Newest 80s Remake: “Poltergeist

Hollywood seems dead-set on cranking out more and more remakes of 80s classics and the latest movie to be resurrected and dusted off is Poltergeist.  Why?  Why does this need to be remade?  Remastered, maybe, but it’s fine exactly how it is, creepy “they’re here” tag line and all.  The robotics and early special effects are what made this movie feel realistic to me.  Now, they’re just going to throw some CGI stuff together and I’m just not happy about it.

The original is about a family who is haunted by the scariest spirits imaginable for 1982.  It was bad enough that the ghosts were terrorizing them (even the dog wasn’t immune) but they eventually kidnap the little girl, Carol Anne, who later is able to communicate with her mother through a variety of sources including the television set and a medium.

The young actress who played Carol Anne, Heather O’Rourke, did an amazing job in this movie and tragically died during the filming of the third film in the series.  She had first been diagnosed with the flu and then later was told she had Crohn’s Disease.   Unfortunately, neither diagnosis was accurate and she suffered cardiac arrest at just 12 years old when her body went into septic shock from a bowel obstruction.

Anyway, since this movie is a real classic for the genre and the most iconic actor from the series died, I feel like this one should just be left alone.  What do you think?  Is this remake a good idea?

image: MGM