#121 - "Poltergeist" (1982) with Ben Carpenter and Bethany Wells

Get ready for chills as we revisit a classic that doesn’t rely on superhuman slashers or crazed killers but still managed to freeze audiences in fear. "Poltergeist" (1982) tells the story of an ordinary suburban family haunted by supernatural forces that tap into our deepest fears. From a clown doll that springs to life, to a closet that becomes a portal to another dimension, and a tree that breaks through a bedroom window, the terror builds. But nothing is more unsettling than a young girl calmly pressing her hands against a flickering TV screen and announcing: "They’re here..."

Join Tim Williams, Ben Carpenter, and Bethany Wells as they slide across the kitchen floor, grab a raw steak from the fridge, and dive into why this PG-rated fright fest has haunted HBO viewers since the 80s. Does it still give them the creeps? Tune in to this episode of the 80s Flick Flashback Podcast to find out!

Here are some additional behind-the-scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode:

• Dr. Lesh states in the movie that the paranormal activity in the Freeling home is likely caused by a poltergeist, rather than a haunting. This is because poltergeists are typically linked to a specific person, while hauntings are associated with a particular location. However, this assessment proves to be incorrect when Steven discovers that the house was built on a cemetery, indicating that the phenomenon is actually a haunting and not a poltergeist.
• The sound effect for the beast that attacks the house at the end of the movie is the source for the MGM lion roar.
• Poltergeist's special effects and score were both nominated for Oscars but lost to Spielberg's bigger film, "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial", in both categories.

Sources:

Wikipedia, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo

⁠https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/09/poltergeist-at-40⁠

Some sections were composed by ChatGPT

 

We'd love to hear your thoughts on our podcast! You can share your feedback with us via email or social media. Your opinions are incredibly valuable to us, and we'd be so grateful to know what you enjoyed about our show. If we missed anything or if you have any suggestions for 80s movies, we'd love to hear them too! If you're feeling extra supportive, you can even become a subscription member through "Buy Me A Coffee". For more details and other fun extensions of our podcast, check out this link. Thank you for your support!

• https://linktr.ee/80sFlickFlashback

Episode Transcript

(00:08):
This 80s horror flick may not befilled with superhuman slashers
or psychotic killers, but it still kept audiences frozen in
fear. Instead, it tells the story of
an ordinary suburban family whose peaceful lives are
shattered by an invasion of unknown supernatural forces,
each one playing on deep seated fears.
There's the unnerving clown dollthat springs to life, embodying

(00:31):
the terror of childhood toys turned sinister.
A seemingly normal closet becomes a gateway to another
dimension, pulling anything and anyone into its mysterious void.
Outside, a twisted tree comes tolife, breaking through a bedroom
window to stalk its prey. But the most chilling image is
that of the innocent young daughter, her tiny hands pressed
against the static of a flickering TV screen, her voice

(00:54):
eerily calm as she announced to the household They're here.
With it being an HBO staple in the early to mid 80s, I'm sure
many young kids stumbled upon this PG rated scarefest.
Unaware, like I did, Does it still give me the creeps?
Stay tuned to find out. So slide across the kitchen
floor, take the raw stick out ofthe fridge and get ready to come
to the light. As then Carpenter Bethany Wells

(01:16):
and I discuss Poltergeist from 1982 on this episode of the 80s
Flip Flashback Podcast. In close Encounters of the Third
Kind, Steven Spielberg went beyond our world.
Now, within the safety and comfort of an average home Good
night, he crosses a frightening new threshold into another

(01:41):
world. Poltergeist.
It knows what scares you. Poltergeist Rated PG.
I'm Tim Williams, the mastermindbehind the mic at the 80s Flick

(02:04):
Flashback Podcast. Joining me on each epic episode
is a guest Co host who's as crazy about 80s flicks as they
are about wearing parachute pants and solving Rubik's Cubes.
We're diving into nostalgic treasures we saw at the local
theater, rented on VHS tapes or discovered on cable TV from
blockbusters that make you say. I feel the need.

(02:31):
To hidden gems that'll have you screaming.
It's a blast to relive these oldmemories and share our thoughts
and what made these movies so special.
We reminisce about our first time watch experiences, share
our favorite scenes, and even discover fascinating behind the
scenes tales about the cast and crew along the way.

(02:52):
Haven't hit that subscribe button yet?
What are you waiting for? Come on.
Do it. On Apple Podcast, Spotify, or
your favorite podcast platform. And hey, while you're at it, be
a pal and drop us a written review along with a 5 star
rating to tell us what you thinkabout us.
Esportos and motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, waste toys,

(03:13):
dweebies, they all adore it. They think he's a righteous
dude. Take a day off and come hang out
with us on social media. Just search 80s Flick Flashback
on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
And don't forget to bookmark 80sflickflashback.com for more
gnarly content. Get out of town.
I didn't know you did anything creative.

(03:34):
Want to crank it all the way up to 11?
Become a supporter on buymeacoffee.com for only $5.00
a month. Or do not.
There is no try. Click the link in our episode
show notes, and while you're there, soak up the extra trivia
and fun stuff that didn't make it into today's show.
Thanks again for tuning in. Now let's get right into today's

(03:55):
episode. Welcome.
To the party, pal. All right, welcome in,
everybody. So glad to have you on this
episode of the 80s Flick Flashback podcast.
It is spooky season, and not necessarily because I plan to do
this, but both of my films that I chose for this month are rated

(04:16):
PG and are considered scary films.
But yeah, of course we talked about Polter, not Poltergeist.
We talked about Beetlejuice lasttime and now we're talking about
Poltergeist from 1982 and I've got thoughts.
I've got lots of memories and thoughts, but we'll we'll get
there. But welcome to the podcast once
again. Glad to have these two Co host

(04:36):
together for the first time, I guess on an episode together,
but always glad to have both of them.
Welcome in Mr. Ben Carpenter. How you doing, Ben?
I'm doing very well. I'm excited for this one.
I've been looking forward to it.Cool, cool.
And Miss Bethany Wells. How are you, Bethany?
I'm just fine. I'm, you know, glad my kids
aren't being sucked into the closet right now.

(04:58):
So that's good. That's good.
Yeah. I promise not to get them any
clown toys for for Christmas so.Why?
Is that the creepiest thing in this movie?
It does the least. It is the creepiest thing.
Oh, God. Yeah.
Sorry. Bad flashbacks.
All right, we're going to get there.

(05:19):
All right, so. So we'll start with Ben.
When did you see Poltergeist forthe very first time?
I saw it in theaters. I was nine years old.
Oh my gosh. Some, some mean adult in my life
took me to see, took me to see it, you know, I mean, it was
like you said, it was rated PG. It was, you know, it was a

(05:44):
Steven Spielberg produced maybe at least I'm sure we'll get to
that. But and, you know, so they
assumed that I was not going to be scarred for life.
And I mean, and I don't rememberbeing scarred.
I I don't think I was scarred byit.
But there were definitely some scenes in it where, yeah, I'm,

(06:06):
I'm sure I had some some sleepless nights as a child
remembering them. All right, Bethany, when did you
see this one for the first time?Way too young, but I, I just, I
remember it being on. It was probably one of those
like HBO free weekends. My parents, you know, recorded
it on AVHS and then we just had it forever.

(06:27):
And I don't know, I just loved this movie as a kid for some
unexplained reason. I am not a horror movie person
at all. And so the fact that I, I was
really into this movie, I know Iwatched it many times as a kid
and I don't know, I can't explain why, but I do have soft

(06:48):
spot for it. So, so, yeah, I, I watched this
one on HBO and, you know, sometimes going back that far
because this this came out in 82.
So probably on HBO in 83. So I was not even 10 yet.
I was probably like around 7:00 or 8:00.
So pretty young. But I remember the what the

(07:09):
memory that I have is the commercials coming on.
It was going to premiere, quote UN quote, premiere on HBO.
Like the, you know, the big movie was going on and it just
intrigued me because it seemed like it was going to be kind of
scary, but it was PG. And so I remember asking my mom
like hey, can can I watch this? And she was like, well I'll
watch it with you, you know, just in case.
So we watched it that night and I don't think it really, I think

(07:32):
it scared me, but it wasn't, I don't think it traumatized me
necessarily the first time. But like you said, because it
was on all the time, I just found myself watching it over
and over because being APG movie, it'd be on like 4 times
during the day because it didn'tshow anything rated R until
after 8:00 or 9:00. And so I watched it over and
over again. And so a couple of years later,

(07:55):
we rented a house and my bedroomwas right outside where this
tree was. And yeah, so there was a bad
storm one night and that's all Icould think about was that tree
coming through the window and trying to suck me in.
And so that was my first like, you know, traumatized moment.
Like, why did this movie scarredme so bad?

