“They’re
here!” Tobe Hooper’s ‘80’s haunted house
classic (produced and written by Steven Spielberg) about a family who
experiences paranormal phenomenon in the guise of “poltergeists” (German term
for ghosts who make a lot of ruckus) gets the remake treatment from Ghost House
Pictures, the production company run by genre vets and long-time collaborators
Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert. Considering
that the original movie (which spawned a couple of sequels) came out over 30
years ago, this remake shouldn’t really be a surprise but, still, it is an utterly
unnecessary and wasted effort which only served as the latest example that
Hollywood greenlights such remakes simply because it can.
While the
original ‘Poltergeist’ had an eminently likeable family in the Freelings (played
by “Coach” Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams and Heather O’Rourke as the angelic
Carol Anne), the remake’s Bowden family is a decidedly less interesting
bunch. Also, one of the best characters from
the original was the spiritual medium sent in to help the Freelings in their
supernatural predicament, Tangina, portrayed by Zelda Rubinstein. The remake replaced her colorful character
with a TV celebrity “Ghost Hunter” named Carrigan Burke (Jared Harris) whom
being described as “boring” and “bland” would be a gross understatement.
This remake is
so “been there, done that” and filled with well-worn tropes that it makes
‘Insidious’ and its sequel look like masterpieces of horror by
comparison. Unscary, unsuspenseful and uninspired,
‘Poltergeist 2015’ also failed miserably to connect with the new generation of
moviegoers that is its intended target, although I’m sure this misfire won’t
deter Hollywood from attempting to remake other horror “classics.”
Grade: D
No comments:
Post a Comment