When it comes to haunted house films, this one is one of the best. The story knows what scares people and plays on a lot of the common fears that people have as kids. The spooky tree, the strange doll, the monster in the closet are all examples of the film collecting and tapping into very relatable chills that many have firsthand experience with.
The Freeling family lives in a planned community in California. Steve (Craig T. Nelson, TV’s COACH) is the top realtor for the community. His wife Diane (JoBeth Williams, FEVER PITCH) is a stay-at-home mom for their three kids — teen Dana (Dominique Dunne), middle child Robbie (Oliver Robins, AIRPLANE II) and pre-schooler Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke, POLTERGEIST II: THE OTHER SIDE).
Soon Carol Anne begins to communicate with beings in the TV and furniture starts to move on its own. Then one night the ghosts in the house take Carol Anne to their otherworldly plane. The Freelings call in paranormal specialist Dr. Lesh (Beatrice Straight, NETWORK), who is amazed by the activity in the house and summons psychic Tangina Barrons (Zelda Rubinstein, SIXTEEN CANDLES) to rid the house of the malevolent poltergeist.
Though TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE director Tobe Hooper is credited as director on the film, producer/writer Steven Spielberg’s signature style is stamped all over it. The family isn’t too far removed from the Nearys in CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. The story mixes domestic life with the supernatural with a nice dose of humanity and humor to bind it all together.
In addition to the classic childhood fears, the film also creates its own scary iconography with the static on the TV and the eerie glow of the set. Rubinstein’s presence as the strangely calm little person with the raspy high-pitched voice is unsettling. Is she going to help or make things worse? The scene where one of the paranormal investigators has a scary look in the mirror is certainly not PG material.
The story also brings an emotional core with Diane fighting to save her child, which any parent could relate to. Williams does an excellent job of really holding the film together on an emotional level. We experience the strange events through her going from excited wonder to panicked horror. Together with Nelson, they make believable parents, who go to any lengths to protect their kids.
The film also has a wonderful humor to it that carries a great sense of irony. Nelson is particularly affective in bringing this quality out of the material. The family is created in such a believable way that we buy the supernatural events completely. Despite being made nearly a quarter of a century ago, the film’s special effects hold up amazingly well, especially the apparitions. This ghostly thriller is perfectly crafted.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
