writer-producer Steven Spielberg and his fellow Amblin Entertainment co-founder Frank Marshall who, along with Kathleen Kennedy, produced some of Of course, there’s a different element of Poltergeist that provides the single biggest reason why it works, and it’s one that tends to get overlooked. Without a solid family dynamic at the heart of the film, everything else would have been little more than sound and fury, signifying nothing. The Freeling household is a credible family unit, and without having that to anchor the film, the supernatural shenanigans wouldn’t work nearly as well as they do. The action may not be believable, but the family dynamic is, and that’s what keeps audiences grounded even when the film goes on its flights of fancy. Yet it’s not really the children who matter. Heather O’Rourke is fine as Carol Anne, and both Oliver Robins and Dominique Dunne make adequate siblings for her, but everything depends on Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams as Steven and Diane Freeling. Carol Anne may have become the face of the franchise, but Steven and Diane were its heart and soul. Nelson and Williams have a natural, easygoing chemistry with each other that works on multiple levels. They don’t just make a plausible couple; they make plausible parents as well, and that’s the real key to Poltergeist. Even when the dialogue fails them, the sincerity of their performances manages to sell it anyway—Williams manages to take that cringeworthy line about Carol Anne passing through her soul, and play it with utterly believable conviction. There’s an argument to be made that the film could be called “Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams’ Poltergeist.” Der Ton kann mit dem Bild leider nicht mithalten, denn auf der Scheibe landete lediglich ein deutscher 2.0 Stereoton, welchen mein Denon Verstärker auf einen schönen und effektiven Dolby Surround Sound aufgeblasen hat. :) Für das Alter ist der Ton schon in Ordnung, auch wenn hier noch viel Luft nach oben wäre. Dominique Dunne (1959-1982, Schwester von Griffin Dunne; wurde noch im selben Jahr am 4. November 1982 im Alter von nur 22 Jahren von ihrem Freund John Thomas Sweeney ermordet) als 16-jährige Tochter Dana "Ich halte es hier nicht länger aus!" There are unquestionably many Spielbergian touches in Poltergeist; he did indeed co-write and produce it, after all. The suburban family milieu is pure Spielberg, as are the more melodramatic moments in the film. When Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams have their dramatic farewell before she plunges into the abyss, the camera cuts away to Beatrice Straight’s tearful reaction, and that’s one of Spielberg’s standard techniques to manipulate the audience by letting them know that it’s time to cry. Yet Hooper’s stamp is present on the final product as well, as there are numerous shots and bits of editing that didn’t quite fit into Spielberg’s house style at the time—for example, the repeated use of crash cut zooms onto faces, or the montage of Nelson screaming from different camera angles after the appearance of the ghost head. (Spielberg would go on to use similar setups two years later in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but he arguably learned the technique from Hooper and The Texas Chain S aw Massacre.)

Als ich den Film nun auf Blu-Ray nach vielen Jahren wieder einmal gesehen habe, ist mir die Qualität des Films jedoch erst richtig bewusst geworden. Neben der sehr gelungenen Geschichte, die seinerzeit von Steven Spielberg produziert wurde, überzeugt Tobe Hoopers flüssige und natürliche Inszenierung. Über allem stehen jedoch Schauspieler, denen man in jeder einzelnen Szene die große Freude ansieht, mit der sie bei der Arbeit waren. So macht es viel Spaß, Craig T. Nelson und Jobeth Williams dabei zuzusehen, wie sie versuchen, sich und ihre Kinder vor dem Bösen zu schützen. Auch die "kleinen" Darsteller wissen sehr zu gefallen, wie z.B. Dominique Dunne und vor allem die kleine Heather O'Rourke. Dass beide Jungdarstellerinnen schon sehr früh gestorben sind, führte übrigens dazu, dass im Zusammenhang mit POLTERGEIST auch lange Zeit von einem bösen Fluch die Rede war.Without diving too deep into the discussion of who actually directed Poltergeist, there is no denying that the production undoubtedly displays Steven Spielberg's signature style, flaunting his familiar tropes and oozing in that unmistakable Spielbergian atmosphere. But the more impressive aspect of this now-classic supernatural thriller is how smoothly that style gels with Tobe Hooper's own aesthetic and camerawork, creating a unique viewing experience where a horror film is both scary and strangely family-friendly. This is one of the great horror movies that can be watched with the entire family. As he demonstrated in his cult classic The Funhouse, Hooper bides his time in building up an ominous tone and mood, allowing the story to unfold organically where the frights and nightmarish visuals enjoy equal weight as the drama anchoring this fantastical tale about a family confronted by the possibility of life after death. In fact, the story begins with an uncomfortable conversation about death after the family pet bird dies. Hell I’m watching this Cursed Films special from AMC right now on the Poltergeist series. I didn’t remember Heather O’Rourke died before ending of P3 and they talked, very emotionally of how she passed and thought P3 should never have been released and especially using a double which never showed her face at end, which writers hated that ending bc it wasn’t theirs and thought it was insult to both Heather and Dominique Dunn, which prompted thread btw. Poltergeist 4K Blu-ray delivers stunningly beautiful video and superb audio in this excellent Blu-ray release und Martin Casella (Assistent von Steven Spielberg bei Indiana Jones: Jäger des verlorenen Schatzes) als Marty "Um das zu überprüfen, kriegt mich kein Mensch da hoch!" Additional audio options include French, German, Italian, Spanish (Spain), and Spanish (Latin America) 2.0 Dolby Digital. Subtitle options include English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Spanish (Spain), Dutch, Spanish (Latin America), Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish.

