Poltergeist: O Fenômeno

They say you should never remake a classic. The original Poltergeist from 1982 was written by Steven Spielberg who also seemed to have had a hand in how it was directed.

The 2015 remake is a soulless movie that brings nothing new to the table except a few jump cuts.

If it was an innovative reimagination whose reach could not exceed its grasp I might had been more forgiving.

Sam Rockwell is an out of work father, Eric Bowen who with his wife Amy Bowen and three young kids move into a new home. The house was built in an old cemetery and the bodies were supposed to have been moved but only the headstones were.

The youngest daughter Madison feels a presence, the spirits below the house need a guide and Madison is sucked in and disappears.

The Bowens call on paranormal psychics Dr Brooke Powell (Jane Adams) and Carrigan Burke (Jared Harris) to get her back.

The only thing to note is London born Jared doing an impression of his Irish father Richard Harris.

Horror movies are my favorite, but I'm not the type of horror movie fan that will simply judge a movie on its horribly photoshopped cover or generally hold holier than thou attitudes toward technique, execution, writing, and cinematography (although I will bask in the glory of these done well), especially when it comes to remakes. I like to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Poltergeist (2015) was no different. I had wanted to see it for quite awhile but wasn't convinced that it was a movie I needed to buy for $14.99 (thanks iTunes for your options, btw). After watching it tonight (for free, streaming online) the only two things that keep resounding in my head are "Thank you inner voice for telling me not to hit the purchase button" and "OMG. Worst. Remake. Ever." In fact, I will go as far as to say that it's probably one of the worst horror attempts I've ever seen.

I don't need to include spoilers here. If you've seen the original, you know the story. This "remake" definitely assumes you have and gives not even a second thought to the story, nor does it even pretend it cares. It's an afterthought, at best. Actually, this whole movie seems and comes off as an afterthought. This remake was not made by someone wanting to expand upon or do any service artistically to the original. No, this is a pure, unadulterated cash grab at best. At its worst, this is a slap in the face to the horror genre for a quick buck, to fans of horror and to the original altogether.

I won't pretend the original Poltergeist is the best horror movie ever made, it's definitely always been cheesy in its own way. Yet, it managed to make me squirm, creeped me out, and kept me entranced whethercwatching it as a child or as an adult. The original Poltergeist is everything that this film is not....

This "remake" is sloppy, careless, poorly executed and poorly written, all while the actors struggle to pull out performances (even a talented actor like Sam Rockwell comes off disengenuous). It is lazily shot with more early 2000s-esque CGI than anyone should be asked to swallow for 2015...and is as scary as a wet dish towel.

There are exactly two moments in this film that I was slightly taken aback, but most definitely not scared, shocked, or surprised in the least. Mostly, I laughed or shook my head in embarrassment or dismay from how awful what just happened on screen actually was. Definitely not a crowning achievement.

Yes, the young newcomer actress is cute, and does her best...but you're not given an opportunity to care about what happens to her character or her family.

My husband fell asleep 7 times (I counted), and afterward said "People standing around in a white sheet have been scarier and more interesting". I agree.

Some remakes are good, most are bad, and unfortunately for Poltergeist and horror fans this trainwreck is the latter. It's a shame in a way because if it had been done well, it could have been pretty awesome.

Watch it, or don't, just don't buy it. You'll regret it. I promise. And most of all, do not expect to be satiated, scared or impressed in the least.

First of all i'm a huge fan of horror films, so when i heard about a remake to the Poltergeist i was so excited and couldn't wait to see the trailer which actually surprised me. And I've went to the movies expecting to watch the old movie but with a few changes.

The thing is , they changed A LOT! So if you have the same expectation well it's not what you think it is. The pace of the movie was really fast in a good way but the only problem was the build up and that it lacked the feelings between the family.

The Scare factor: It basically relies on jump scares but i have to admit they were perfectly done and well timed . There were some clowns in a box which were sort of creepy. and also some edge-of- your seat moments. It's similar to "Insidious" and James Wan effects. So yes when it says from the producer of "Evil Dead" you know what to expect, But it won't prevent you from sleeping.

The acting was fine, CGI was okay and there were wonderful visuals. The 3D was mainly used for the jump out of your seat moments in a gimmicky way (Throwing stuff at the audience).

In the end, I had fun watching Poltergeist and it delivers a few thrills,Sam Raimi did a great job producing this film,for Gil Kenan (Director of Monster House) i think it's a huge step forward. But don't go in with very high expectations or you will be disappointed. Although you should watch it if you're a true horror fan and you're looking for some good scares.

Poor remake. Zero real scares. Nonsensical reactions from the family. The young boy just can't act ....or was badly directed. Just widening the eyes a little and walking everywhere tentatively in slow motion steps isn't convincing anyone. He walks through most of the movie like this and it became really annoying very quickly.

People see the most shocking things and then don't even mention it!?

Whomever wrote the script should be ashamed of themselves. Truly terrible. Totally unbelievable characters and reactions. Plot holes and stupid dialogue.

Watch the original.

One plus. The 3D was great fun. (If a little forces at times) Blatant cash in that fell flat on its face.

This movie startet actually pretty okay, at least way better than I expected. For around 45 minutes I said to myself "This isn't so bad. That's a solid 6.5." Okay, there wasn't happening much, but that's not a bad thing. You keep the pacing slow and than some strange things start to happen, until the girl disappears and the family decides "to call someone". But instead some freaky, weird and maybe creepy lady showing up, there just came this drunk fella, pissing me in the face for 45 minutes. This became so absurd in a bad way, so dumb dialogue, so unnecessary scenes, so never ending stoned / drunk Sam Rockwell, that I can't imagine how this was green lit in the first place. Filmed. Produced. Showed in cinemas. I mean: What the heck? Did someone even bother to read through the entire script?!

But there's one good thing about this pile of horse rubbish. I realised what is the problem with all those (remakes of) modern horror films: They don't take the subject seriously. They don't buy their own stories. There isn't the same sense of wonder and believe in occultism, that has been in the late 60s, 70s and maybe early 80s. That's why they produce such mindless bull crap.

Seriously - don't watch this.