(08:16):
And then I did have, like, a clown doll, not the same one
because that 1 was definitely, like, much bigger.
But I did have a clown doll thatI think around that time.
And I think after that movie, like, I put it away and like, it
was never out, you know, like inthe closet in a drawer.
Like, I never had it out where Icould see it at night.
But yeah. But the tree I remember really
like cormenting me that, you know, a couple of nights when it

(08:38):
was, I remember one time callingmy mom in the room and like the
tree is going to get me the tree.
And she's like, no, it's just a movie.
It's OK. So yeah.
So that the tree really got me and watching it now it's like.
Wait, the tree really got you? Did it?
No. No, no, no.
I'm saying like the tree scene really, really impacted me.
But you know, watching it now, it's like the tree is so fake.

(08:59):
Even from the beginning. Like when they showed the tree
outside I was like that is so not doesn't even look like real
wood. Yeah, it's.
A Tim Burton tree. Tim Burton?
Oh, you did it. Yeah.
All right. So.
How long had it? Been since you rewatched it
before rewatching it for the podcast.
I'll go with Bethany first on this one.
Oh boy. So I mean, I think it was a few

(09:19):
years ago. It was, it's fair.
It's been fairly recent. Laramie's always trying to get
me to watch horror movies because like I said, I'm not a
big scary movie person, but I I have an affinity for like
haunted house, things like that that I can get into.
And so he was like, well, I was like, you know, it's been a long
time since I've seen Poltergeist.

(09:41):
Let's watch it. So we did.
And it it holds up. What about you, Ben?
That's scary. I actually watched it last
October with my daughter, OK. And so this time I asked my sons
if they'd ever seen it. Neither one of them had seen it.
And so the plan was I was going to watch it with them, but then

(10:03):
they they were busy with other things and my daughter was like,
I'll watch it again with you. So watched it again with my
daughter last night so. So what did she think when she
saw it last year? Her initial thoughts I guess.
Yeah, she, she avoided scary movies until pretty late in
life, though. She she's hasn't been watching

(10:25):
scary movies for very long and you know it, didn't she?
You know she liked it and well enough to watch it again with me
last night. She really liked it.
I don't know that it scared her.You.
Know. Yeah, yeah.
But you know, she likes, she likes the story, finds it
entertaining, so. Yeah, that's the thing, like

(10:47):
watching it now, it's not necessarily scary.
It is eerie. Like it's, you know, it's,
there's tension. There's, you know, more of like
a thriller type of vibe to it because, you know, reading back
on reading the research, there are no fatalities.
Like, the only thing that dies in this movie is the bird at the
beginning. You know, that's the only
fatality in the movie. So it's not like your typical

(11:08):
horror movie. Like, there were times, like, I
was expecting like, the typical horror cliches.
When the guy goes into the kitchen, I'll know, OK, that
knife is going to come out and, like, stab him and like, but
that doesn't happen even when he's, like, peeling his fake
face away. Like, yeah, that's the worst
sense. I was like this was PG in 1982
like that. That should have scared me more

(11:29):
than a fake tree, but it that obviously didn't bother me.
I think if anything scared my daughter, it was the clown.
Yeah, the clowns are creepy, man.
I think, I think maybe even lastnight when we got to the clown
part, she was like Nope. She just started saying Nope.
I. Love it.
I love it. Yeah.
So it's it's been a while for me.
Like, I remember it was probably4, four or five years ago we

(11:55):
went, we did like a little family vacation up to the
mountains around, you know, around this time between like,
it was still like late October, early November.
And I think AM because AMC always has it on.
And Tyra and my wife, she was like, oh, Poltergeist is on.
And that's what I realized. Like that's one of her favorite
horror movies. Like, I had no idea you love
this. And so she was watching it on

(12:16):
TV. And so I was catching like bits
and pieces of it. And I was like, I want to watch
because I hadn't seen it. It's been years since I'd
watched it. I was like, you know what, I
want to watch it from the beginning.
I don't want to watch it, you know, with the commercials, you
know, and kind of in and out because we're on vacation or
whatever. So I think we got back and it
was probably like a month or so later, it was still streaming on
or I could watch it on demand onAMC with limited commercials or

(12:36):
whatever. Like it's PG, what are they
going to cut out? You know, a couple of cuss words
maybe. But so I watched it again.
Then that's when I was like, man, this is really like, why
was I scared of this? Like it's not that scary, but
once again to a 7-8 year old kid, it's it's, it's going to,
it's going to leave a mark. So, so then yeah, watching it
again today, it's it is, it is enjoyable.

(12:59):
It's, it is a slow burn type of movie though.
Like it's, it has some scary things of being.
But that middle where a lot of with the scientists or the, you
know, the, they're kind of studying spiritualist,
spiritualist studying some of them at the house.
Yeah, yeah, they're from some university.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, you know, there's a lot of,
there's a lot of exposition there, a lot of like, you know,

(13:20):
telling stories and all that kind of stuff.
So it, it, I was kind of trying to keep from dozing a little bit
during that part. But but yeah, it, it cranks it
up at the end when, when the house really starts coming after
them is when it gets, gets good at that point.
Like that's where it gets kind of fun.
And now these messages. What seems to be the problem,

(13:46):
pal? There's so much pain in the
world, so many issues, I don't think I can bear it.
Hell, friendo, it sounds like you could use a dose of pop
culture roulette. Pop culture roulette?
What's that? Some sort of pop culture theme
podcast or something? That's right, Sonny boy.
When hope seems far, dive into some PCR.
But I already get my entertainment news from Variety

(14:08):
that's pretty good. If you're a shucklehead.
PCR gives you news you need condensed, unfiltered and raw
from three nerds who know a little something about
something. Wow.
OK, sign me up. That's the spirit.
Pop culture roulette. New episodes every Monday,
available on all major podcast directories.
Are you a fan of movies and TV shows inspired by comics?

(14:31):
Ready for a podcast that dives deep into the thrilling world of
adaptations? But look no further.
Welcome to Moving Panels, the podcast where we discuss movies
and TV shows based on, inspired by, and adapted from the world
of comic books. This is your go to podcast for
all things comics on screen. I'm your host, Laramie Wells,
and every Monday we explore the dynamic universe where ink meets

(14:54):
action. We breakdown the classics,
reveal hidden gems, and uncover the creative process behind your
favorite adaptations. Subscribe to Moving Panels now
on your favorite podcast platform and join us on this
epic journey through the pages of comics and onto the big
screen. Remember, new episodes drop
every Monday. Don't miss out Moving Panels,

(15:15):
where every panel has a story and every adaptation is a
blockbuster. Subscribe today and I'll see you
on the other side of the page. All right, well let's talk about
story, origin and pre production.
We're going to talk more about the which most people know about

(15:36):
is who really directed this movie?
Was it Toby Hooper or was it Steven Spielberg?
Will I be able to answer that question?
Maybe not, but we'll talk about it either way.
So 2 screenwriters Michael Grossand Mark Victor wrote an
unproduced comedy called Turn Left and Die and an action film
called Death Hunt. Steven Spielberg had recognized

(15:58):
their work and invited him to work with him after a screening
of the 1940s movie I think A GuyNamed Joe, which is actually
shown in the movie. He showed it to them, expressed
interest in remaking it, which he eventually did in 1989 with
the movie Always. But he also mentioned during
that meeting a ghost story idea that he wanted to turn into a
script. So Michael Gross contacted

(16:20):
Spielberg the next day, expressing their interest in the
ghost story but not the remake of A Guy Named Joe.
When plans with another writer fell through, Spielberg brought
them on board. Spielberg initially wanted
Stephen King to Co write the screenplay, but King was
unavailable. I did read in one spot that King
has said that he was on a transatlantic ship going

(16:43):
somewhere and he didn't get the message until it was too late.
And yet basically saying if he would have got the message he
would have done it. But who knows which drug he was
on at that point in the 80s. So it's impossible.
So a clause in Spielberg's contract with Universal Studios
prevented him from directing another film while he was
preparing to make ET the Extraterrestrial.

(17:04):
So Steven Spielberg decided to work on this film as a producer
and ET as the director. back-to-back.
Principal photography on Poltergeist ended on August of
1981. Spielberg took a few weeks off
and then began work on ET, whileToby Hooper spent 10 weeks in
the editing room completing his final cut.
Spielberg supervised the visual effects for both films

(17:27):
simultaneously, which were produced at Industrial Light and
Magic. Once post production work on
Poltergeist began in early 1982,Spielberg was in total control.
He was responsible for the finaledit of the film, the final
sound mixes and looping, the supervision of the visual
effects, and the selection of Jerry Goldsmith as the composer
of the score. Poltergeist actually opened.

