BWW Reviews: POLTERGEIST Solid, Well-Acted, But Unnecessary

Whether old school CRT or flat screen, there's nothing quite as eerie as a television set broadcasting snowy, flickering static into a dark room. Of course, do we have Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg to thank for that?

Elements of 1982's POLTERGEIST are ubiquitous, so even if you haven't gotten around to seeing it (after all, it's only been thirty plus years), you probably know it's that haunted house flick where a little girl gets sucked into a tv. The good news? The 2015 screenplay by David Lindsay-Abaire remains fairly faithful to the premise and action beats of the original, but features stronger characterization and an increased emphasis on the relationships between the characters, making for a film that is just as much family drama as horror.

Unlike the Freeling family in 1982, the Bowens in 2015 are neither successful nor comfortable, nor are they settling into an idyllic suburbia. Dad Eric (Sam Rockwell) has recently been laid off, and it's not so much the lure of a new development that leads them to their new home as much as the fact that it's the "least sucky" they've seen. With money so tight, wife and stay-at-home mom Amy (Rosemarie DeWitt) is questioning her decision to leave the workforce to write a book, and their three children - Kendra (Saxon Sharbino), Griffin (Kyle Catlett), and Madison (Kennedi Clements) - are along for the downward mobility slide, unhappily uprooted and adjusting.

Before they even put a down payment on the new house (and well before the first ghostly parlor trick), the Bowens are vulnerable, victims of the recession slowly pushed apart by the financial strain. Modern technology is shown filling the ever-increasing gaps between them, but the technophobia of the early 80's has given way to ambivalence. Video games, smartphones, drones, security systems, and of course television sets are now as much distractions as they are warnings, harmful as they are helpful. In the opening scene, son Griffin is shown distracted by a video game. Later, as he tries to impart important information to his parents about the house being, you know, haunted, he's again distracted by a drone gifted to him by his father. One in a series of gifts, mind you, that are fiscally irresponsible decisions from Eric.

As the POLTERGEIST makes its presence felt, it seemingly feeds off the parents' economic shame and targets their selfishness (not unlike the original). During one scene involving Eric, the poltergeist, and a bottle of tequila, the person next to me said, "I guess the ghosts don't want him to be an alcoholic." It's here the film becomes a bit heavy-handed.

You may have noticed that little has been said about the scariness of this scary movie. That's because though visually dynamic, director Gil Kenan brings little new to the horror table. (Here's a tip: if you go see POLTERGEIST, don't waste your money on 3D. It's not worth it.) POLTERGEIST follows faithfully the path set by films like PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, INSIDIOUS, and THE CONJURING; it even has elements of real-time horror, like that in UNFRIENDED, adding briefly to the trend away from found footage films.

If you go see POLTERGEIST, go for the strong performances, as the film is certainly not breaking new or particularly scary ground for horror movies. The entire cast deliver strong performances with Rockwell and DeWitt anchoring the film. Rockwell plays Eric with such matter-of-fact resignation that it is impossible not to be moved, and DeWitt matches him with increasing emotional intensity. Catlett and Clements also stand out as the youngest Bowen children. Clements in particular has a tall order, taking on the role of the family's youngest daughter (and Heather O'Rourke's iconic line). She is able to make it her own, different but well-suited to the film Kenan has crafted. Rounding out the cast are Jane Adams and Jared Harris. Adams plays a professor of paranormal psychology called on for help and Harris plays reality TV ghost buster Carrigan Burke. Though Harris and his character are a drastic change from that of Zelda Rubenstein (and he first appears looking too much like a Father Merrin impersonator) his gruff, no-nonsense attitude is a perfect foil for Rockwell.

POLTERGEIST will give you creepy clowns, evil entities, and a few sincere scares. More importantly, it's a solidly made film with characters you'll care about. While it won't be a waste of your time or money, like many remakes you'll question why it's necessary. Consider waiting for it on Netflix or, if you insist on seeing it in the theater, choose the matinee and avoid paying extra for 3D.

POLTERGEIST Starring Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Saxon Sharbino, Kyle Catlett, Kennedi Clements, Jane Adams and Jared Harris is rated PG-13 for intense frightening sequences, brief suggestive material, and some language.

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