Poltergeist - 25 years later

Last night we went to a "One Night Only" screening of Poltergeist - the 25th Anniversary.


Holy Bat Fuck! 25 years?!?


I remember going to the movie theater, which was 20 miles from home and used to be a single theater until the balcony was converted to a second theater and being scared while watching it behind clenched fingers.


I was 13 at the time, I don't remember who I went with, but I may have been friends, it may have been my family?!? I don't remember, but I do remember seeing it in the theater.


The funny thing about watching a movie on the big screen that you originally saw on the big screen is looking at all of the ephemera that is usually found in a movie, but is typically not viewable on the "boob tube" For example, I do not recall at ALL in the beginning of the movie that the parents were in their bedroom smoking pot?!? I remember that scene, but I just thought they were smoking, I didn't know they were smoking the wacky tobaccy! And there were other references to that as well, like when they were getting ready to bury the bird in a cigar box and CaroleAnne said "tweety doesn't like that smell" (of course referring to the smell of mary jane).


And the kids room was COVERED in memorbilia from the 80's, a rubik's cube, star wars galore (this was just a few years after Star Wars was released) as well as a vintage Cheeto's bag which was hilarious to see in it's red-white-and blue!


Watching the movie though was fun, I'm sure I laughed at different places now than I did then, being a big adult and all now and actually "getting" the humor instead of going "Why did everyone laugh, I don't get it?" Craig T Nelson was YOUNG and although he had been in a lot of movies before this, he was still a relatively "unknown" as well as JoBeth Williams.


It is, of course, dated, but that's what makes it so great. It was one of the first horror movies that wasn't all slasher and actually made you think that it could really happen. Watching it again, I was a little more criticial of it because some of the editing seemed to be off and the story seemed to jump around a bit, but that may have been just been the version they showed.


The worst part of the movie though was watching it with my companions, one who was 23 (who had NEVER seen the movie ) and one who was 27 (and had only seen it on TV) , you know I felt as old as a box of rocks when I had to admit that I actually saw this on the Big Screen the first time around.....god I'm getting old!