Was a remake of Poltergeist really necessary?

Movie:   Poltergeist

PG-13, 1 hour 33 minutes

Grade:  C

In a Nutshell:    Ok, let me first say that I don't like watching scary movies, but I had requests to review this one....so you better appreciate my sacrifice!

Well, there’s no surprise here if you saw the original Poltergeist from 1982, not to mention Poltergeist II: The Other Side in 1986 and Poltergeist III in 1988.   In fact, it doesn't really add anything to the prior movies. This remake doesn’t exactly shed new light (pun intended) on the old story, but if you’re looking for a fun scream flick, you’ll enjoy the ride enough, complete with creepy clowns, things that jump out, gross skeletons, menacing drills, and scary music.

A more interesting movie might have been a look at the real world deaths of former cast members that have resulted in a belief in the Poltergeist movie “curse”.  http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/poltergeist.asp

Uplifting Theme:

·         Do your due diligence before purchasing real estate.  Ha ha

·         Don’t keep a box full of creepy dolls.

Things I liked:

·         Jared Harris (Carrigan) seems to be in all the creepy movies lately.   He does a good job, as does the rest of the cast: Sam Rockwell (Eric Bowen), Rosemarie DeWitt (Amy Bowen), Kyle Catlett (Griffin Bowen), and adorable Kennedi Clements (Maddie Bowen).

Things I didn’t like:

·         I hate it when little kids swear, imitating their foul-mouthed parents.  NOT cute.

·         Griffin asks: "Why would someone collect a box of clowns?"  Great question.   

·         The kids are constantly bickering with each other.  The teenage daughter, Kendra, (Saxon Sarbino) is so annoying that you don’t care if a poltergeist gets her.

·         What this family needs are some nosy neighbors who check in long before the crazy poltergeists destroy everything.
-      Nothing very original here.  Why the remake then?

Amusing lines:

·         “What if it doesn’t work?” – Amy

“It’s going to work.” – Eric

“This better work!” – Eric to Carrigan

·         “I hope we never see you again.” – Eric

“I don’t know why they always say that.” – Dr. Claire Powell

·         We were young and stupid.” – Carrigan

“Only one of us was stupid.” – Claire

·         “I have special powers, you know.” – Carrigan

“They’re not that special.” – Claire

·         “Is everything ok?” – Claire

“If it were, I wouldn’t be here.” – Carrigan

Interesting lines:

·         “I’m scared.” – Griffin

“Me too.  I feel a little braver though.” - Eric

Tips for Parents:  Young children will definitely be frightened by the scary skeletons and creepy events.  The movie is better suited for teens who want to scream during a sleepover.

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