“They’re Heeere.” Or is it, “They’re baaaack”? Or”¦ “They’re Heeeere”¦again”?
Whichever way you say it, it’s been over 32 years since Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg ruined the childhoods of millions with Poltergeist. Now, horror-philes like myself are eagerly awaiting the Gil Kenan reboot. If you’re bothered by what may seem like another in a long line of horror remakes, sequels, and remake-quels, consider first that Kenan (director of Monster House) was terrified by the original as a kid and the film is produced by horror-icon Sam Raimi.
The first look of the reboot has been revealed in a set of photos released by USA Today, which you can see here below.
The story of invisible angry spirits kidnapping a family’s small daughter, Carol Anne, was notable for several bone-chilling moments, including the crawling steak, the bathroom face-ripping scene, and of course”¦ THAT DAMN CLOWN DOLL! Fresh off Killer Clown, John Wayne Gacy’s killing spree, and a pint-sized clown masked Michael Myers (in 1978’s Halloween), clowns became even more terrifying in the late 70s and early 80s.
In 1982’s Poltergeist, brother Robbie (Oliver Robins) can’t sleep because of evil trees lurking outside, crashing thunder and lightning, and of course, the maniacal clown doll that jumps to life and tries strangling him under his bed. I still don’t know which clown caused me more restless nights, that doll, or Pennywise from It (1990).
In the new film, Kenan manages to up the ante with a clown doll that looks scarier than Annabelle and Chucky put together. With clowns being the “it” thing in horror again thanks to Twisty from American Horror Story: Freakshow, rest assured the next generation of children to watch Poltergeist this Summer will live with clourophobia (fear of clowns) for life, too.
As with the original, the remake will make you frightened of your television.
Like the original, television is a conduit from the spirit world. But in 2015, the screens are bigger, packing more menace. And there are screens throughout the house.
“The original film commented on how we’ve let television get out of control, babysitting our kids,” says Raimi. “It’s only gotten worse with the handheld portable devices. Screens are everywhere.”
Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt play the parents of 8-year-old Madison Bowen (Kennedi Clements), with Jared Harris as the supernatural researcher and clairvoyant who helps the family.
Poltergeist opens nationwide on July 24, 2015 in 3D.
Image Gallery
Video
Clown scene from the original:
[Source: USA Today; Photo credit: Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc.]
I hope the face ripping scene is very graphic compared to the classic
Comment by Ian — March 17, 2015 @ 9:57 pm