One of the best horror movies of all time, it is still not clear if Steven Spielberg secretly directed it

One of the best horror movies of all time it

A family is terrorized by supernatural beings, including through a television. That’s the story of Poltergeist. The horror classic from 1982 is coming to TV today. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a horror fan or have a soft spot for 80s cinema: It’s worth tuning in. The The history of its origin is almost as mysterious like the ground beneath the feet of the Freeling family.

The key to effective horror is the suburban family, which you immediately grow fond of. It is not without reason that it reminds of Steven Spielberg productions such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, ET – The Extra-Terrestrial or The Goonies.

The great poltergeist mystery has nothing to do with ghosts

In the late 1970s, Spielberg evolved into a brand that promised quality and a certain blockbuster feel. That’s why his name was widely mentioned in advertising when he was “only” involved as a producer and co-author. This also happened with Poltergeist.

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poltergeist

The official Director was a horror size: Tobe Hooper, who died in 2017, shot one of the classics of the genre with Blood Court in Texas. Hence the speculation as to which one master because now this masterwerk has turned such a controversy. There has been speculation about this since 1982. At the time, Spielberg was contractually bound to complete ET, but hinted that he helped Hooper out with Poltergeist.

Who directed Poltergeist?

There is no clear answer, but a series of contradictory statements, for example:

  • Producer Frank Marshall told the LA Times that Spielberg designed all of the storyboards and is “the creative power of film”. So he was on the set almost every day. According to Hooper, he developed half of the storyboards himself.
  • Actress Zelda Rubinstein, who played the medium, explained that Hooper prepared the shots and Spielberg did the finishing touches. (Bloody Disgusting)
  • Camera assistant John Leonetti openly said in 2017 that Spielberg directed it. (via Slash Movie)
  • Hooper told Moviefone that same year:
    “I don’t want to talk about it unless that I directed the filmwhile [Spielberg] wrote and produced the screenplay.”
  • Movie mom JoBeth Williams told Vanity Fair 2022: “Tobe gave directions, sometimes Steven added something or gave different directions, but I think it’s fair to say that it was a kind of combination of both.
  • Actor James Karen defended Hooper in 2012: “Tobe had a tough time with this film. It’s tough when you have a producer on set every day and it’s always been talked about a lot. I considered Tobe my director.
  • We shouldn’t expect an unequivocal answer from Steven Spielberg. Film credits are a sensitive subject. They are negotiated, contracted, and unions like the Directors Guild of America can take legal action if their members’ credits are not protected.

    And the directing credit goes to Tobe Hooper. As a result, Spielberg had to publish an open letter in the Hollywood Reporter in 1982, in which he retracted statements that had questioned Hooper’s directing work

    The answer to the question who directed it doesn’t change anything about the quality of the film anyway.

    That’s why Poltergeist, which is on TV today, is worth watching

    Poltergeist is at the pinnacle of the haunted house genre. First, the ghost horror is modernized through the use of the mass medium of television and kitchen technology, so that almost everyone can put themselves in the situation.

    At some point, the creeps kick in archaic, timeless horror, which one would not expect in this inconspicuous setting. Poltergeist works like a magic trick, using a comparatively small hat to conjure up a gate to an alien world, a mud bath lined with corpses, and much more instead of a white rabbit.

    Here’s how you can watch Poltergeist

    Poltergeist will be on today Sunday, August 13, from 10:00 p.m. on Tele 5 aired. The film runs uncut. The horror classic is currently not part of a streaming flat rate. You can buy and rent it from Amazon*, for example.

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