(17:49):
I'm sorry. Poltergeist and ET actually
opened to theaters nationwide only one week between each other
during the summer of 1982. Poltergeist on June 4th and ET
on June 11th. Time and Newsweek referred to it
as the Spielberg Summer. There were suggestions that
Spielberg, as well as being a Coproducer and Co writer for
Poltergeist, had also acted as ade facto Co director.

(18:12):
This view was supported by various statements Spielberg
made regarding his involvement, including a quote from the Los
Angeles Times on May 24th beforethe movie came out that said he
when he said Toby isn't a take charge sort of guy.
If a question was asked and answer wasn't immediately
forthcoming, I'd jump in and saywhat we could do.
Toby would not agreement and that became the process of

(18:32):
collaboration. There was a bit of a dispute
between Spielberg and Toby over who actually directed
Poltergeist. It seems that there was an
investigation into whether Hooper's official credit was
being undermined by statements Spielberg made about the
authorship of the film. In the end, MGM and UA
Entertainment Company paid $15,000 to Hooper because

(18:52):
Spielberg got a bigger credit than him and the trailers.
The Co producer Frank Marshall mentioned the Spielberg was the
creative force behind the movie,while Hooper claimed that he did
at least half of the storyboards.
The week of the films released, The Hollywood Reporter printed
an open letter from Spielberg toToby Hooper.
I mean what? You know, it's not good to say
I'm sorry that she do it, you know, in The Hollywood Reporter.

(19:14):
But Spielberg said, regrettably,some of the press has
misunderstood the rather unique creative relationship with which
you and I shared throughout the making of Poltergeist.
I enjoyed your openness and allowing me as a writer and a
producer a wide berth for creative involvement.
Just as I know you were happy with the freedom you had to
direct Poltergeist so wonderfully.
Through the screenplay, you accepted a vision of this very
intense movie from the start, and as the director, you

(19:36):
delivered the goods. You performed responsibly and
professionally throughout, and Iwish you great success in your
next project. There's a lot that's not said
because there was a lot more in there.
But I was like, I'm not going tospend the whole podcast talking
about it. But, you know, there was mixed
reports from the from the cast and crew.
Mayhem said, you know, Toby would set up the shots and then

(19:57):
Spielberg would direct them. Or if Toby gave directions,
Spielberg would come back and say, we'll try it this way.
And they never knew which which take they would use for the
final film. But they also knew Toby.
Toby Hooper was chosen because he had directed Texas Chainsaw
Massacre, which was not a big budget movie.
And a lot of people felt like hejust took the back seat with

(20:19):
Spielberg being who Spielberg was.
If he's going to give a direction, who am I to, you
know, to go against him? And so, yeah, so it's, you know,
I, I've never, honestly, I've never seen Texas Chainsaw
Massacre, so I don't have anything to any reference of it.
But most people say that if you it's the only movie of his that

(20:39):
doesn't feel like a Toby Hooper movie.
It feels much more like a Spielberg movie.
And there are, there are certainscenes.
I'm like, this is totally Spielberg right here.
I mean, this is very classic Spielberg times.
Yeah. Yeah.
But. Some of the some of the camera
placement and movement is just it, it, yeah.
It's if you just see it, it's like, how could it have been,

(21:00):
you know, put together by anybody other than Spielberg?
Yeah, it looks like it takes place down the street from ET.
They, yeah, they literally filmed it like it was a very
short, very close to the two locations were very close to
each other. And I think there was Spielberg
made one quote about he wanted them, he wanted both of them to
come out very close to each other 'cause he wanted to be

(21:22):
like a double feature, like he wanted people to watch both
movies back-to-back or at the same, around the same time.
So. They really are like companion
pieces. I mean, it's, they're both about
a suburban family that somethingmysterious and you know, ET,
it's benevolent and this movie, it's malevolent.
But right, right. And, you know, there's some some

(21:43):
other interesting things that aren't the same.
Like in ET, the parents are divorced and there's a certain
family dynamic there. And in this, there's one thing
that struck me about this movie,watching it last night, like,
it's pretty rare to see a married couple that's so obvious
obviously in love with one. Another Yeah, Yeah, I had no.
Tension between them or anything.
It's just a loving. And their husband, wife

(22:05):
relationship and they're both really good parents.
Like they're both very attentive.
It's not like the events of the movie took place because either
one of them were neglectful. They both were open and listen
to each other. It just happened 'cause I
always, I always feel like horror movies are a metaphor for
a bigger, the bigger horrors that we have in our life.

(22:27):
And this one's definitely that idea of like, you can do
everything right as a parent andoutside forces can still cause
mass devastation in your home because, I mean, Carol land gets
taken. Not because their parents are
off doing it or, you know, doingdrugs or something.
It's because they're trying to save their other child.

(22:50):
And so it's not it, it's not a neglect.
It's a we're we're doing the best we can and something still
goes wrong. Yeah.
Yeah, that's an interesting. I haven't heard that take on it
from anybody before that that that's sort of what's, you're
right. That's sort of what's scary
about it is, yeah, that, you know, they didn't do anything to

(23:12):
make this happen. Right.
You know, they're a good family.They work hard, they're loving.
Yeah, I was even like getting a kick out of the very beginning
where the daughter who's like 15years old goes to leave the
kitchen and the the pool guys that are taking out the pool.
She's like gross. And she just like flips on the

(23:32):
bird. And I'm just like, yeah, because
your mom has talked to you. Your mom and dad have talked to
you. You're worth more than that.
And you don't have to take it. And she snaps back and her mom
just laughs and moves on. Like, I would have had issues
with the people in my yard, but.But again, it's the 80s.
But like, they're a good family.There's nothing sinister about

(23:54):
them. Something still bad happens.
Yeah, I was going to say the same thing.
Like the scene where, you know, the sun comes in because he's,
you know, freaked out by the storm.
His dad puts him on his back andtakes him in and like, you know,
he comforts him. And then Carol Ann's like kind
of interrupt. He doesn't doesn't snap at her.
He's like, I'll be, you know, take I'll take a message though.

(24:15):
It was like you said, it was like I was like, I don't
remember the last time I watcheda movie where it was like that
loving family where it was therewas no real drama or in the
family. Like the like I said, there were
you. You nailed it.
I'll have to repeat what you said, but you put it in better
words than I could have. But then again, also, the best

(24:37):
thing about that scene as a parent watching it is then it
doesn't matter if he did all theright things.
They still ended up in bed with him.
He still put his hand in your face while you're trying to
sleep, right? Right.
Every fails. Yep.
Oh, that was the, you know, thatwas the one thing I meant to
look up when I was watching it is I wanted to find out when,

(24:58):
when did TV stations, like when,when did it actually happen?
When TV stations stopped, you know, going off the air, I'd
read it several years ago, like I used to be at midnight or
1:00. And then at some point they
decided, oh, we can make, still make money overnight.
And so they, they did away with that.
But I remember, I remember the national anthem playing and then

(25:18):
the, and then the screen going. That was before Bethany's time,
I think. No, I, I had to explain that to
my daughter. She asked about that.
Like, why are they playing the national anthem?
And I had to explain it. Well, TV stations used to go off
and you know, they were off for a few hours in the middle of the
night. I just knew it because of TV,
because movies like Poltergeist and Curly Sue, like those

(25:40):
movies, I'm just like, yeah, no,they, they used to play the
national anthem. So this was before infomercials
'cause I guess infomercials are probably what took over the late
night. And you know.
Right in the 700 club, one of the two.
Oh my goodness. All right, well, let's jump into
casting. Before we talk about the cast,

(26:00):
we'll have to talk about the so-called the so-called
poltergeist cursed. That was an urban legend largely
based on 4 cast members deaths between 1982 and 1988.
However, one of these deaths canbe considered a natural 2222
year old. Dominique Dunn's ex-boyfriend
strangled her after she rebuffedhis attempt to reconcile, and

(26:24):
she died five days later after being in a coma.
That's the girl that played the oldest daughter.
Julian Beck, died after a long battle with stomach cancer.
Will Sampson died from complications of a heart lung
transplant. And Heather O'Rourke, who played
Carolyn. I was like, I was.
I knew the and part, but I was like, I'm saying it wrong.
I was going to say Julianne, like Julianne's not right.

