Poltergeist

There is nothing more scary than a mother losing her daughter. This film proves it. "Poltergeists” is beyond a horror movie in many ways, therefore it is understandable why it traumatized a whole generation. The movie is intimate and effectively makes the audience feel things from utter terror to the 6 stages of grief. At its core, the movie is an overwhelming suburban tale, or rather a family drama with horror elements. However, the movie also addresses themes such as motherhood, grief and even corporate greed. "A nightmare from which they cannot awake." This paranormal thriller, directed by Tobe Hooper (and Steven Spielberg), follows a classic american family and a team of parapsychologists in a journey to rescue the youngest daughter from evil spirits. Although the special effects are not as developed as today's technology, the performances and script compensate for the lack of convincing effects. The actors and the direction are excellent and really compelling in creating a tense atmosphere, that makes the audience fell extremely anxious and worried for the little lost girl. The bond between the evil presences and the haunted home is as strong as the bond between the characters and the viewer. I would also like to emphasize the JoBeth Williams performance; she who plays Diane, the mother of the Freeling family, has a fundamental role in the story and the actress delivers absolutely everything. Her performance is immersive, raw and intimate, something that only a real mother could do. And shoutout to the little daughter Carol Anne played by Heather O'Rourke, definitely one of the best child actors in the cinema industry, her death is an immense tragedy and loss for the entire community. "Poltergeist" is marketed as a horror movie, however its true horror lies in something unexpected. Instead of the usual gory supernatural elements, the fear in this movie lies within the loss of the youngest daughter. Not that the classic horror elements were ineffective, but the only thing that really makes the audience hold their breaths is when the children are in utter danger. The performances, as already said, are extremely real, so it's natural for the audience to feel empathy towards them, and with empathy there comes anxiety and fear. Its solemnly agonizing. We watch as the parents lose their minds over the daughters absence, in an almost-grief state, while their house is being literally torn apart by vengeful demonic forces known as "Poltergeist". The directors intelligently combined the eerie haunting terror with emotional and delicate family drama. For a mother and a father the only thing more scary than demonic evil entities is losing their children, and these parents are wiling to face literal hell to save them. "Now, look, Dr Leah, we don't care about the disturbances, the pounding and the flashing, the screaming, the music. We just want to find our little girl." And now spoilers alert. The parents indeed went to hell and back to retrieve their children. The final act of the movie is a literal hell. After days and days of being mentally and physically tortured by what an expert called "The Beast" the parents decided to make a final effort. Diane entered the closet where the supernatural activity seemed stronger. They discovered that closet was a door to "Hell" and that their daughter was trapped in Satan's realm. A final sacrifice made by the mother to save her daughter. Something that only a mother could have done. A mother could find her daughter anywhere, it's a blood and flesh connection that not even Satan can break. The only thing stronger than a mother's love its her own rage. And Diane was unblemished full of rage. She entered "Hell" and came out with her daughter in her arms. Carol Anne was now finally save. Or rather save for some time. "Now, honey, are you gonna be strong for me and for your daughter? I can do absolutely nothing without your faith in this world and your love for the children." Furthermore, beside the themes of motherhood and maternal sacrifice the horror elements alone are really interesting and well written. Although not scary enough, the supernatural world the movie builds works really well in my opinion. It deals with heaven and hell, and what's between them. The themes life and death are bonded in an orphic way, giving a special substance to the narrative. It's something beyond ghost and hauntings. It's enormously terrifying. The fight of the living against the not totally dead. "There is no death. It is only a transition to a different sphere of consciousness. Carol Anne is not like those she's with. She is a living presence in their spiritual, earthbound plane. They're attracted to the one thing about her that is different from themselves, her life force, it is very strong." "Poltergeist" also establishes a critical jab against the american economic system, exploring themes like corporate greed. The movie takes place in Ronald Reagan's idyllic 80s. Therefore, the capitalism was in its most raw and vibrant form, once it had to be in the front line against the soviet union and the socialism. In this Cold-war context, USA was a synonym for neoliberalism, meaning privatization, fiscal austerity, deregulation, free trade, and reduction of public spending to strengthen the role of the private sector in the economy. Furthermore, capitalism was a synonym for profit, for these two concepts cannot be separated from each other. And there is another concept that cannot be separated from the capitalism, inequality. The american economy is based upon inequality and cannot exist only by itself. It is a system that purposely neglects other people in order to achieve profit. The movie shows this in a very subtle and metaphorical way. The company that built the house that the main family lives, in order to maximize its profits, only moved the headstones from the cemetery that was in the previous terrain, completely neglecting the bodies that remained. The company did not remove the bodies because it would cost to much. And the cost, in the end, lied upon the family that habituated the house. The spirits of those dead people were disturbed thus causing the haunting in the family's house. These all leads to the last 15 minutes of the movie that are utterly terrific and tremendously frenetic. When you think the movie is over it actually just started. Watch for yourself because it's worth it. "You son of a bitch, you moved the cemetery but you left the bodies, didn't you? You son of a bitch, you left the bodies and you only moved the headstones! You only moved the headstones!"