24. Poltergeist

Poltergeist-Tangina-Rubinstein-photo

directed by Tobe Hooper

A perfect combination of family-friendly terror and deeply disturbing images, Poltergeist is just as much a product of producer Steven Spielberg as director Tobe Hooper.  And while that may seem to make the horror a little toothless, the director behind The Texas Chainsaw Massacre still manages to shine through.  Whether a man is peeling the skin off of his own face, or an anthropomorphic tree eats a young boy, or simply the fact that the evil spirits specifically target a vulnerable little girl, Poltergeist remains a film that is always pulling a bait and switch.  Not unlike its suburban setting, this film seems safe and only moderately frightening.  But, underneath, there is aggressive, unrelenting evil.  And it is this juxtaposition of Spielberg and Hooper that makes Poltergeist such an effective piece of modern horror.

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2 Responses

  1. andyluvsfilms says:

    This film used to terrify me as a kid, it still chills me when i think of the little girl’s voice through the tv.

  2. Craig says:

    Saw this for the first time after I submitted my list. Loved it! And if I had seen it a week or two earlier it probably would have got an extra vote! That kitchen scene is one of the funniest and most unsettling scenes of any horror movie I’ve seen.

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