The Top 10 Scenes from Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist
Matt Molgaard
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We’re just days away from witnessing what could be an amazing remake. Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist has long been considered one of the most frightening pictures to ever be shot. In 1982 it left viewers trembling in seats. The cast sold petrified like few have ever managed, and the setting of the film fits like a glove.
There is little more terrifying than discovering your ideal suburban home harbors unspeakable evils. It goes against all we’ve come to believe in the world. Pretty, upscale neighborhoods are supposed to be that one realm where safety is a guarantee.
But not for the Freeling family. For these unfortunate souls comfort is about to be shattered, and it doesn’t matter how appealing their home may appear. The evil lurks within the inner recesses of the home, and it’s itching to break free and obliterate lives and sanity.
Can Gil Kenan’s Poltergeist mirror that palpable terror? We’ll find out on the 22nd. In the meantime, we’re taking you back to the potential hazards of this tale and the gnarly plight the Freeling family is forced to confront.
Carol Anne’s First Contact (3:30):
Tobe Hooper wastes zero time in establishing the dread that Poltergeist offers. Roughly three minutes into the film we see Carol Anne venturing downstairs, where her passed out father sits in front of a television featuring nothing but fuzz. But there’s more to this tube than fuzz. There’s something lurking… behind that fuzz, and it reaches out and communicates with the youngster immediately, which gives way to one of the most iconic images in horror history: The sight of Carol Anne, hands plastered to the television, her back to the home audience… where a level of interaction that we cannot yet understand takes place. This is an amazing shot, and that’s evidenced by all the memorabilia you can find sporting this image. From posters to mouse pads, tee-shirts and promotional stickers, this capture continues to appear all over the place, and for good reason: They’re here…
They’re Here (21:00):
Another night leads to another one-on-one session between Carol Anne and the mysterious entities that seem to be trapped within the television. This particular sequence of events differs from Carol Anne’s initial communication with the unknown. In this scene we see ruckus overtake the house, and then suddenly long plumes of spiritual smoke escape from the television, dancing about the room like antagonizing apparitions one would prefer to associate with REM sleep and deep dreams. But this is no dream, and whatever the thing in the television is, it’s clearly discovering ways to make exit, a journey into the lives of a family it so desires to see crumble, now under way.
Robbie Gets the Wood (35:00):
That doesn’t mean what you may think it means! That menacing tree that looks like a cross between a deformed giraffe and the focal tree life in author Michael Phillip Cash’s The Hanging Tree finally comes for poor Robbie. And he’s defenseless. The branches tear through the boy’s room, extracting him with no remorse and heaps of menace, and we know things are going to get worse for this hapless little gent, as the tree all but swallows him whole. Little did we initially realize that assault was nothing more than a distraction. A distraction that would allow the evil within the home to do far greater damage.
Carol Anne Gets Pulled Away (36:00):
While Robbie is engaged in a war all his own, Carol Anne is about take one major step closer to the nightmare behind the static screen, white noise and… well, whatever the hell has taken up residence in her bedroom closet. In a taut sequence we see the powers of this malevolent entity as it sucks Carol Anne’s room into her closet, a spaceship with a breached hull. Everything in the near vicinity lost to a magnetic force that cannot be denied. Carol Anne, sadly, is also pulled into a deep dark void, which sets the family on edge and triggers the film’s deepest conflict.
One Paranormal Investigator Consumed by Evil (59:00):
Roughly one hour into the film we suddenly focus on one of the feature’s nondescript players. This little brainiac is an afterthought through and through. Until he heads for a bathroom, sees – oddly enough – a piece of writhing, rotting and somehow living beef making its way toward him. Naturally, he freaks, but it’s not the steak he’s got to worry about. The man turns with clearing his mind an obvious goal, when things in the room become far too hot… and the man’s skin begins to melt and peel away from his face. These are some fun practical effects, but it’s actually the shock of it all that keeps the eyes glued to the screen.
Too bad it was all a hallucination.
A Special Effects Extravaganza Mixed with Seamless Cinematography (01:01:00):
It’s not so much the eerie apparition that floats down the stairs with a wraith-like fluidity that makes this moment special. It’s the setup to the scene. A moment in which everything feels at peace in the home. The supernatural happenings seem to be slow in this moment, but an upstairs door inches open and the screen lights up. But it must be said: It’s the work of resident director of photography Matthew F. Leonetti that empowers the scene early. It’s his perfectly eerie angle of the camera as it focuses from bottom floor to top in a shot that calls to mind some of Alfred Hitchcock’s subtle but stunning shots.
A Potentially Fatal Fight for Carol Anne’s Life (01:21:00):
Tangina is all mystery. She’s a bit eccentric, but there’s a confidence, presence and belief in what she’s capable of that wins over the trust of the Freelings. The family, desperate to see their daughter return, allows these specialists to do what they do. And there’s a real piece of them that trusts in the woman. And things get extremely interesting once she tangles with the understandable, face to… face… I guess. A deeper battle ensues, and the decision is made that mother Diane Freeling will enter this strange world in a bid to save what is most precious to her.
It’s a sequence that oozes anxiety, high tension from the beginning to end. The epic score only helps hammer home the insanity of the entire situation, creating not only a piece of quality film, but a defining shot that remains one of the greatest works of film in history. But you know… are you ready for the real shocker?
It actually works!
Clowning Around with Robbie (01:35:00):
Just when the Freelings believe the torture is over, we get a few more surprises. This one in particular has plagued the dreams of moviegoers for decades, and there’s a damn good reason for that: There’s nothing scarier than an inanimate object that suddenly takes to life. Especially when it’s one fucked up, shit-your-pants clown!
That hideous doll comes to life in the waning portions of the film, wrapping its suddenly elongated arms around the poor boy’s neck, yanking him beneath the bed in the kind of scene that is all but guaranteed to instill life-long nightmares in children and an obvious life-long fear of those creepy bastard, make-up wearing concoctions that, for some reason, people seem to carry an affinity for.
For my buck clowns are an absolute no-no. And a lot of that personal stance stems from Poltergeist in particular. This is the stuff nightmares are made of.
Diane Takes a Dip in the Pool (01:38:00):
A moment that will forever remain etched in the minds of viewers, Diane’s trip into the muddy pool is absolutely horrific. Rain pours down with no mercy, the tension is at fever pitch… and then the poor lass slips and tumbles into the muddy mess of a pool in the making. Skeletal remains rise to the surface, and the audience can’t help but feel the terror that this typically upbeat mother endures.
Now knowing that those skeletons were actual real skeletons and not film props takes the intensity of the sequence to staggering realms. This is undeniably one of the most paralyzing moments of the film. It’s just nice to know that somehow, Diane makes it out of that death pit. After numerous grueling attempts, it should be noted.
One Final Showdown with Evil (01:41):
Poltergeist wraps on an explosive note, as Diane rushes to the aid of Robbie, who’s moments away from being sucked into an evil abyss by an entity no human should ever encounter. It’s a glimpse of what it truly means to love your child unconditionally and to be willing to sacrifice anything and everything to ensure the protection of your offspring.
The special effects are amazing, and the palpable love for family is going to tap a nerve in those of us who have families. Our children are everything, and so are Diane’s. The emotion she projects in this finale is marvelous and entirely believable. We as viewers cannot miss it. From her strained facial expressions to her legitimate panic to her clear determination to do what is right from a moral and parental stance is nothing short of brilliant.
This is not only a fitting conclusion to a masterful film, it’s everything a horror fan wants to see in a film. It’s every emotion and execution that a genre fan wants to buy into with no hesitation. And at the end of the day, it is hands down one of the greatest moments ever captured on film.
