I have been desperate to educate my Nieces and Nephew in the art of horror films. You see when I was younger and before the video nasty laws came into force my dad worked in a video shop. We were allowed to select 2 films from Thursday night to Sunday night. I would walk straight to the back of the shop where the 18 videos were and chose the grossest looking film according to the front cover. I love horror films. Not modern ones. They simply lack imagination and just fail to scare. My favourite films of this time were: All of the Zombie ones particularly Dawn Of The Dead, American Werewolf In London, Driller Killer, Amityville Horror, Exorcist and probably my ultimate scare movie, The Changeling with George c Scot (listen to the commentary by the Director. He says the script scared him so much he couldn't move afterwards!).
Anyway Poltergeist was Directed by Tobe Hooper and scripted and produced by Spielberg. No one manipulates children's emotions like Spielberg. Here he is at his mischievous best. Think of the things that the two kids in the movie fear the most. The Stairs, The Dolls, The big tree in the garden and of coarse under the bed.
They fell asleep last night when I put it on but today they sat through it as soundly as I hoped they would. I announced there were to be no Stupid questions asked during the movie and they obeyed. They absolutely lapped it up. Some really genuine jump moments brought real fun to the occasion. Seeing horror movies as a child is simply the best time to see them. As you get older you will be scared less frequently. I love to be scared but alas haven't been in a long time.
Now the real fun begins. Today I bent their spoons at breakfast and kept saying things like "they're here". Tomorrow tho is going to be brilliant. My friends sister has a life sized doll that can be dressed and the hair combed down to look exactly like the little girl in the movie. I am going to sit her in front of the telly and switch over to a channel that is off air. You may think this is cruel but I have had to put up with them for 3 days. I can't restrain them, they run wild and I refuse to slap them.
PS Jo Beth Williams is superb in this movie as the terrified mother. I have yet to see a performance like that in a remake or modern horror movie. The Jap invasion withstanding when was the last time WE made a good old fashioned shocker?
I wonder if I could pump out the theme tune to the film while scaring the bejesus out of my kids. Here is Carol Annes theme tune. You just know its the type of tune that means a big hand is going to come up and grab u by the throat at the end of it. http://open.spotify.com/track/6qiwQGU9ARcP80SX57MfVd
ReplyDeleteOfcoarse the actress who played C A died very young of Leukemia. When I was young I was told her daddy had killed her. This is a case of one person hearing a story and forgeting the actual facts. Dominique Dunne who played the older sister was killed by her boyfriend. Her brother is Griffin Dunne. He appeared in my fav film of all time American Werewolf. My younger brother has a signed photo of him. He got it when he wrote to him and told him he had Leukemia. The Irony eh?
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