The original version written by Steven Spielberg and  starring Heather O’Rourke as Carol Anne came out in 1982. It spawned two sequels and a TV series called Poltergeist: The Legacy, which ran for  87 episodes. Not a bad legacy to have !

The 2015 version has been reimagined by legendary filmmaker Sam Raimi (‘Spider-Man’, ‘The Grudge’). This version takes the classic and modernizes it for a new audience.  The age old tale of the haunted house is presented as a place that you or I could live. It’s not some creepy mansion on a hill or a crooked house in a forest. It’s a standard house right in the middle of an everyday suburb.Eric (Sam Rockwell) and Amy (Rosemarie De Witt) Bowen and their children move to a new home. The family unit is already at breaking point. Eric has lost his job, unable to provide for his family and feels emasculated.  The children are unsettled by the move. A new town, new schools and leaving their friends behind.

Their new home reveals its dark secret right from the start when we see an innocent  Maddy talking to a mysterious ‘friend’ in the closet, who is unseen by anyone else. An omen for what is to come.

The family become the unsuspecting protagonists charged with fighting the supernatural forces which have taken hold over their home and subsequently taken possession of their daughter Maddy.Grasping to get to grips with what is happening to them and unable to explain to the police how Maddy has disappeared, Amy turns to a parapsychology unit at the State University for help. Up against forces they cannot control they recruit renowned medium Carrigan Burke (Jared Harris Mad Men) to intervene and help get Maddy back.  Warning ! He is a  bit stage  Irish with the accent. The house which they saw as a new start has now become their captor. The fear factor in this version has been heightened and the supernatural element more menacing.  The only reference to the original movie is the scene where Maddy connects to the spirit world via the TV. A Thriller, a chiller and on screens in 3D, Poltergeist will unsettle a whole new generation.  I’m giving it 3 out of 5 for its fear factor. Check out the trailer below.

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