Poltergeist the remake and how I actually kind of loved it?

POLTERGEIST (the remake)

Alright, I hate remakes. You know this. I complain all the time about this. I don't see the point in funneling money into remakes when we could be supporting new and original horror. So when I finally got around to watching the remake of Poltergeist, I did it with crossed arms and a sour look on my face. But within 5 minutes my face cracked into a reluctant smile and DAMNIT I was laughing at the dialogue and enjoying myself.

So let's get into it.

Poltergeist originally came out in 1982 and was directed by Tobe Hooper and co-written by Steven Spielberg. It ended up becoming a trilogy. The original was a classic horror film with an absolutely amazing cast, and some pretty fantastic ideas for the time.

Last year Gil Kenan directed the remake and put Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt in the lead role of the couple. Jared Harris played the eccentric ghost hunter alongside Jane Adams as his partner in crime.

Now as much as I hate to admit this, I enjoyed the new cast more. I love Sam Rockwell and him and DeWitt brought some amazing comedic wit. Making Jared Harris a TV ghost hunter was a great modernization. And Jane Adams, though quiet, brought a great partnership.

The scares were minimal in this film for me personally, but I could see it scaring the average viewer quite a bit. I found the iconic clown scene actually much more frightening in the remake. The fact that there were multiple clown dolls just lurking around and scaring the shit out of me. Not cool. But awesome. Also the "other dimension" was super creepy in the remake. All those creepy dead bodies writhing around. Gross. Do not want to go to there. But I liked it a lot. 

The gore was minimal in this movie compared to the original. So....there's one thing against it. The story was different of course, but the premise was the same. They modernized the haunting, making the poltergeist effect cell phones and flat screen TV's etc etc. There was also a drone which I didn't love. But I don't love drones in general so this was never going to be a win for me. The tree scene was less creepy in the remake. But they managed to keep all the iconic scenes in the remake, just with some modernizations and a few adjustments.

I liked the kids a lot more in the original. The teenage girl in the remake was too hysterical and mean to her parents for my liking. Like, gurl, your Dad has no job and bought you a new iPhone yet you're still sassing him? Get a job yourself, damn. Although I did like the young son because he was a nervous wreck and I felt that on a personal level.

So, I was preparing to tear this movie apart and call it a piece of crap and have it prove my point but instead I had a really great time watching it and I will totally watch it again.

WHO AM I

I'm giving it an 8/10. Don't yell at me.

Stay spooky!