Poltergeist (1982) vs. Poltergeist (2015) - KIMT 3
The haunted house story is one of the oldest tales in human history. Whatever variation it takes, though, the haunted house speaks to something primal in us all. And this edition of KIMT’s Weekend Remake Throwdown takes a look at one of the seminal haunted house films of all time and it’s completely, totally, utterly and entirely non-seminal reproduction. It’s “Poltergeist” (1982) vs. “Poltergeist” (2015) in a battle that contrasts the unexpected wonders of collaboration with the wholly predictable results of cinema as disposable product. The original “Poltergeist” was, to paraphrase Ron Burgundy, a pretty big deal in its day. Produced and co-written by Steven Spielberg, who with “Jaws” (1975), “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977) and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1982) was already one of the most popular filmmakers of his day, and directed by Tobe Hooper, the man... ” That’s about as close as you can get, culturally speaking, to the teaming of Spielberg and Hooper. And before we get into it, let me address the question of who actually made “Poltergeist” (1982). There was a lot of talk back in the day that Spielberg nudged Hooper aside and directed it himself. Well, anyone who watches it can see Spielberg’s fingerprints all over it. Large chunks of it look and feel and sound just like so many of the other films Spielberg either made or heavily influenced the making of in the 1980s. There’s no doubting... Source: kimt.com
