Poltergeist

UPC: 012569647510

Studio: Warner Home Video

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Graphic Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language, Gore]

Summary: With Poltergeist, directed by Tobe Hopper, Steven Spielberg had his first great success as a producer. Released around the same time as Spielberg's E.T., the film presents the dark side of Spielberg's California suburban track homes. The film centers on the Freeling family, a typical middle class family living in the peaceful Cuesta Verde Estates. The father, Steve (Craig T. Nelson), has fallen asleep in front of the television, and the dog saunters around the house revealing the other family members -- Steve's wife Diane (JoBeth Williams), sixteen-year-old daughter Dana (Dominique Dunne), eight-year-old son Robbie (Oliver Robins), and five-year-old Carol Ann (Heather O'Rourke). Soon strange things begin to happen around the house; the pet canary dies, mysterious storms occur, and Carol Ann is summoned to the TV set, where a strange shaft of green light hits her and causes the room to shake ("They're he-e-ere!"). As curious events continue, Carol Ann is repeatedly drawn to the television, where she begins to talk to "the TV people." Soon Carol Ann is sucked into a closet, disappearing from this reality plane. Unable to find his daughter, Steve consults Dr. Lesh (Beatrice Straight), a para-psychologist from a nearby college. Lesh finds that paranormal phenomena is so strong in the Freelong household she is unable to deal with it and sends for clairvoyant and professional exorcist Tangina (Zelda Rubinstein) to examine the house in hopes of finding Carol Ann. Tangina makes a horrifying discovery: Carol Ann is alive and in the house, but is being held on another spectral plane. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Category: Horror

Awards: Best Original Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Features: They Are Here: The Real World of Poltergeists Revealed documentary in 2 parts: Science of the Spirits and Communing With the Dead
Soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby 2.0
Languages: English, Français, Español, Português & Chinese
(Main feature. Bonus material may not be subtitled)

Poltergeist

Format: DVD

Release Date: 10/09/2007

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DDS2.0 Dolby Digital w/ 4 channels, DD1 Dolby Digital Mono

Runtime: 114 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French,Spanish,Portuguese

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish,Portuguese

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Poltergeist
1. Late-Night Talk [4:36]
2. Credits [2:21]
3. Remotes and Rituals [4:44]
4. Bedtime Joint Time [4:59]
5. Storm Jitters [4:40]
6. They're Here [3:08]
7. TV People [4:09]
8. Moving Objects [5:30]
9. Robbie vs. the Tree [3:01]
10. Taking Carol Anne [5:30]
11. Spinning Room [2:59]
12. Calling Carol Anne [4:39]
13. She Just Moved Through Me [3:09]
14. The Light [6:10]
15. Marty's Midnight Snack [:24]
16. Night Visitors [3:02]
17. Departures [4:11]
18. Expansion Plots [3:49]
19. Enter Tangina [2:57]
20. Window to the Next Plane [2:29]
21. Run to the Light [5:20]
22. Rope Across Dimensions [2:55]
23. Reunion [4:09]
24. Moving Day [3:57]
25. Bath and Bedtime [2:33]
26. The Clown and the Beast [3:18]
27. From Evil's Grasp [3:21]
28. You Left the Bodies [3:29]
29. Escapees From Implosion [1:50]
30. End Credits [2:02]

Brendon Hanley

Though directed by Tobe Hooper, Poltergeist is most often thought of as a Steven Spielberg movie, with all of the hallmarks of a Spielberg film: impressive effects, snappy pacing, and a child-like sense of wonder and horror. At the time, the director was juggling the haunted-house project with the more personal E.T., and cult horror director Hooper was called in to helm. Legend has it that Spielberg had his fingers in just about every decision, and even directed some of the scenes himself, leaving the job's technical aspects to Hooper. Spielberg would eventually be credited as co-producer and co-screenwriter. Poltergeist is clearly more akin to Spielberg's E.T. or Close Encounters of the Third Kind than to Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Eaten Alive. It's a very engaging film, thanks to Jo Beth Williams's solid performance and the slick, chilling effects by Industrial Light and Magic. ~ Brendon Hanley, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Jerry Goldsmith  Composer (Music Score) 
Michael Grais  Screenwriter 
Tobe Hooper  Director 
Frank Marshall  Producer 
Steven Spielberg  Producer 
Steven Spielberg  Screenwriter 
Mark Victor  Screenwriter 
Craig T. Nelson  Actor 
JoBeth Williams  Actor 
Beatrice Straight  Actor 
Dominique Dunne  Actor 
Oliver Robins  Actor 
Heather O'Rourke  Actor 
Zelda Rubinstein  Actor 
Martin Casella  Actor 
Richard Lawson  Actor 
Michael McManus  Actor 
Virginia Kiser  Actor 
James Karen  Actor 
Jane Feinberg  Actor 
Mike Fenton  Actor 
Clair E. Leucart  Actor 
Jeff Bannister  Actor 
Lou Perry  Actor 
Dirk Blocker  Actor 
Allan Graf  Actor 
Joseph Walsh  Actor 
Noel Conlon  Actor 
Robert Broyles  Actor 
Sonny Landham  Actor 
William Vail  Actor 
Philip Stone  Actor 

Country: USA