(26:45):
Carrie, what is it? Carolyn?
Don't go into the light. Yeah.
Yeah. Heather O'Rourke, who played
Carolyn, died from complicationsof intestinal stenosis after
being misdiagnosed with Crohn's disease in 1987.
Jo Beth Williams, Craig T Nelsonand Oliver Robbins, the rest of
the Freeling family cast membersfrom the first movie, as well as

(27:07):
many other main cast members from the two sequels, are still
alive as of 2023. So, but I do remember the
stories about her, the Caroline Court Caroline, and like, it was
the curse, you know. You know, there was a mystery
illness and all those other kindof crazy stuff.
I don't remember so much about the older daughters murder, but

(27:27):
I remembered about Carol Ann andI think like back, you know,
before the Internet when you know your best friend in your
fifth period class that you've only known for like 6 months can
tell you that oh you know, lady played the psychic she died too.
And you know, got, you know, some weird story that you
believe for the next 20 years until you found out because
Google doesn't exist yet, right.Exactly.
So you know back when we thoughtthat Mikey from the live

(27:51):
commercial died eating pop rocksand coke, right?
Wait. It's not what happened.
That's not what happened. Yeah.
What? And Steve from Blue's Clues
didn't leave Blue's Clues because he was a drug addict.
That I believe that for years. I feel like any, any movie or
television show where more than one tragic death happens, people

(28:13):
want to put a curse on it. Oh, yeah, yeah, 'cause like this
is the same with Glee. You've got three, like, multiple
deaths. But also it was a huge show.
Yeah. Yeah.
And so people try to associate, oh, it's the Glee curse and,
well, no, but yes, tragic thingshappen to those people.
Yeah. And they did an interview with

(28:35):
the one who Oliver Robbins, who played the son, who was like,
you know, if you really think about all those things would
have probably happened to them where they were in this movie or
not. So to think that that that was
some kind of correlation is really dumb.
It's like, I hope not because I'm still alive.
And, you know, it's like, it's like coming for me next.
But he was like, it's like, I believe in the paranormal, but I
don't think that their deaths oranything because of that, they

(28:56):
just you know, stuff that happened.
You know, he's like the the guy she was dating, she was dating
when they were making the movie.So before they were making the
movie. So that wasn't something
happened after. And then, you know, the other
ones were all health related, so.
Well, did you read? Did you see anything about the
poster connection behind this? OK, so last night I'm watching

(29:17):
it and I look, I just happened. I've never noticed this before
but I look behind Robbie's bed and there's a poster that says
Super Bowl 22/19/88. Yes, I did see that, but I
didn't like I was trying to and I was.
Like, why is there six years? Yeah.
Why is there a poster for something that's not going to

(29:37):
happen for another six years? And I looked it up and it turns
out that, I mean, I, I couldn't find an answer as to why that
poster was in there. But Heather O'Rourke, what I
read was, and I, I think this iscorrect from what I read,
Heather O'Rourke actually got sick on that day that that Super

(29:57):
Bowl was played and she died. The I mean, I think, I guess she
was already kind of sick, but she got like violently, I'll put
her to the hospital. She died the next day, not on
the same day as that, as that super right, but the next day.
So that's. That's a little weird.
That's a little creepy. That's a little, that's a little
creepy. Yeah, though I did so.

(30:18):
I I noticed the poster. And from where I was sitting
with my TV, I couldn't tell if it was said 83 or 88 just
because it's not, you know, fully in focus.
But I was like, well, still, if even if it's at 83, the movie's
set in 82. So it was kind of, I was and I,
it was kind of a fleeting thought, but I didn't see
anything about that in the notesabout, you know, about that,
that I remember. So that's, that's interesting.

(30:39):
That's. Right.
I had the same thought, like maybe I was misreading it, but
then I then I saw that it said it does say Super Bowl XXII,
which was the that would have been that matches not Yeah.
So anyway, weird. Interesting.
All right, let's open the casting.
Craig T Nelson as Steve Freeling.

(31:01):
He is known for his roles as Hayden Fox and the ABC sitcom
Coach, Deputy Warden Ward Wilson, the 1980 film Stir
Crazy, Burt Nickerson and all the Right Moves in 83, which
we've covered on the podcast already.
He was also an action Jackson Turner and Hooch the Devil's
Advocate. He's been on TV and drama series
The District as well as the NBC sitcom My Name is Earl.

(31:24):
Of course, he's the voice of BobParr, Mr. Incredible and The
Incredibles and its sequel. And most recently, he was in the
NBC drama series Parenthood from2010 to 2015, and most recently
as Dale Ballard on CBS sitcom Young Sheldon from 2017 to 24.
But my dad was a huge Coach fan,and I remember watching episodes

(31:45):
of Coach, which we're hilarious.One day he's really going to
take off and people are really going to take a notice of him.
He's just really, I just really hope he gets a big break.
I like him. Yeah.
He's got a few things. Maybe he'll maybe people
recognize him a little better. But yeah.
But he was, they were saying, like him and Jobeth Williams
were pretty much kind of unknowns at this point, like

(32:07):
very early in their careers. So we're talking about Jill Beth
Williams. Next is Diane Freling.
She rose her prominence appearing in such films as
Kramer versus Kramer in 79, StirCrazy in 80, The Big Chill in
83, the Day After in 83, Teachers in 84.
She also won some Emmy Award. She was a Emmy Award nominee for

(32:28):
the TV movie Adam in 83, which Iremember watching and being very
freaked out by the TV mini mini series Baby M in 1988.
She's also been a guest star on Frasier.
She started the TV series The Client, and she was also had
recurring roles on Dexter and Private Practice.
But yeah, do you remember the movie Adam?
Because I know the guy who hosted America's Most Wanted.

(32:52):
It's the true story about his son Adam that was abducted and
they never found him. Yeah, it was, I remember I was
like, I'm watching that as a kid.
I was like, why am I watching this?
But it was compelling, like as akid to watch it.
You know, my parents were watching it and So what else was
I going to do? And that was before, you know,
the Internet and video games, you know, that you could play in
your room, another film I probably watched too young, was

(33:12):
freaked out by so. But yeah.
So how do we feel about them as the the couple?
I mean, I think we've already kind of mentioned you could tell
they loved each other, but they had good chemistry as a as a
couple and and did well. Yeah.
And I think Craig T Nelson supplies some of the Comic
Relief and Jo Beth Williams, I think sort of anchors the

(33:34):
emotional part of the movie. Her her performance is is, you
know, like that scene when she'son the stairs and she says that
Carolyn passed through her. You know that that's just so
yeah, just, you know, she, I'm like, I like get chills just
thinking, thinking about that moment.
So yeah, she's. She's just so earnest.

(33:55):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Thinking about that, Like the
the one the, you know, there's weird scenes, but the weirdest
scene to me is like, you know, early in the movie when they're
in the, she's in the kitchen with Carolyn.
She turns and I'll turn the backand the chairs are all, you
know, on top of the the table. But like a scene later, it's the
night she hasn't cooked dinner for her kids and she's sliding

(34:17):
things across the full like, yeah, normal people would just
leave the house. Why are you why are you playing
with this thing? You know, so that that seemed
even watch re watching it. I was like this just seems, you
know, odd. But I guess once again, you're
kind of thinking like they don'tknow what it is.
It's just something and she, youknow, we'll talk about because

(34:38):
once again, as a kid, I had no idea she was smoking marijuana
when they're in the bedroom. So watching it, you know,
watching it now, it's like, OK, so she's open to mystical
things, you know, expand your mind.
So I could see that it, it made a little bit more correlation
where she's like, it's cool, youknow, it's, it's, you know, it's
all good. It's just spirits and they're

(34:59):
happy. They're just, we're just
coexisting, right? Right.
Right. Yeah, I mean, well, with the
time, with that time, they wouldhave been hippies.
You. Know.
Yeah. Yeah, exactly. 14 years prior to
this, before they got married and had kids, you know that so.
Yeah, so that, so it it, it correlated a little bit better
watching it again. So but all right, so we'll talk

(35:19):
about Dominique Dunn I mentionedearlier as Dana Freeling, the
older daughter. She was born and raised in Santa
Monica, CA. She made her on screen debut
with the television film Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker in 1979
and played recurring roles on the family drama series Family
in 1980. She was also in the comedy
series Breaking Away. Her breakthrough came with the
starring role of Dana Freeling in the horror film Poltergeist.

