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THE SUBURBS — “Poltergeist” did for ordinary household items what “A Nightmare Before Elm Street” did for water beds.
Old trees, unfinished swimming pools and even steak all became a little more terrifying after “Poltergeist” was released in 1982. It spawned a generation of kids who ran out of the room any time their cable went out and cut to static, thanks to the iconic image of Heather O'Rourke with her hand to the TV screen. Having thrown it in the DVD player recently, it was just as eerie as I remember it as a kid. The only difference I noted, to my surprise, was that Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams were not smoking an ordinary cigarette in the opening scene.
Directed by Gil Kenan (“Monster House”) and produced by Sam Raimi (“The Grudge” and “Spider-Man 3”), a new “Poltergeist” is set for release on May 22, two months earlier than previously thought, and will be rated PG-13. In a Reddit AMA, Kenan gave his reasons for remaking such a classic horror film.
“The first one is, it’s a great story. And great stories deserve to be told, even if they've been told well in the past, it's material that is rich and relevant to the generation that's telling the story, and a lot has happened in the 30 years since the original came out. The second part is: I am a true fan of 'Poltergeist' (1982), and I felt like I could honor the vision and the franchise that made the original as popular as it was. And I wanted to protect it. I know that the reasons that brought me to the table on this film are the ones that will hopefully make the film work for audiences of today.”
When asked if there will be any cameos in the new “Poltergeist,” Kenan hinted that there will at least be subtle nods to pay homage to the original cast of characters.
"The biggest difference is connected to the biggest similarity, and it's the location of the film — the suburbs," Kenan said. "But even though the suburbs as a backdrop to the film is identical, the 30 years that have elapsed since the original have completely changed the definition of what it means to live in one of these neighborhoods. We can't expect, any longer, that a cookie-cutter row of houses is the ideal. It's no longer the dream of a young family starting out. And so we had to be inspired by the setting as a place that our characters were reluctant to move into at the beginning of the film. And that created a really interesting, dramatic setting for our characters."
In a promotional video, Sam Rockwell, who takes over Nelson’s role of the father, said the new “Poltergeist” is “more of a kids movie.” But I picked off the nail polish on two finger nails while watching the trailer and had a renewed sense of hatred for all clowns, so there may be a good chance that “Poltergeist” in 2015 won’t disappoint.
Nicole Pollard has been contributing to KSL and Deseret Connect since 2011. Email: nicolemariepollard@gmail.com
