Summary
Another horror classic is coming back to life in the form of a TV series:Poltergeist, and it can make up for a nine-year-old mistake in the franchise. Popular horror franchises continue to be brought back to life in different ways thanks to the successful revival of many others through some ongoing trends in the genre. Legacy sequels, reboots, and remakes have revived franchises that seemed to have ended years ago, and while not all have had successful returns, most of them have, thus inspiring others to give it a try.
The latest franchise to join the fun isPoltergeist, which hasn’t been active since 2015.ThePoltergeistfranchisebegan in 1982 with the movie of the same name, directed by Tobe Hooper and co-written by Steven Spielberg.Poltergeistwas a critical and commercial success, spawning a franchise with two sequels, a remake, and a spinoff TV series. Now,thePoltergeistfranchise is coming back to life with a TV adaptation, which can finally make up for the mistake that was the 2015 remake.
The Horrifying True Story That Inspired Steven Spielberg’s Poltergeist
Steven Spielberg’s supernatural horror film was inspired by the disturbing true story of the Hermann Family’s paranormal experiences in Seaford, NY.
1982’s Poltergeist Is Getting A TV Adaptation (But Might Not Be A Remake)
Poltergeist Is Coming Back To Life With A TV Series
APoltergeistTV series has been in development since October 2023 at Amazon MGM Studios.
Instead of getting a legacy sequel like theHalloween,Scream, andThe Exorcistfranchises did,Poltergeistis coming back to life with a TV series adaptation. APoltergeistTV series has been in development since October 2023 at Amazon MGM Studios, but the first big update about the project has just been revealed.Varietyreported that thePoltergeistTV series will count on Kalinda Vazquez (Star Trek: Discovery,Fear the Walking Dead) and Robbie Thompson (The Winchesters) as showrunners, and it will be produced by Spielberg’s Amblin Television.
Steven Spielberg came up with the story forPoltergeist, and his involvement in the production of the movie has been rumored to be such that some argue he should be credited as co-director, but Spielberg and Hooper have disputed this.
Poltergeistfollowed the Freeling family – parents Steven and Diane, teenager Dana, 8-year-old Robbie, and 5-year-old Carol Anne – who move into a new house in California. Unfortunately, strange and disturbing things start happening around the house at all times, such as furniture moving on its own, a tree attacking Robbie at night, and Carol Anne being pulled into a portal inside the closet. The reason for all these terrifying events was that the house was built in a former cemetery, and was now haunted by a poltergeist.
Plot details about the upcomingPoltergeistTV showhaven’t been revealed, but it’s important to note thatit’s not being described as a TV remake– instead,Varietyrefers to it as being inspired by the 1982 movie. ThePoltergeistTV series could be following the steps ofChucky, which is set after the events ofCult of Chucky, and be a continuation of the first movie, or it could be more of a spinoff and be set in the same universe but unrelated to what happened to the Freelings.
Poltergeist Got A Terrible Remake In 2015
Poltergeist Already Got The Remake Treatment
In 2015, the franchise was revived with a remake, simply titled Poltergeist.
As happens with most sequels to critically acclaimed and commercially successful horror movies, thePoltergeistsequels couldn’t match the success of the first movie.Poltergeist II: The Other Sidebrought the Freelings back as they found themselves under the attack of more supernatural forces, and though it was a box office hit, the movie was panned by critics.Poltergeist IIIfollowed Carol Anne terrorized by evil spirits while staying with her aunt and uncle, and it was both a critical and commercial failure. In 2015, the franchise was revived with a remake, simply titledPoltergeist.
ThePoltergeistremake followed the Bowen family, who move into a new house and go through most of the same disturbing events as the Freelings.Poltergeistperformed well at the box office but wasn’t the critics’ favorite, who criticized its lack of originality, how it brought nothing new to the franchise, and called it “unnecessary”.ThePoltergeistremake failed to revive the franchise, but the new TV series can succeed where the remake failed.
How The Poltergeist TV Series Can Be Better Than The 2015 Remake
The Poltergeist TV Series Can Learn From The Remake’s Mistakes
The TV format allows more suspense rather than rushing to a solution and packing the story with jumpscares.
Whether thePoltergeistTV series is a remake or not, it has the potential to be a lot better than the 2015 remake. If it’s a remake of the 1982 movie, the TV format allows more suspense rather than rushing to a solution and packing the story with jumpscares, and can go a lot deeper into the story of the house, the evil forces in it, and how their presence affects the family beyond the scary things happening around them. If it’s not a remake, it could bring a completely new story and characters who, even though face the same issues as the Freelings did, can find different solutions and can be haunted in different ways.
What thePoltergeistTV series needs to do is expand the franchise rather than just retell the Freelings’ story with new characters, which is, in large part, where the remake failed. There’s a lot that can be explored in the world ofPoltergeistbeyond what Carol Anne went through, and focusing on that can be key to the successful revival ofPoltergeist.
Source:Variety.
Poltergeist
Poltergeist is a supernatural horror film directed by Tobe Hooper and produced by Steven Spielberg. Released in 1982, it follows the Freeling family as strange phenomena disturb their suburban home, prompting them to seek the expertise of parapsychologists to confront the malevolent forces threatening their daughter.