(35:41):
She went on to headline the Western film The Shadow Riders
at 82 and portray Amy Kent on the crime series Chips, also in
82. But unfortunately I was
mentioned before. In October of 82, she was
murdered by her ex-boyfriend John Thomas Sweeney.
She fell until Coleman died fivedays later on November 4th,
1982, in a court case that gained significant media

(36:03):
coverage, Sweeney was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and
served 3 1/2 years in prison. Very sad.
So now there are two sequels We have Poltergeist 2 and
Poltergeist 3, which I have not watched not recently.
So I don't know if they, I don'tknow if they recast her in the
second one or because she was 16, maybe she was away at

(36:25):
college and they just kind of she was away.
So I don't. Yeah, I don't remember.
I I like you. I have not seen those.
I have seen them both of them, but not in a long long time and
I don't feel like there's any reason.
To when I finished watching Poltergeist 1 today, I was like,
I kind of want to watch start the second one, just see what
happens. Like, no, but I did watch the

(36:46):
trailer, which was kind of like a teaser trailer kind of a
thing. Because even though I remember
because like there's a phone ringing, she picks up the one,
she goes, they're back. I was like, oh, I remember that
being like commercials or whatever.
So but but anyway, but they didn't show her at all.
Like you saw the brother, you saw Carol and the parent.
So I was like, I'm I'm curious, but I didn't look that up.

(37:07):
So I didn't know if you guys hadseen it already.
Moving on, Oliver Robbins as Robbie Freeling, His first film
roles from the 1982 TV movie $1,000,000 Infield and the 1982
ABCTV movie Don't Go to Sleep isbest known for portrayal and
Poltergeist and its sequel. His other feature film role was
the 1982 comedy Airplane to the sequel as Jimmy.

(37:31):
Good for him. Yeah, remember that.
But interesting enough, both of the terrors that plague Robbie
came from Steven Spielberg's ownfears of the child, the fear of
clowns and the tree outside his window.
So both very scary. Yeah, I have Spielberg to thank
for both of my fears that I had for this book.
So. And then we've got Heather

(37:52):
O'Rourke as Carol Ann Freeling. She had her breakthrough
starring role in this movie, which received critical acclaim
and established her as an influential figure in the genre.
She reprised her role in Poltergeist 2, The Other Side,
which came out 86, and Poltergeist 3 and 88, the last
of which was released posthumously.
She worked in television, appearing in recurring roles on

(38:13):
the comedy series Happy Days from 82 to 83, as well as
Webster in 83, and she starred as Sarah Brogan in the TV film
Surviving a Family in Crisis. She was nominated for six Young
Artist Awards, winning once for her role on Webster.
On February 1st, 1988, she died following two cardiac arrests or

(38:33):
cause of death, later being ruled as congenital stenosis of
the intestine, complicated by septic shock.
Very sad, very sad. But, you know, once said they
there was misdiagnosed as Crohn's, so they really didn't
know what what it was. But yeah.
But I do remember her being on Webster.
I was a big Webster fan as a kid, so I remember her being on
that and maybe Happy Days. I don't think I was watching

(38:56):
Happy Days that late. What's it?
Because the last couple seasons were pretty terrible.
They jumped the shark. Literally.
Yeah. Yeah.
Well, once it was like, you know, Richie had left.
I think it's just Fonzie and yeah, you know, Joni and Chachi
had their own spin off. They were gone.
I think, you know, they were trying to hold on to the Fonz.
He was looking more like he was 50 than he was, you know, his in

(39:19):
his 20s at that point. And he wasn't cool anymore like
he was. He tried.
He tried really hard. Yeah.
Bless his heart. I can't even remember like how
they didn't they bring like somebody they brought in like
other characters to try to like fill in and it just it was
terrible. But Drew Barrymore was
considered for the role of CarolAnn and during, you know, early

(39:40):
pre production. But Steven Spielberg wanted
someone more angelic. But Barrymore's audition
ultimately helped her land the part of Gertie in ET.
So she still worked for him at the same around the same time.
The story is Heather O'Rourke was chosen for the film when she
was eating lunch with her mom and sister at The MGM
commissary. Steven Spielberg came up to her

(40:00):
and wanted O'Rourke for the partof Carol Ann.
She initially failed the screen test because she kept laughing
her way through the audition. Even when she was supposed to be
afraid, Spielberg thought she was too young to take the part
seriously. But he still recognized
something special in her. So he asked her to come back for
another audition, this time bring a scary story, and this
time to bring a scary storybook with her.

(40:20):
He also asked her to scream. So she screamed and screamed
that she started crying. And that's what got her cast as
Carol Ann. She's so great in that part.
Like she's, she's such a like typical small child.
She's like, what, four years old?
Yeah, looks like. Yeah, four or five, yeah.
Yeah, and it just really, reallygreat to watch her.

(40:45):
I mean, she acts like my child did.
Right. Yeah, yeah, I've always, for
some reason that that scene withthe the dead parakeet or
whatever has always stuck with me.
Like for when he's hungry? Yeah, yeah, for the stuff in the
box. Like I think, I think whenever

(41:06):
we've had I, I don't know when it, it, it just pops in my head
for whatever reason. And Oh yeah.
Very sweet. I mean, that was a thing.
Yeah, and you know, she's very natural.
Yeah, I don't think I put in thenotes, but they were talking
about the scene where there was like a wind machine that was

(41:27):
kind of sucking them when she was holding onto the bed and,
you know, being pulled in the closet.
And she got, like, really freaked out and really scared.
And so Steven Spielberg had to, like, turn the fan off, sat with
her for like 20-30 minutes and just said, you know what?
We don't have to do this anymore.
You know, you're and you can tell like the later scene,
there's a like something dangling from bed, but you can

(41:49):
tell it's like not a real personlike you know, or it's not her.
I think there's one scene, I think she kind of turned her
head, but most other shots were all you could tell was like a
dummy body or you know, some kind of mechanics or whatever.
So I did, I did notice that watching it today.
I am moving along to Zelda Rubenstein as Tangina Barron's

(42:11):
the psychic playing Jenny. She was a regular on David D
Kelly's Emmy award-winning television series Picket Fences
for two seasons. She made guest appearances in
the TV show Poltergeist Legacy in 1996 as The Sea as a Seer
Christina and was the voice of the Skittles candies in their
long running Taste the Rainbow ad campaign campaign.

(42:32):
She was also known for outspokenactivism for Little people and
her early participation in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
Her and Heather were the only cast members to appear to have
appeared in all three Poltergeist films.
But yeah, and there was, I read a couple places that she also
claimed that she was a psychic as well.

(42:54):
Like she could predict things that would happen before they
would happen. Kind of unsubstantiated, but it
was claimed that she did. She didn't like Toby Hooper very
much either, which she got a little flag for for the rest of
the cast, but we'll get into that.
And maybe she saw something in him.
Well, she she pretty much assumed that he was on drugs

(43:16):
like that's what she thought he was not.
He was being his. His laid back demeanor was more
from she didn't call a dog. She called it something else
like, you know, chemical, you know, altering chemicals I think
is what she used just like that.So but other cast was like, I
don't know why that she laid into him.
He was nice to everybody. He was so nice to her and nice
to everybody else. So I didn't really mention

(43:39):
anyone else in the cast. Like those are the main ones
that had other, you know, you would recognize.
There are two like cameos. I do want to mention kind of the
that guys as if Nicholas was here.
The word. The first one I did not
recognize in the show when I wasgoing through the credits, the
name I recognized immediately and that name is Dirk Blocker.

(44:00):
And I know because it's such a funny name.
That is his name, Dirk Blocker. He plays Jeff Shaw.
He's the neighbor riding the bike with the beer at the
beginning of the movie. So he is best known how I know
him is from his role as Hitchcock on the NBC comedy show
Brooklyn 99 that's ran, you know, more recently.
So, yeah, he's very much youngerthere.

(44:24):
Yeah. You know who it is?
I'm gonna have to go back. Yeah.
I didn't realize that. I love Brooklyn 99.
Yep. Yeah.
So that's that's Hitchcock. You know, Hitchcock and Scully.
Or if you ever watch Brooklyn 9199, Ben are you?
I've I've seen a few episodes and actually one of my sons has
set just said a few days ago that he wants to start at
beginning with me. So we're I will soon have have

(44:47):
seen it. Yeah, so they're they're like
the older, the older cops that have been there forever and like
we'll never do any work but. They're OK.
They're, they're so they're, yeah, they're always eating and
trying to do weird stuff. But he has appeared in other
films such as Star Man, Shortcuts, The Prince of
Darkness and The Border. He's guest starred on television
shows including Criminal Minds, X-Files, Mash, Newhart, Murder,
She Wrote, the Original Night Court and Little House on the

(45:09):
Prairie. So yeah, when I saw Dirt
Blocker, I was like, wait, wherewas he in this movie?
And I actually, I had to go to IMDb to find out who he was.
And so when I saw the pic, they had the picture of him on the
bike with the beer. And I'm like, Oh my gosh, that
is him. I recognize this person
immediately. He's he's listed as pool worker
#2 so one of the creepy guys, you know, harassing the
daughter. And that's Sunny Landham, who

(45:32):
you know from the Warriors, Southern Comfort, most well
known from 48 hours and Predator.
He was also in lock up in 89 andhe was hurled out of a window by
car Weathers and Action Jackson in 88.
Little sunny Landham. You looking him up, Ben?
Yeah, I yeah, I am. I'm I'm almost.

