Poltergeist [DVD] [1982]

Many years have passed since I saw this film in the cinema (Many many). My memories are vague and I came across this Blu ray browsing Amazon. Glad I saw it again even though I have very mixed feelings....The BLURAY - Excellent quality - bars top and bottom crisp clear picture and colour. Good sound and subtitles. This release a bit low on extras for those interested - not me. The FILM? Well paced with some serious shock/horror moments, and generally well acted. No swearing or undue gore. My problem (and this is me, so don't let what follows necesarily put you off buying.) I just could not like or accept the family. Somehow the stoney faced husband and his slightly ditsy wife just failed to connect. The kids were good and hopefully survived any traumas!!! (Iknow sad things happened to the two daughters). Plot holes...How come NO ONE in the neighborhood seemd to be aware of the terrifying sounds and sights emanating from the house ((until the very end). It made no sense. Zelda Rubinstein was excellent and the actors did their best - just not for me. A good 5 stars for the fact it IS a classic beautifully presented by Warner, and if you have never seen it...Well - Get it and hopefully enjoy.

Poltergeist is one of those horror movies that has production values way above average for the genre, and as such feels almost like it should be regarded differently. It's a supernatural horror, one that just happens to have been made by a big studio with a decent budget, and the skill of Steven Spielberg behind the script and camera (he's suggested to have directed most of the film despite Tobe Hooper being credited) and also co-editing with Michael Kahn. As a result, Poltergeist is beautiful film, with cinematography on the level of the best films of the period, with fantastic performances from all the actors, and a stunning score from Jerry Goldsmith. Whether you enjoy it or not is, of course, a matter of personal taste. I for one think it's an exceptional film. So, how does it look on Blu-ray? Quite honestly, it looks fantastic. I'm sure Spielberg would never allow one of his own productions to be put out on Blu-ray without a great HD transfer. The images are sharp and clear, in full original format, with detail maintained in darker shots. As seems to be a case with the format, poor visual effects shots tend to be highlighted, but I didn't find that to be the case with Poltergeist. Most of the effects are so unique stylistically, achieved to some degree optically rather than with lots of compositing, that you don't suddenly find yourself distracted by them looking bad on Blu-ray. I must admit, the scene where Marty pulls off his face looks like it always did. I always felt it was very unconvincing and only worked because of it's grotesqueness, but if you liked it before, I'm sure you won't be bothered by it. The "Wizard of Oz" shot of the tree going into the twister looks no worse, either. The sound is crisp and clean, although this is a film that was always very well mixed anyway. I can honestly recommend the Blu-ray of Poltergeist as a substantial improvement over any previous release, definitely a worthwhile upgrade.

Delivered on time in perfect shape by Amazon. This film is a must see original for horror fans. Given how far film making technology has evolved don't expect too much of the special effects. However, the movie was one of the first to trial 3D. The story and pacing is still good and little kids might still find it scary. Loved all the eighties decor in the house making the movie a little bit of a time capsule of the time. A great one to add to your horror collection.

I am an avid horror film fanatic, I have seen well over a thousand horror films, I also have over 500 horror dvds. Including.... The original Poltergeist. Original poltergeist is a brilliant film, brilliant acting, suspenseful, you could really feel the families pain and desperation, especially as things escalate. The "horror" scenes are brilliantly played. It has brilliant pacing, and a great atmosphere, good acting. I love it and would recommend the original to anyone. Remake? This version is just a giant middle finger to the original. Very poor acting, fast paced, no relation to the characters. You can't feel their struggle, it's just a bunch of people with some unfortunate events happening. Too fast paced, no atmosphere, no tension, no build up or mystery. Watching with my sister, so glad I didn't fork out money for this, and WILL NOT be adding this to my prized dvd collection. I wouldn't recommend the remake a real horror fan, or anyone really. If you want a good version of the film, a REAL film, then stick to the original.

4 stars just for the movie. Great image and sound. Shame the extras don't have nothing to do with the movie, where there is a making of at the time that was made for the movie.

very good film

Life is very pleasant for the close-knit Freeling family until a host of otherworldly forces invades their peaceful suburban home. It starts with just an odd occurrence or two, but soon their house is transformed into a swirling supernatural sideshow. The forces at work are anything but friendly, and if the luckless Freelings don't clear out soon, they'll all be swept off into nightmarish chaos! Warner delivers Poltergeist to your home theater on Blu-ray with a spiffy new remaster in the film's original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1. As usual, Warner has utilized VC-1 to compress the title and it is, of course, presented in full 1080p. Poltergeist is one of those films that I didn't have much hope for on Blu-ray. With all the complex optical compositing used for visual effects back in 1982, it was almost a certainty that the film would look murky and be riddled with dirt and debris. Fortunately, that's not the case and Warner should be applauded for bringing home a fantastic looking presentation. Colors are nicely saturated and contrast is stable and sufficiently deep. Detail is vastly improved over the previous DVD release and there's a really nice level of filmic grain present throughout the entire film. If there is a single bone to pick with this release, it lies in the occasional bit of dirt on the otherwise pristine print. Given the aforementioned optical compositing done on the film, I'm honestly surprised that it is as clean as it is. So, don't take the presence of a small amount of dirt as a criticism, but rather an observation. Anyway, Poltergeist looks better than ever and is certainly an attractive Blu-ray presentation. Starring: Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Beatrice Straight, Dominique Dunne, Oliver Robins Director: Tobe Hooper

well i have just bought this on blu ray as i have not seen it in years and was quite sceptical as to how the blu ray trasfer would look given the age of the film but i need not have worried its fantastic.its looks as if it was made yesterday thats how good it looks. and the film is just as good as it ever was,made me jump in a few places, very errie and atmospheric.and the effects have stood the test of time very well,and to be honest what else would you expect from steven speilberg and tobe hopper a brilliant colabaration. this is a very fast paced film never stays still for 1 minute and you just never know what to expect next.if you like a good horror film then this is a must buy blu ray,but a word of warning if you dont like clowns then this film is deffo not for you.

excelente

very good

Velocissimi nella spedizione , servizio impeccabile......peccato che non ho visto bene , non è in lingua Italiano.... Colpa mia.....dovevo leggere meglio....

Excelente película, todo un clásico para conservar

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