Horror Movie Month: Poltergeist (2015)

When I heard that a new Poltergeist movie was coming out this year, I knew I had to go see it. The trailer was pretty good, and I was sure I'd like it more than Poltergeist 2 and 3.  The 2015 version was directed by Gil Kenan and stars Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Saxon Sharbino, Kyle Catlett, Kennedi Clements, Jared Harris, Jane Adams, Susan Heyward, and Nicholas Braun. This movie is about a different family than the one that was being tormented in the other Poltergeist movies, and I was glad that the little girl wasn't named Carol Anne in this one...after hearing that name more than 100 times in Poltergeist 3, I would be happy to never hear that name again. ; ) The Bowens are the ones being tormented this time around: father Eric (Sam Rockwell), mother Amy (Rosemarie DeWitt), teenage daughter Kendra (Saxon Sharbino), son Griffin (Kyle Catlett), and youngest daughter Madison (Kennedi Clements). When Madison is taken by evil spirits, the family must do everything in their power to bring her back, which includes enlisting the help of Carrigan Burke (Jared Harris), the host of a show called Haunted House Cleaners (note to networks: please make this a real show ASAP).

I'm not one of those irritating people who think that no movie should ever be remade and then spends way too much time complaining about it on the internet, so I really liked Poltergeist. I enjoyed every minute of it, and while I wouldn't necessarily say the movie scared me (the original didn't either), there were parts that really creeped me out, and I spent the whole movie feeling a sense of dread and anticipation about what would happen next. Each member of the cast gave a wonderful performance (especially Sam Rockwell and Kyle Catlett), and I liked the way the movie used technology that wasn't around when the original Poltergeist came out in 1982 (drones, cell phones, GPS, etc.).  If you don't like clowns, you probably won't see this movie in the first place since there's a terrifying clown on the movie poster, but if you're planning on seeing it anyway, just be warned that there are a bunch of them in the movie (if I'm remembering correctly though, only one of them really does much). (Horror movies: making people hate clowns since 1990.) If I moved into a new home and found a box of creepy-ass clown dolls in the closet, I'd be tempted to burn the house down. ; )

My rating: 8.5/10

Movie Spotlight: Poltergeist (2015)

When I heard that a new Poltergeist movie was coming out this year, I knew I had to go see it and write about it for the blog. The trailer was pretty good, and I was sure I'd like it more than Poltergeist 2 and 3.  The 2015 version stars Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Saxon Sharbino, Kyle Catlett, Kennedi Clements, Jared Harris, Jane Adams, Susan Heyward, and Nicholas Braun. This movie is about a different family than the one that was being tormented in the other Poltergeist movies, and I was glad that the little girl wasn't named Carol Anne in this one...after hearing that name more than 100 times in Poltergeist 3, I would be happy to never hear that name again. ; ) The Bowens are the ones being tormented this time around: father Eric (Sam Rockwell), mother Amy (Rosemarie DeWitt), teenage daughter Kendra (Saxon Sharbino), son Griffin (Kyle Catlett), and youngest daughter Madison (Kennedi Clements). When Madison is taken by evil spirits, the family must do everything in their power to bring her back, which includes enlisting the help of Carrigan Burke (Jared Harris), the host of a show called Haunted House Cleaners (note to networks: please make this a real show ASAP).

I'm not one of those irritating people who think that no movie should ever be remade and then spends way too much time complaining about it on the internet, so I really liked Poltergeist. I enjoyed every minute of it, and while I wouldn't necessarily say the movie scared me (the original didn't either), there were parts that really creeped me out, and I spent the whole movie feeling a sense of dread and anticipation about what would happen next. Each member of the cast gave a wonderful performance (especially Sam Rockwell and Kyle Catlett), and I liked the way the movie used technology that wasn't around when the original Poltergeist came out in 1982 (drones, cell phones, GPS, etc.).  If you don't like clowns, you probably won't see this movie in the first place since there's a terrifying clown on the movie poster, but if you're planning on seeing it anyway, just be warned that there are a bunch of them in the movie (if I'm remembering correctly though, only one of them really does much). (Horror movies: making people hate clowns since 1990.) If I moved into a new home and found a box of creepy-ass clown dolls in the closet, I'd be tempted to burn the house down. ; )

My rating: 8.5/10

http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/poltergeist

Book Review: True Casefiles of a Paranormal Investigator by Stephen Lancaster

True Casefiles of a Paranormal Investigator is a 2012 book by Stephen Lancaster.  He had his first paranormal experience as a child when he was attacked by "a violent and unseen force" (pg. 1); years later, his mother told him that the same thing happened to her when she was 10 years old, the same age Stephen was when he had his terrifying experience.  Stephen later assembled the P.I.T. (Paranormal Investigation Team) Crew and began producing a TV show (starring the P.I.T. Crew) called Monstervision TV the following year.  I don't want to give too much away about the book, but I will say that there's a chapter about a poltergeist that I probably shouldn't have read right before I went to bed...the case involved floating purses and Stephen being hit in the eye with a spool of thread that flew off of the dresser, and it was pretty creepy!  I really enjoyed the chapter about the Webb Memorial Library since I spent eight years working at a library... there was a ton of spooky stuff in that chapter, and if any of that had been happening at my library, I wouldn't have lasted eight minutes there, let alone eight years!  I also really liked the chapter called "The Music House," which was about a house that was haunted by a female child and an adult male who were most active when music was playing.  The owner thought it might have something to do with the home's antique piano, so Stephen tested this by playing it; while he was playing, all three of his video cameras turned off, then he heard a male voice, and a mist that he could not see in person turned up in pictures that were taken that night.

True Casefiles of a Paranormal Investigator is a fascinating read, and Stephen is a brave man.  I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in becoming a paranormal investigator or to people like me, who are interested in it, but are too chicken to ever do it themselves. ; )

My rating: 8/10