Background: I haven't seen this movie. I think the general consensus is that it's a pretty great / classic horror movie. I vaguely feel that Steven Spielberg is involved, but also Tobe Hooper directed it. And, of course, I know the classic line "They're here". I'm psyched. Happy October. Let's start this thing.
First off, just gonna correct my assumptions above. It's officially written by Spielberg, story by Spielberg, and directed by Tobe Hooper. However, the smallest bit of digging brings up that there was actually a controversy regarding who actually directed it. Several people make comments about Hooper just following Spielberg's lead and accepting all of his suggestions. I don't really have a side in the argument or think I can tell who truly directed it from my first viewing. Anyways, on to the movie.
What a great start to October. This movie was really great, and blew me away. It looks and sounds amazing despite being over 30 years old. A lot of that credit would go to Industrial Light & Magic, who, of course, did all the special effects. Everything sounded great too. I felt every roar and shake to the house. Craig T. Nelson was great as the loving father. I really loved his arc. Especially the physical transformation from how lively he was doing push-ups in bed early in the movie, then a shell of himself, chain smoking, pale, gaunt as the haunting went on.
The use of light and electricity as constant flourishes of the ghost was a good touch. Many of the shots were flat out beautiful. The weird allure of the static, and watching it flicker over Carol Anne's face was mesmerizing. While the bombastic chase scenes later in the movie were exciting, the quiet horror of the first few instances with the TV blaring static were more interesting to me. Maybe this is from me just recently re-watching Videodrome. Maybe it's because I was up late/early enough a lot as a kid to see that Star Spangled Banner before the static hum. The build up towards the iconic "You're here" was great. I jumped about a foot out of my seat and loved it. There were also great scenes later in the movie with the parapsychologists all watching (or not watching, for dramatic effect) the screens with their cameras set up. It was a nice touch and almost character-building moment for the ghost(s) when they dragged a camera and turned it to point exactly at their "coming down the stairs to go to prom" moment.
It seems almost unfair to compare Paranormal Activity to this, but I feel a few words must be said. I've watched (and disliked) all of those movies. Watching Poltergeist helped me realize why. Poltergeist kept going bigger, more dramatic, scarier as it gained momentum. Those movies really stay in first gear it seemed. They only really have in common with Poltergeist the first 15-20 minutes or so. But the Paranormal Activity series has stretched that 15-20 minutes into four movies, not counting spinoffs.
I kept getting shocked at how far things kept going. I'm no prude, but I kind of expected a bit of a tamer movie. Maybe due to the PG rating, or possibly just my prejudice at it being over 30 years old. The big sequence with the storm and the tree attack was really well set up and executed. The intern with glasses' trip to the kitchen was easily one of the most gruesome things I've seen in a PG movie. I loved the design of all the demon/skull/animal type ghosts that popped up a few times. It really upped the danger and weirdness after one of the interns returned with a huge bite mark on his abdomen. Everything with the portal / going through it near the end was also delightfully gross. The ending sequence was also really effective to hammer home the thesis of the movie: Capitalism is completely awful.
A few random quick hits / ideas / thoughts:
Loved some of the humor in the movie. The ending gag of shoving the TV out of the hotel room and nearly everything the dog did made me laugh. It was kind of cute watching him bark / try to play with the poltergeists. But also awesome when he ran to the cab, stopped and looked back, then jumped in. The husband and wife were really portrayed as equals, which was nice to see. They each had really dramatic parts to play in both of the big, climatic ending sequences. It was probably a great idea to limit the medium/para psych people to the periphery during those. AGAIN to praise the effects - the proto-Nightmare on Elm Street crawling up the walls parts looked great. The final image of the house is also just amazing to watch. A little personal bit - I felt pretty old in noticing I'm way closer to the parents' age / place in life than the kids. That couple could be some of my friends, age-wise.
All that being said, I have to recommend this pretty highly to anyone. It might be a little much for young kids, or if you're squeamish about gore. Like I said above, it pushes pretty much into hard PG-13 / light R territory. No matter who directed it, the movie looks good. Most importantly - it's scary. The slow, creeping dread of the first act pivots to the helplessness of the second, and then finally charges into the violent terror in the third. It's great. I wish I had seen this sooner.
ON DECK: From Dusk Till Dawn
I have a schedule made out, but I reserve the right to move stuff around as much as I want.
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