It’s here, in a 25th Anniversary DVD release which no doubt continues the fanbase controversies haunting POLTERGEIST since it first terrorized filmgoers a quarter-century ago. At its best, the handsome and high tech restoration of this classic 1980s horror hit delivers crisp image and sound which show off the skilled craftsmanship put into in its making by director Tobe Hooper and co-writer/producer Steven Spielberg. On the dark side, the bonus content of this special anniversary packaging is a ghostly shadow of the extra-filled DVD release POLTERGEIST truly deserves. The fact that this film shines so brightly after 25 years makes the DVD a welcome addition to home libraries, but it also makes the disparity between the feature and its special materials even more sharply pronounced. Nominated for three Academy Awards® including Best Original Score, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Visual Effects, POLTERGEIST's dramatic power and ability to inspire goosebumps have not diminished at all, and this restored DVD release only enhances the film's effectiveness and reputation.

IT KNOWS WHAT SCARES YOU

For those of you not among the living during its original release, POLTERGEIST gave audiences chills in June 1982 when its typical suburban family, the Freelings, had their lives turned upside down as their tract home became a 20th century stand-in for the old gothic haunted house. Artfully plotted and skillfully paced with scenes of mounting suspense and mystery, punctuated by startling jolts which had viewers jumping in their seats, the film reinvented the telling of ghost stories for modern audiences.

The tale centers on the family’s youngest daughter, Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke), who one night awakens to talk with the “TV people” she hears speaking through the video static from an off-the-air channel. Soon these unseen spectral beings invade the Freeling’s home, manifesting their presence by silently stacking dining room chairs and freaking out the family dog. Per the vintage formula, one dark and stormy night Carol Anne disappears from the house, kidnapped by an unworldly force into the ghostly netherworld between the living and the dead. The nail-biting remainder of the story sets father Steven (Craig T. Nelson), mother Diane (JoBeth Williams), sister Dana (Dominique Dunn) and brother Robbie (Oliver Robbins) down a path of desperate irrationality into the supernatural to retrieve Carol Anne.

Assisting the Freelings on this journey to the other side are parapsychologist Dr. Lesh (played marvelously by Beatrice Straight) and her two associates, Marty (Martin Casella) and Ryan (Richard Lawson). Practitioners of an inexact science, they too find themselves unequipped to handle the increasing threat of this spiritual phenomenon. Finally, the group brings in psychic medium Tangina Barrons (Zelda Fitzgerald) who senses the danger growing around lost Carol Ann and leads the battle to save the souls of the living and dead in this house.

As with any good film, a description of the plot can’t do the story justice, and mine intentionally won’t to preserve the numerous moments of sheer fright and good old fashioned entertainment which abound in POLTERGEIST. How the film got that good is a complex tale itself with the teaming of co-writer/co-producer Steven Spielberg (JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS) and director Tobe Hooper (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE), and much debate about their interaction and credited contributions lingers to this day.

To be fair, POLTERGEIST owes a substantial debt to the Richard Matheson/Rod Serling story “Little Girl Lost” aired in the third season of The Twilight Zone in 1962, which originally hatched the basic idea of the story. Combining these inspirations and storytellers, the resulting film remains a masterpiece of suspense and thrills which stands far above the weaker sequels and imitators which followed in its successful wake.

While Tobe Hooper is the credited director, the story conceived by Spielberg and co-written with Michael Grais and Mark Victor has the more iconic filmmaker’s stamp all over it. Co-produced by longtime collaborators Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy, this suburban terror couched in pop culture references is the dark mirror reflection of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, with the threat to the Freelings coming from inner space instead of outer space. POLTERGEIST is very much a family film, both in dramatic plot and entertainment intent: the gross-outs are kept to a minimum in favor of building supernatural suspense, holding back on the monster’s revelation while ratcheting up tension in the audience, much like JAWS.

On the other hand, I’ve never subscribed to the notion that POLTERGEIST can’t be the work of Tobe Hooper solely because it differs so drastically from the violent tone of TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. That theory short-changes Hooper’s abilities and interests as a director, not to mention his talent to understand the directorial needs for a gentler brand of horror permeating POLTERGEIST. Unfortunately, until key players go on record to clarify who did what when, doubts and rumors will haunt the project for those who choose to perpetuate such intrigue.