(45:52):
Curious now? Well, I do remember one of them
looked familiar Native American features.
Yeah, he was the one on the far right.
Yeah, no, I was actually lookingup because I was wondering if
you were going to mention the boss.
Yeah. I he was sort of a bat guy.

(46:12):
Yeah, he. Is a bat guy as well?
Yeah, yeah, he's been in the, he's mainly been in like
comedies or things that I remember.
I know him more from like comedic movies.
Yeah, I almost put him on the list, but yeah, I was like, but
yeah, he he, he's definitely another that guy because I, I,
when he first popped up, I was like, oh, that that guy's been
in a ton of stuff as well. He's one of those that, you

(46:33):
know, he looks so familiar. And then I look up his his.
Filmography. Filmography.
And I'm like, I don't, I don't think I've seen any of this.
Yeah. How?
Do I? You've just seen Poltergeist
like. 100 and right well, sometimes that sometimes that
happens. It's it's like, it's like he's
been in one other movie you've seen 1000 times.
Like oh, that's why I look so familiar.
Yeah, right, right. Yeah, maybe.
He's been in one episode of 700 television shows.

(46:57):
Exactly. All right.
I'm sure I've seen half of them.That's not going to go down the
list. It's like murder.
She Wrote The Love Boat. Yeah, what else?
Fantasy. I like those, but you that any
kind of actor from the 80s had to been on leased or Dukes of
Hazzard or not the Knight Rider,you know the 18 Yeah, they've
been on they've they've just been a guest on those kind of

(47:20):
those. But like Laramie makes fun of me
because we'll be watching something now and I'm just like,
who is that person? I know them from somewhere and
he'll look it up and he's like, well, they were in like 4
episodes of Gossip Girl and I was like, so is everybody else
my age. Everybody had a four episode arc
on Gossip Girl. There were hundreds of them.

(47:42):
I can also say that's kind of how this podcast got started
because I would do the same thing.
I'd be like, where have I seen this person before?
Which is how I discovered IMDb. And so then after that, after,
after watching a movie, I would want to read all the trivia
about every movie I ever saw on IMDb, which is why I spent so
much time on the trivia and the background stuff on the podcast.
So, you know, they say make the make the make the podcast you

(48:04):
want to listen to. So this is the podcast that I
want to listen to and there's a few other people that like it
too. So I appreciate that.
And now these messages. What's up dudes, I'm Jerry D of
Totally Rad Christmas, the podcast that talks all things
Christmas in the 80s. Toys, movies, specials, music,
books, fashion and fads. If it was gnarly during

(48:26):
Christmas in the 80s, he's got it covered.
Wait, is there a lot of things to talk about for the 80s and
Christmas? Well, you got the movie giants
like Christmas Vacation, Scrooged and A Christmas Story.
There are TV specials like Muppet Family Christmas,
Claymation Christmas Celebrationand a Garfield Christmas
Special. Plus classic shown every year.
You also jam out to last Christmas.
Do they know it's Christmas and Christmas and Hollis?

(48:48):
But most of all, it was a time for the most bodacious, best
selling Christmas toys ever likehe man GI Joe Transformers.
And Cabbage Patch Kids. Yes, them too.
We cover them all plus much more, including standard
segments like Hap Hap, Happiest Memory, Gagney with the Spoon,
the other half of the battle. And chant with the littles.
So TuneIn to Totally Rad Christmas everywhere you get

(49:09):
your podcasts, turn the clock back and dive into those warm
and fuzzy memories. Later, dudes.
Hey there fellow 80s movie aficionados, Are you ready to
embark on a nostalgia filled journey to the greatest era of
cinema? Then look no further than the
Retro Life for You 80s movie podcast.

(49:30):
Join us every week as we rewind the VHS tape, dust off those
Betamax classics and dive head first into the neon stoked,
totally tubular world of the 1980s.
News from the Brat Pack, the action heroes, we've got it all
covered. Breakfast Club, Ghostbusters, ET

(49:50):
in Indiana Jones, and more. It's like a trip in Doc Brown's
Time Machine but without the DeLorean.
So whether you're a die hard 80sfilm buff or just curious about
the cinematic gems of the past, Retro Life for You is your
ticket. The ultimate movie time warp.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook at Retro Life for You

(50:14):
and we can be found anywhere youlisten to your podcast as well
as on our website www.retrolifethenumber4theletteru.com.
All right, let's talk about iconic scenes.
I mean, this, we know what the iconic scene is, right?

(50:36):
I mean, we can all look for them.
Yeah. But the most iconic is by by far
her touching the TV, which, Yeah, which even watching the
movie, you think it's when she touches it the first time, but
she doesn't. And actually when she says it,
she's not touching the TV. She's sitting at the end of the
bed. So there's a little bit of that
the Mandela effect of like, wait, I thought she touched the

(50:59):
TV and said it, but I think thatwas in one of the commercials
maybe, or like, you know, a trader that they made that
didn't use actual footage. So.
But also it's in the poster. You just see the silhouette of
her on the TV and the, and I think when any anyone parodies
that moment, Oh yeah. It's like that, 'cause I, I

(51:19):
started watching it and Ruby wasin the room and she goes like, I
feel like I remember this from Animaniacs.
I was just like, yeah, probably,yeah, yeah.
The, the references that go way over their head with the adults
are like, Oh my gosh, They, they, you know, deep cut.
Yeah. Any What other iconic scenes
stand out for you? Or traumatizing scenes.

(51:41):
Well, yeah, we we mentioned it earlier, but the, the scene with
the guy peeling off his face, that one definitely was, you
know, a cover my eyes. Scene.
When I was 9:00 and 10:00 but. It's honestly, it's the scene
that sticks out the most 'cause it's the only like gory scene.

(52:02):
Yeah, yeah, that's true. And it's it's just so graphic.
But then it's all, then it's allover.
It's such a weird scene. It sticks out like a sore thumb.
It was the last scene they filmed of the movie.
And it's actually Steven Spielberg's fingers and hands

(52:23):
that are peeling away the thing.So, But yeah, I think like
watching it now, it's not quite as creepy because you know that
it's a lot like you can tell it's fake.
Probably as a. Kid, it was probably yes, yeah,
I mean it, you know, it's like the it's like the face melting
scene and praise the Lost ark. I mean, that's I remember as a
kid that freaked me out pretty bad too. close your eyes,

(52:45):
Marion. Like I'm closing my eyes, Indy
No, I also I always remember because I I feel like my family
and I, we've always quoted this line.
It's this house is clean. That always sticks in my head.
Famously parodied in Ace Ventura.

(53:06):
So when he he does the crime scene thing.
Yeah. But yeah, it watching it,
watching it in its original formwas still pretty funny.
It's like she's just this house is clean.
Like the way it's delivered so perfectly.
Yeah. So what about favorite scenes?
Any scenes that you're just likeyou and you enjoyed?
Is there is there enjoyment in this movie?

(53:29):
I thought one thing the the introduction, the very first
scene with the dog going through.
Yes, yes, yes. Again, it was just something
that I hadn't. You know, I've seen this movie
dozens of times and as recently as last year, but watching it
last night was kind of the firsttime I, it struck me just how
perfect that is. That's just a setup following

(53:52):
the dog. Every person in the family.
Yeah, also very. You get the sense right there
that that's Spielberg, you know,like it just feels like
following the dog around the house just feels like a very
Spielberg kind of thing to do. And yeah, just very effective at
just setting up, setting up the the movie.
Yeah. Yeah, I also, I love the scene

(54:16):
where the mom gets Carolyn back and they're in the bathtub
together and just what a precious moment that is.
And then the that she looks up and it's like, oh, hi, mommy.
Like, oh. Because it's.
And it's just so like you feel because she does such a great
job performing it. You feel the relief.

(54:37):
Like it's almost like you've been holding your breath trying
to make sure that this child is OK.
Oh, she's in her mother, mother's arms.
Oh, everything's going to be OK now.
Yeah, it's not. But it feels that way.
It's good. It was a great kind of false
ending where you think, oh, you know, the house is clear,
everybody's good. You know, she's got a little
Gray streak that came from beingon the other side or whatever.

(55:00):
And, you know, it's like, OK, sobut then that, you know, like,
stuff really gets real after that point where the, you know,
the doll tries to kill the sun and all the things come out of
the ground. The pool scene, of course, what
we'll talk about. Favorite scenes for me, I do
like the scene with the guy, youknow, the guy going into the
kitchen like that. That's a good creepy scene of
the, you know, the steak moving across the counter.

