Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween, everyone. Of course, most South Africans don't celebrate the holiday (not that we should - it's an Autumn thing and we're in the middle of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere), but perhaps you should consider all those returning spirits as yet another reason to bolt yourself into your barred-up house this evening. Perhaps watch a horror film to celebrate.
One film that I would always recommend is Poltergeist - my favourite ever ghost-focused horror movie. In fact, I believe it's on the TCM channel on DSTV late tonight. I watched it on Monday evening after my copy of the remastered 25th Anniversary Edition DVD arrived from Take 2 (for just R54).
That's actually one of the scariest things about Poltergeist: The film is as old as I am! It certainly presents a fantasticly accurate and nuanced snapshot of domestic life in the 1980s.
I'm sure a lot of people thumb their nose at Poltergeist, saying this Steven Spielberg scripted (and apparently secretly directed) film isn't scary because of its remarkable low gore content. But the more you allow yourself to be drawn in, and accept the Freelings as a perfectly normal family facing freakish but not unbelievable circumstances, the more unnerved you will be. It helps a lot if you are accepting of the notion of ghostly hauntings. Poltergeist has several hugely dramatic scare moments (with surprisingly still decent special effects) but I've always found the most gripping scenes to be the quiet moments of discussion about spirits and the afterlife.
It also needs to be said that Poltergeist works chiefly because the audience truly does care about the Freeling family: Dad Steven (Craig T. Nelson), mom Diane (JoBeth Williams), teenager Dana (Dominique Dunne), Star Wars obsessed Robbie (Oliver Robins) and little Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke). Unusual in contemporary horror films, in Poltergeist the audience is given time to get to know (and like) these very normal people, with very normal quirks.
Steven and Diane are probably my favourite ever cinematic parents. They're willing to do literally anything to protect their children, but remain still incredibly devoted to one another - they even silently mouth "I love you" at one crucual moment in the film - plus they're not adverse to a little pot smoking once the kids have been put to bed.
As an added bonus, this triple Oscar nominated classic doesn't have a standard happy ending. The audience doesn't need a cheesy "Let's hint at a sequel" final moment to know that life will not be easy for the Freeling family from this point onwards.
Sure, there are 2 sequels that followed Poltergeist but unless you really want to come to grips with the reasons for the Freelings' haunting, and who exactly "The Beast" is, stay away from the mediocre follow-ups. The original, and best, is all you need. Leave it at that...
One film that I would always recommend is Poltergeist - my favourite ever ghost-focused horror movie. In fact, I believe it's on the TCM channel on DSTV late tonight. I watched it on Monday evening after my copy of the remastered 25th Anniversary Edition DVD arrived from Take 2 (for just R54).
That's actually one of the scariest things about Poltergeist: The film is as old as I am! It certainly presents a fantasticly accurate and nuanced snapshot of domestic life in the 1980s.
I'm sure a lot of people thumb their nose at Poltergeist, saying this Steven Spielberg scripted (and apparently secretly directed) film isn't scary because of its remarkable low gore content. But the more you allow yourself to be drawn in, and accept the Freelings as a perfectly normal family facing freakish but not unbelievable circumstances, the more unnerved you will be. It helps a lot if you are accepting of the notion of ghostly hauntings. Poltergeist has several hugely dramatic scare moments (with surprisingly still decent special effects) but I've always found the most gripping scenes to be the quiet moments of discussion about spirits and the afterlife.
It also needs to be said that Poltergeist works chiefly because the audience truly does care about the Freeling family: Dad Steven (Craig T. Nelson), mom Diane (JoBeth Williams), teenager Dana (Dominique Dunne), Star Wars obsessed Robbie (Oliver Robins) and little Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke). Unusual in contemporary horror films, in Poltergeist the audience is given time to get to know (and like) these very normal people, with very normal quirks.
Steven and Diane are probably my favourite ever cinematic parents. They're willing to do literally anything to protect their children, but remain still incredibly devoted to one another - they even silently mouth "I love you" at one crucual moment in the film - plus they're not adverse to a little pot smoking once the kids have been put to bed.
As an added bonus, this triple Oscar nominated classic doesn't have a standard happy ending. The audience doesn't need a cheesy "Let's hint at a sequel" final moment to know that life will not be easy for the Freeling family from this point onwards.
Sure, there are 2 sequels that followed Poltergeist but unless you really want to come to grips with the reasons for the Freelings' haunting, and who exactly "The Beast" is, stay away from the mediocre follow-ups. The original, and best, is all you need. Leave it at that...
Comments
Sorry for spamming, but I really like your writings and wanted to ask you if we could exchange links? Please write me a comment in my blog (my everyday glamour) that has to do a bit with the post *lol* then I know that’s okay for you ;-)
Hope you’re okay,
Chililady from Austria