Of much more importance is how well this 20 year-old ghost story stands up today. The key to POLTERGEIST’s lasting freshness and relevance as a horror film is its basis in real-world fears, enhanced by the spiritual menace of the plot’s supernatural premise. At its heart is a parent’s ultimate terror: the sudden loss of a child, a living nightmare with which nearly every adult can identify even in the abstract. Its toll on the family unit wreaks havoc on their sense of unity and security, disrupting the foundation of their lives just as surely as the restless dead destroy the very foundation of their home.

Once Carol Anne is abducted into the spirit realm, the Freelings can no longer live, eat or sleep in peace — yet they remain powerless to reclaim their daughter without engaging the most irrational solution which challenges their beliefs and structure as a family. The resolution of POLTERGEIST is visually spectacular, but also delivers a strong dramatic punch as the Freelings literally escape with their lives and nothing more — but true to the story’s heart, that is the only victory over evil that matters.

WE HEAR BETTER ON THIS CHANNEL

The Freelings may not understand why they hear Carol Anne’s disembodied voice better on a certain TV channel, but DVD viewers will have no doubt about the crisply restored print transfer and remixed soundtrack which make POLTERGEIST as beautiful and frightening as ever.

Warner Home Video and their technical artisans digitally remastered the original picture and soundtrack, restoring and enhancing clarity to the film which you likely haven’t seen since its theatrical release, if even then. Colors are richly saturated while maintaining good image contrast, providing a well-managed palette of warm household hues and vivid ectoplasmic glows when the supernatural hits the fan. Also the 16x9 enhanced image is shown in its original 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio, and this presentation boasts solid, sharp edges on standard size screens.

The remixed soundtrack, now presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, adds tremendous depth and dimension to the on-screen action. The center dialogue channel stays clear and focused during both quiet late night scenes of whispering and amid chaotic moments of ghostly activity. Jerry Goldsmith’s distinctive and supportive score sounds lushly full-bodied now, with crisp high strings and bombastic low-end brass and percussion. Sound mixers also took careful steps to expand the audio field of the sound effects, spreading the nighttime thunder rolls around the 5.1 surround channels and providing numerous startle cues from rear channels to keep viewers jumping.

While the special visual effects are two decades old in technology and presentation, the sequences featuring these nightmares hold up surprisingly well, considering no digital enhancements upgraded these illusions. In fact a couple effects errors still remain in this print — some object matte transparencies bleed through the objects flying around the kids’ room — but the remastered print has diminished these flaws considerably.

Without a high-definition transfer to top it, this 25th Anniversary presentation of POLTERGEIST on standard DVD stands out as an excellent example of careful and respectful restoration of this classic piece of cinema.

NOBODY’S COMPLAINED UNTIL NOW

As noted, the only drawback to this DVD is the much-lamented lack of title-specific bonus features in this anniversary release. As I understand, there may be legal rights issues with the making-of material for this production which may have prevented its inclusion on this disc. True or not, this doesn’t explain or forgive the absence of any new documentary material, current cast and crew interviews, and the like. If nothing else, it would have been nice to gather the actors and filmmakers to reflect on POLTERGEIST’s lasting success, and pay tribute to the Dominique Dunn and Heather O’Rourke who have since passed.

Given current, shining examples of how Warner Brothers can assemble brilliant DVD packages of DVD bonus material (witness the upcoming 25th Anniversary release of Ridley Scott’s BLADE RUNNER), fans including myself can’t help but feel disappointed that POLTERGEIST got short-changed by this gaping void of actual making-of extras.

Filling this vacuum is a two-part documentary They Are Here: The Real World of Poltergeists Revealed. While it might be entertaining on its own and by itself as some cable channel special on the supernatural phenomenon, it hardly measures up to the film it supports despite including an abundance of POLTERGEIST clips. In the end, these real ghost hunters and psychics can’t avoid disappointing compared to the heightened reality and dark dramatic fantasy of the film. The more the documentary desperately attempts to form a tie-in to POLTERGEIST, the more apparent it is that this special has nothing beyond shared subject matter to do with the thrilling blockbuster.

Clearly it is Warner’s desire to make the 25th Anniversary Edition of POLTERGEIST a deservedly special release on DVD, and the restoration of Tobe Hooper’s classically haunting tale is worth the purchase alone. Note: I give POLTERGEIST the film a 4 ½ star rating, and regrettably must subtract a point for the obvious, painful lack of true bonus material which should have accompanied this anniversary release.

POLTERGEIST remains a prime example of elegantly simple filmmaking at its best.  This chilling journey into the shadowy realm between life and death delivers utterly spooky fun and strong, enjoyable characters in a timeless tale perfectly suited for your family’s Halloween holiday.