THE STORY: I felt compelled to watch this movie because I watched the sequel a few days ago. My wife spotted it for me in a german video store. The first time I saw this movie I thought it was scary as hell. A few years ago I saw it again and I thought it was kind of weak. Well, that's no suprise given the intensity of gore and stuff in today's movies. To be honest I don't think they should have made the sequel.

Steven Freeling has good life. He's a sales rep for a big real estate company, he's got a nice house and he's having a pool dug in his backyard. He's got a lovely wife, Diane (Jobeth Williams) a son, Robby and two daughters, teenage Dana and young five year old, Carol Anne. But this idyllic existence is disrupted. Poltergeist activity begins in the house after Carol Anne witnesses a paranormal event while the family sleeps. (basically she see mists come out of the TV and shoot into a wall.) At first Diane thinks its kind of  fun, to have furniture that moves and a spot in the kitchen where an object placed there will move across the floor. But the supernatural activities step up and after a tree in the backyard tries to eat Robby, Carol Anne is abducted into the spirit world. The only contact with her is by hearing her voice through the TV. Steven enlists the aid of a team of parapsychologists, led by Dr. Lesh. Lesh and her colleagues, Ryan and Marty witness amazing paranormal activity in the house. This frightens Marty enough that he leaves the next day, but Lesh asks a psychic, Tangina for help. Tangina unleashes a plan involving a rope and two tennis balls to save Carol Anne. It works. Heck, you've seen this movie, haven't you!? With his family together again, Steven decides to move.The last night in the house, while Steven is out and Dana is at a friends home, all hell breaks loose again. The spirits try to abduct Carol Anne and Robby, but Diane gets them out of the house. Steven and Dana return in time to see coffins popping out of the ground all over the neighborhood. Steven's boss, Mr. Teague told him before that they had relocated a cemetery to build these houses...but what he meant was he had the headstones moved...not the coffins. Steven takes the family and splits just before his house is sucked into the hoary netherworld. At the Holiday Inn, he puts the TV outside of their room, just to be safe.

Steven is played by Craig T. Nelson. Remember the guy from Coach? (I never watched that show, but my wife loved it...go figure)Jobeth Williams plays the wife.

As I said, I watched the sequel and wrote that review first, but one thing remains the same....I don't like touchy-feely movies. This movie, even though it can be scary to small children perhaps and people of nervous dispositions, is a family type movie. But I have to admit, it is a good movie. Doesn't mean I ain't gonna rag on it though.

Best Lines: "Oh, yeah. I remember that place."- 16 year old Dana, when her mother tells her they'll be staying in the Holiday Inn on I-70 tonight. Diane asks her how she knows about the motel (meaning: Did you have sex in that motel?) and Dana switches the subject instantly. Obviously Dana isn't as innocent as she seems.

"You're right...you go" - Tangina to Diane. One of them has to go into the spirit world to retrieve Carol Anne. At first Tangina is set to go, but Diane convinces her that she should do it. Tangina doesn't put up an argument.

1.) Steven and his neighbor have a feud between their TV sets. Their remotes change channels on the other's TV. That's ridiculous. There is no way. Remotes on TV's work pointing it at the little electric eye on the set, not radio waves. I guess that was supposed to be humorous...it wasn't.

2.) Robby is terrified of the toy clown in his and Carol Anne's room. I agree. Clowns are creepy. Its cruel to put a big ass clown in a child's room and expect them to sleep peacefully. Hell, when I was a kid my room used to belong to my older sister before she got married. There was a Styrofoam head for wigs on the shelf and that damn thing used to spook me at night, in the moonlight. It made my cousin scream one night when she stayed over. Jeez, if it was clown we probably would have ran through the wall and left cartoon-like shapes of our bodies in it.

3.) Diane should get her head examined. The ghosts move things and stack chairs in the kitchen and she thinks this is cool? Maybe in someone else's house. Listen people, moving objects and paranormal weirdness in your kitchen is a hint and a half for your ass---MOVE!

4.) I find Robby annoying. I find the sappy music annoying.

5.) So none of the neighbors noticed a big ass tree eating Robby? He was screaming his head off!! The neighbors didn't notice a tornado that only landed in the Freeling's yard either? How many tornadoes happen in California? The neighbors are sound sleepers.

6.) Marty decides to take a break from watching the monitors and fix a snack in the Freeling's kitchen. He pulls a steak out of the fridge and gets ready to cook it. First, who the hell said he could cook anything in the house? Well, maybe Diane told him it was okay...but a steak? I don't even treat my friends to steaks! Funk Dat! This steak looks pretty frozen too. Even though he pulled it out of the fridge, not the freezer, it looked pretty stiff. But its soft and supple when the ghosts start moving it. Okay, maybe the spirits defrosted it. Or maybe I'm wrong, and it wasn't frozen...but who keeps a steak in the fridge? Shouldn't it have been in the freezer? (why am I so obsessed with that steak?)

NUDITY AND SEX: none

HUH?: Hey! In the sequel, Poltergeist II: The Other Side, the ghosts are those of a group of religious whackos that sealed themselves in a cave during the 1800's to await Armageddon. Then how come there are coffins all over the place? I hate it when writers just completely change something that was made clear in the first movie for a sequel. The ghosts in this movie are angry because Teague and his company built a housing development over their cemetery!

Steven wants to get his family out of the house while Dr. Lesh and her team investigate overnight. Diane refuses to leave without Carol Anne, but Dana can't take it so they tell her to go stay with a friend. What about Robby? Why isn't he at a friends house? Isn't he important enough to get to safety? (I'd say no. That kid's buck teeth and voice really irk me.)

When the ghosts make their final assault, Diane pleads with their neighbor to help her get Robby and Carol Anne out of the house. This guy's wife stops him from going in. BOO! HISS! He's a pussy! Keep in mind, that the neighbors don't know about the ghosts...Steven wanted no publicity. What kind of a man won't help a woman...that's your next door neighbor...when she's pleading for help in saving her small children? A girly man, that's what kind. Hey, I'm not a superhero, but I would have told my wife to go call the cops while I try to save the kids.

THE TALLY: If you want a 'scary movie' that you can show the kids, this is a good rental. If you're looking for a scary movie to freak out your friends, you'd better get something stronger. Still, its a good movie.