Yes, I have that. Only one available. It’s just the movie. There’s no extras. Just good, for 2008 standards, transfer and audio. For this UHD edition, Warner ports over the same small set of supplements as previous releases, and they are all contained on the accompanying Blu-ray disc.

Poltergeist: Other Editions

Contrary to Warner Bros.' usual habits, the included Blu-ray is a brand new disc (not available separately) that sources its 1080p transfer Theatrical Trailer (2:26) - Last included on MGM's 1997 DVD ( 1997 DVD, people!), this appropriately spooky vintage Tobe Hooper's horror classic Poltergeist on 4K, focusing all its energy on the strength of a brand-new restoration and HDR10 enhancement. When viewing the studio's promotional trailer for the upcoming 4K Blu-ray release, please make sure to set resolution to 2160p/4K.

They Are Here: The Real World of Poltergeists, Part 2 – Communing with the Dead (Upscaled SD – 15:33)Description: A typical family in a quiet suburb of a normal California faces a frightening ordeal when its home is invaded by a Poltergeist. Late one night, 10-year-old Carol Anne Freeling (Heather O'Rourke) hears a voice coming from inside the television set ... At first, the spirits that invade the Freeling's home seem like playful children. But then they turn angry. And when Carol Anne is pulled from this world into another, Steve and Diane Freeling (Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams--In the Land of Women) turn to an exorcist (Zelda Rubinstein) in this horror classic from director Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre films) and producer and screenwriter Steven Spielberg.​. First things first today: The Criterion Collection has just announced their April Blu-ray and 4K release slate and—as always—it’s another great list of titles. sprinkled throughout a film that's largely dominated by static interiors and dark, stormy nights. Yet this new 4K transfer, likely sourced

Matt89 isn’t wrong. Compare any other Steven Spielberg film to POLTERGEIST, then compare any Tobe Hooper film to it, and tell me who its chief creative force was. But this tired debate has been milked dry due to one particular nutte…er, I mean poster in the 1080p POLTERGEIST thread. Now then, the big release news today is that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has finally officially announced two major catalog titles for 4K Ultra HD...from the recent remaster and has been encoded with the more efficient AVC codec. As such, it displays similar strengths including more refined Tobe Hooper's Poltergeist is a solid horror classic that's held up decently well during the last 40 years, with its strong atmosphere and They Are Here: The Real World of the Poltergeists – Two-part feature; oh dear, don’t waste your time. Warner upgrades 'Poltergeist's audio to Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround (48kHz/16-bit), and it's a nice little remix. The film still doesn't truly overwhelm our aural senses, but it certainly sounds good for a 1982 film. Here's the huge disappointment of this set. These extras totally blow. In fairness to Warner, however, a birdie in the know tells me it has always been camp Steven Spielberg that has nixed the idea of a true 'Poltergeist' making-of (due to the still-sensitive issues over who really directed the film, etc.) So instead of cast and crew interviews and all that sort of good stuff, all we get is an utterly lame "documentary" on real-life spook hunters. Ugh...