is already outdated. However, it may just present a couple of horror gimmicks bizarre enough to at least entertain the new generation.
Story is predictable, a family is haunted by an unknown entity and the daughter is in danger of being abducted. Usually audience would react unfavorably towards the stiff plot, but considering that the original sets up this theme for the genre, some degree of lenience is warranted. For the acting, this family doesn't really stand out from the rest of haunting victims, although the child actors perform pretty well since much of the movie invests on them.
The original's creepy atmosphere is definitely superior. It has the luxury of being made in simpler time. The remake does try to produce the same effect, yet it feels lacking on a few notes. Movies like Insidious or Sinister arguably have better ambiance and set up, so it opts for a more literal modern touch.
Instead of practical effects, Poltergeist uses plenty of CGI, especially towards the latter half. It has its pro and con, the first being it has more peculiar look, which might not be better than most horror flicks but it does stand out. The flaw is it takes much of the horror away. It dabbles more on shocking visual than instilling dread that culminate in fright, the effectiveness of such method hinges on one's taste.
In a way Poltergeist tries to modernize itself, it doesn't reach the same air of its original, but the sense of uniqueness helps in presenting a decent eccentric spectacle.