Poltergeist (2015): Review

26 May 2015 Last Updated on 27 May 2015 Written by David Cantu 1 Comment

A reimagining of the classic tale about a family whose suburban home is invaded by angry spirits. When the terrifying apparitions escalate their attacks and take the youngest daughter, the family must come together to rescue her.

We are in an age of remakes and reimaginings so it was just a matter of time until we saw a modernized take on this classic film. I’m not really opposed to remakes as long as they are done in a way that doesn’t take away from the original. The thing is that this film so closely resembles the original that it leaves no room for it to be shocking or innovative. I kept my body tense for the majority of the film waiting for a jumpscare but sadly it never really happened. I’m not saying that the film is horrible though because I actually enjoyed it when I stopped comparing it to the original. Sam Rockwell has always been a favorite of mine and I thought was a great choice to play the father. He has this pun filled personality that will make you laugh but at the same time can get intense when he needs to be. Rosemarie DeWitt was a joy to watch on screen but I just wish she was a lot more centered in the story. Kennedi Clements and Kyle Catlett gave great performances and the fact that they changed it to where Catlett’s character was a lot more prominent in helping his sister was a good change but it’s Saxon Sharbino that kind of got the short end of the stick as far as characterization goes. They gave her the stereotypical teen role with one liners that will make you cringe. One of the things that I really did like was the fact that we actually got to see the “Otherside” and boy did it look creepy. It was basically a mirrored version of the house the family resided in except with decomposed bodies slithering across the walls and floors. I really wished that they would’ve built up the occurrences in the house a bit more before getting right in to full on battle mode with the family. Although the film wasn’t as creepy (except for the clown…..clowns are ALWAYS creepy) as I thought it would be I thought it was very entertaining and it will get you wondering if you really left that cabinet or door open at home. It’s not a waste of money but be warned that you’ll definitely experience deja vu. 7/10