(55:22):
And then it starts to, like, come out, you know, from the
inside out. And then the piece of chicken
he's eaten he throws on the ground, and it's got maggots.
I was like, oh, yeah, maggots are always going to make me, you
know, dry heave. Yeah.
I thought that was a good, like,you know, good scary scene or
whatever. I do like the scene of kind of
the light coming down the stairs, Like that's a very, you

(55:44):
know, intense moment where they're trying to film it.
You know, Of course, the one guy, I feel bad for the guy, you
know, drawing this picture and you can't even pay attention to
the, you know, you got the headphones on.
You'll just be paying attention and the camera's moving.
It's waiting for something to happen.
And then the guy comes in and you see the the lights come
down, which I know they say theykind of retcon that into the
second movie that if you look closely, those are actual,

(56:06):
they're the images on the film are people that are kind of
dressed in like an old, like a black and like a ties and, you
know, 30s and 40s kind of attire, which ties into the
story of the second one. But I thought that was that was
good. I did like the scenes with the
older doctor, the scientist lady, once again, great for

(56:27):
exposition. She tells a lot about, you know,
kind of what kind of help them understand what's happening.
I didn't mention her in the in the cast because she that was
like, she was like an actress from like the 50s and 60s had
done some things, but nothing that we would probably
recognize. But I thought I liked her
character. I thought that was a good and

(56:48):
that she believed the mom, you know, her and like the the bond
she had with Jo Beth Williams, Ithought was was good.
Like that's the, you know, what sets us apart from a lot of
other horror movies. There's a heart to the story.
Like you said, you, you root forthe family.
You want, you want Caroline to be found.
You, you, you, you grieve with the mother and you know, they're

(57:08):
all and even the whole family. They're all downstairs sleeping
that night or whatever. And, you know, they're kind of
whisper talking and try not to, you know, kind of wake the ghost
up or whatever. But, you know, just they all
have concern for their sister. They all have love for their
family. Once again, I thought that was
good, good storytelling. Once again, that's why Spielberg
is so good at what he does, kindof bringing that human element

(57:33):
to a supernatural story. It goes back to what we were
saying earlier. They're just a, they're a
wholesome family and they, they believe each other.
Like if my, if Laramie were to come to me and he said a ghost
has taken our child and our child is not there.
I mean, he's never lied or said anything crazy.
I'd give him the benefit of the doubt.

(57:54):
Like, right. He's he's also not a ghost
person. So if he says it, I'd I'd
definitely believe it. But yeah, it's it, it always, it
drives me nuts when half of a a Ghost Story movie is somebody
just trying to convince somebodythat they're telling them the
the skeptic that you're trying to convince.

(58:15):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. This one doesn't have that.
Now I do want to bring up the scene that I did kind of scratch
my head out today, today when they go over to the neighbor's
house and they're kind of like, have you seen anything weird
going on or wherever? But they're key.
But the mosquitoes are like eating them a lot.
I'm like, was the mosquito supposed to be like some kind of

(58:35):
sign or signal? Cause like the next scene
they're putting because at firstI thought they were just making
it up like the mosquitoes because they were nervous.
But then goes next scene and they're put, she's putting the
medicine on the mosquito bites. I'm like, was that were the
mosquitoes part of the curse of the house, like following them
and trying to keep them from telling the neighbors or what,

(58:56):
you know, that that scene didn'treally connect with me and that
that'll go into, well, I'll kindof bring it up now.
Many viewers have pointed out that only one of the houses in
the neighborhood is affected by ghosts, even though the whole
neighborhood and many of their houses were built on the same
ground. However, there are two sections
of the movie that explained thisdiscrepancy, one in which Steven
tells a prospective buyer that his family was one of the first

(59:18):
to move into the neighborhood, and another in which Steven's
boss mentions that Carol Ann wasborn in the house.
The novelization makes the connection more explicit because
Carolyn was born in the burial ground.
The spirits gravitate gravitatedtoward the Freeling household,
attracted by her life force. So that's why she was the one

(59:38):
they wanted and why it was just their house that was necessarily
being affected. Which I'm glad I saw that
because I did. That did kind of bother me,
especially at the end when, like, everything's kind of
blowing up when they're leaving the neighborhood.
But it's like, why? And even the neighbors, like
you've had, you know, they hear the screaming.
There's lights coming out of thehouse.
Nobody's ever come. Hey, are you guys OK?

(01:00:00):
Nobody's called the cops. Like, the police haven't shown
up once. You know, you would have thought
that that annoying neighbor would have at least called the
cops and been like, this family over here is driving me nuts.
Yeah, I did like little exchangeof them like.
You know, changing each other's,you know, panels, which I
thought was funny, like, you know, old school problems with
the remote controls. I guess, you know, if you would

(01:00:21):
live too close to saw, it might still happen.
We we both have the exact same TVI remote and you work both of
them. But that was kind of a, you
know, a good funny scene at the beginning.
Any other scenes you guys want to talk about before we jump
into trivia? I was thinking about the
bathtub, you know, after she brings Carolyn down, and it
struck me just how much what they were covered in looked like

(01:00:42):
strawberry jello. So I think the afterlife is made
out of strawberry. Jello.
OK, yeah, here's Hilton then. Here's Hilton.
It was kind of gross like it when he when he caught the the
tennis balls and I'm like, they're totally covered in that
particularly like kind of a fleshy, like a, you know.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was probably.
Yeah. That sounds good.

(01:01:03):
Strawberry jello. I can, I can dig it.
All right. So an earlier draft of the film,
which was called Night Time or It's Night Time, had a
substantial had substantial differences from the final film,
including an older teenage son named Carrie.
The haunting being the result ofthe neighborhood being built
over the secret burial ground ofa group of pioneers who are

(01:01:24):
massacred by a savage Native American tribe who worshipped an
evil fire God. The freezings become ostracized
and later persecuted by the community.
The haunting spreading out to the rest of the neighborhood.
Steve being possessed before having sex with Diane.
Diane secretly resenting Carol Anne because she was an
accidental pregnancy. Carol Anne and Dana both being

(01:01:44):
possessed by spirits, with CarolAnne repeating the original
title over and over and Dana reliving a pioneer's horrific
fate of being burned alive. The and the death of Carol Ann
Writers Mark Victor and Michael Grass insisted that one member
of the family had to die, and when Steven Spielberg relented
and asked which one, they chose Carol Ann.
Much to Spielberg's surprise andchagrin, the original ending of

(01:02:08):
the film had Carol Ann being possessed by the ghosts and
abandoned by her family and leftto die as the house burns down,
leading to the entire neighborhood becoming a literal
ghost town. Spielberg was uncomfortable how
dark and bleak the script becameand insisted it be toned down.
Several of the ideas the writershad would later be reused for
Poltergeist to the Other Side. Much darker and not good.

(01:02:33):
Yeah, that's problematic. Don't like it?
Yeah, That's why rewrites are very popular in Hollywood.
Like, you know, don't get married to the first draft.
You're going to go through many,many, many changes.
There's no curse. We would establish that.
But when Robbie's being strangled, the clown's arms
became extremely tight and Robinbegan to choke when he screamed

(01:02:55):
out. I can't breathe.
Spielberg and Hopper thought theboy was ad libbing and just
instructed to look at the camera.
When Spielberg saw his face turning purple in the video
monitor, he ran or removed the clown's arms from Robin's neck.
Oliver Robbins added that a Spielberg hadn't hadn't been
there, maybe he wouldn't be there today.
So he was actually choking on the clown because clowns are

(01:03:16):
evil in real life, right? Yeah.
He was almost the first victim of the curse.
Yeah, exactly, exactly. Joe Beth Williams was hesitant
about shooting the swimming poolscene because of the large
amount of electrical equipment positioned over and around the
pool. Spielberg crawled in the pool
with her to shoot the scene, he told her If a light falls in, we

(01:03:37):
both fry. The strategy worked, and
Williams got in the pool. Now, this is probably the most
popular thing that you've probably seen on Facebook.
Long after the filming the sequence, the actor learned an
unsettling truth, she said. I always assumed the skeletons
were made by the prop department, she told Vanity
Fair. A few years, a few years later,
I ran into one of the special effects guys, and I said, you

(01:03:57):
guys making all those skeletons you must have had, you must have
been really amazing. He said, oh, we didn't make
those. Those were real.
I said, what? He said yeah, they were real
skeletons, so which I'd also sawthat he had, Cooper had done the
same thing in one of his other movies where he used real
skeletons for those scenes. So.
Apparently it's cheaper. Yeah, yeah, I'm sure.

(01:04:20):
Less labor intensive, I guess. I hate it.
I hate it so much. My question is, the skeletons
get their own IMDb page because,I mean, they're real people.
So they. Sorry, time out, you're in, time
out. That's awful.
I gotta keep it a little, keep it a little light here.
Yeah. All I can think of are like,
that person may have like, donated their body to science

(01:04:43):
for like, and it just got throwninto a mud pit for yeah, yeah, a
movie. But being a classic Spielberg
movie, I mean, that's a good trade off.
Oh, OK, I see. You know, it's too.
It's dated now. Would have been a great like,
SNL skit of them interviewing the skeletons.
Like, yeah. I've worked with.
I've worked with Spielberg. I got, you know, I got another

(01:05:04):
gig coming up with another director for another slasher
movie. The film was originally given in
our rating, no surprise there from the MPAA due to scenes of a
child in peril. Despite there being little gore
in the film, the rating was lowered to PG on appeal by
Spielberg. The film predates the PG13
rating by two years, which is the rating the film would have

(01:05:26):
most certainly got without any issues.
Yeah, definitely the pre PG13 era.
Is this considered one of the movies that maybe brought about
PG13 with, you know, parents taking their kids to see it?
Oh, it's, it must be fine. And then, you know, maybe there
was some little bit of backlash over that, I would guess.

(01:05:47):
Yeah, I mean, I know like Gremlins, all spilled movies,
Gremlins and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom are like the
ones that are most usually notedas like we need to, we need to
make a change. But yeah, early 80s, there's
definitely some questionable things, not just violence, but,

(01:06:08):
you know, there's like full on nudity and some, you know,
Indies movies that were PG. So it's a totally different
discussion. But it's interesting how the
MPAA works. And there's, you know, there are
rules, but then you can watch movies of like, I don't think
they're following the rules anymore.
And just it's kind of like whoever's on the committee at
the time, what they allow or what they don't allow and even

(01:06:29):
like watching these movies or going to do the research movies
like what they'll, you know, what they'll allow when you have
to cut this much out for it to get this kind of rating, it's
like, does it really make that big of a difference?
But, you know, they have the reasons.
Well, that's what makes me wonder what the appeal Steven
Spielberg did is he's like, why don't you look at the script

(01:06:50):
again? Why don't you look at it again?
And it's got like several $100 bills attached to it.
It's like, why don't you try again?
Right. Right.
Yeah. And that was his whole thing was
like, he wanted to be PG once again because ET was PG and he
wanted people to see both movieskind of together.
So he wanted, he didn't want to make an R rated horror movie.

(01:07:10):
More people can go see PG movies.
Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
People take their kids then it makes more money.
Yeah. I mean, that they they still
talk about that today where likeyou have like certain sequels
that were R rated originally. They'll try to do APG 13 sequel
knowing that will it'll make more money because more people
can, you know, younger kids can see it without an adult.

(01:07:31):
So and they're always, you know,not as good as the original.
So but then also adults go like Oh well it's PG or it's PG13 so
it'll be fine. So we can all go instead of
having to say like well I want to go see it but I've got to
schedule a babysitter because I can't take my kids to go see an
R rated movie. So Poltergeist was released by

(01:07:51):
MGM on June 4th, 1982. It debuted at #3 behind Rocky 3,
which was at #2 in the second week, and Star Trek 2, The Wrath
of Khan, which debuted at #1 theonly other new release it was
Star Trek 2, Poltergeist and Hanky.
Oh, it was Hanky Panky. That was what it was with Gene

(01:08:12):
Wilder and and Gilda Radner. Hanky Panky was the other new
release and it came in at #4 so it's right behind.
I will say that Poltergeist was in less theaters than the other
ones. So yeah, it really did better.
But because it's, it's only by total amount made.

(01:08:32):
And I guess since ET came out the following week, Poltergeist
was, was never, never number one, never number one.
It's it's strange to think that such a, you know, classic movie
was never number one for for anyweek at the box office.
It's like a It's a Wonderful Life was a flop when it came
out, but now it's a classic Christmas movie because of

(01:08:55):
copyright issues and Ed Turner taking advantage of it.
Yeah, yeah, I think even like A Christmas Story wasn't a hit
when it first came out. Like they pulled it from
theaters before Christmas. Like it came out like in late
September, early October, whatever.
It wasn't even in theaters. But then like the next year when
it got more popular, they re released it like a year later

(01:09:17):
because of running on cable and stuff.
So you can go back to our Christmas trip.
So that story. But but, you know, Poltergeist
did not, like I said, did not reach #1 but it was still a
commercial success, earning $76 million at the US box office,
making it the highest grossing horror film of 1982.
And it was the 8th overall for the year.

(01:09:38):
So it still did well. It just didn't.
You know, there's a problem withputting it a week before ET.
If you didn't get number one andyou're going up against Star
Trek, you know, Star Trek sequelwas going to, you know, a good
sequel. Yeah, Yeah.
I got to get to the Star Trek movies.
I got Star Trek movies and Bond movies.

(01:10:00):
I've yet to touch on the podcast.
You know, we'll get there eventually.
All right. Rotten Tomatoes, 88 on the
tomato meter and a 79 on the popcorn meter, which is now the
audience score. They now call it the popcorn
meter. IMDb, 7.3 out of 10 with viewers
and a 79 on Metacritic. So it's pretty high up there

(01:10:22):
with everybody, you know. So where does it sit for you for
scale of one to 10? I'm I'm pretty close.
I'm pretty close to a 10 on thisone.
Oh wow, like like it. I mean there are some things
that are dated about. Yeah.
Oh yeah. But put it in the context of the
time and it's I have trouble finding flaws with it.

(01:10:44):
Yeah, One thing I didn't bring up was that the special effects
hold up really well. Like there's some questionable
when, like when the scientists first come into the room and
like the floating objects are clearly fake, but all of the
like, spiritual, you know, lightbeings, whatever were like
really well done. And then the house collapsing at

(01:11:04):
the end too. Not.
That's very. Convincing.
And there, you know, there's no CGI there, assuming a model that
I don't know, like they put intoa some kind of grinder or
something. I don't know.
I couldn't tell exactly how theyhow they did that, but it was
convincing, yeah. I'm going to say like a nine.
I, I'm not a big horror movie person, but this is one where I

(01:11:25):
I can watch it and I'm not goingto have nightmares afterwards.
But it's well written. The characters are interesting
and I do still get a little spooked.
Like there's the tension and thebuild and there it's, it's a
very well written and directed and performed movie.
And so yeah, I'm going to give it a nine all.

(01:11:46):
Right. You're both higher than me.
I would like going back. Like when I watched it a couple
years ago, I gave it like a six.But I think I was, I think
because it was more dated than Ithought it was going to be and
it because it seemed a little bit more silly.
But like I said, watching it this time, I really kind of want
to watch it with a more of a nota critical eye, but like

(01:12:08):
appreciating it for what it was like thinking, yeah, just kind
of watching it in that context. And I do appreciate it more now
watching it this time and understanding the story a little
bit better and appreciating the performances and stuff.
So I'm, I'm going to give it like an 8, like a, you know,
like 88.5, which which is still pretty high for me.
I mean, it's because my, you know, my migrating is rewatch

(01:12:28):
ability. Is this one I'm going to watch
every October? No, probably not, but it will it
will be one that I want to watchlike every couple years, Like
it's still rewatchable and enjoyable.
Well, thank you guys so much forjoining the podcast today.
Glad to have you as always folks.
That's a wrap on this episode ofthe 80s Flick Flashback Podcast.

(01:12:49):
If you enjoy the trip down memory lane, we love it.
If you'd leave us a glowing 5 star review on Apple Podcasts,
don't forget to follow or subscribe so you never miss out
on more awesome 80s movie fun. Got a favorite flick you want to
talk about or a question for us?Hit us up on Facebook, Instagram
or TikTok. We love hearing from fellow 80s
movie fans. Want to go the extra mile?
You can support the show at buymeacoffee.com.

(01:13:10):
Every little bit helps. And don't forget to swing by 80s
flickflashback.com or our T public store for some rad 80s
flick flashback merch and original designs.
And we are now on YouTube, whichwe've always been on YouTube,
but now you can actually listen to the full episode podcast on
YouTube. So we I've downloaded, I've
uploaded all the episodes from this year and all new episodes

(01:13:32):
will automatically load there aswell.
Thank you, Bethany. Thank you, Ben.
Thanks everybody for tuning in. I'm Tim Williams to the 80s
flick flashback podcast. I got beat up once by three
kids. They took my lunch money.
Maybe they got hit by a truck and they're upstairs right now.

(01:14:11):
You still here? It's over.
Go home. Go.