Poltergeist (1982)

The following is an exceprt from my essay ‘The women and girls of Poltergeist’

Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg’s Poltergeist (1982) was one of the first horror films I remember watching, and is definitely one of the most formative in my love of the genre.

Poltergeist had everything I apparently craved as a younger viewer transitioning from gateway horror films (growing up in the 80s and 90s mine were movies like Gremlins, Hocus Pocus, Beetlejuice and Ghostbusters) into more ‘grown up’ examples; it’s funny, it’s still family-centric, with its spooky goings-on focused largely on the kids, and perhaps most importantly, it’s that little bit more scary.

But looking back at it now from my adult perspective, I think one of the things that most appealed to me specifically about Poltergeist was how it hones in on its women and girls and their strength, smarts, empathy, bravery and resilience. What most impresses me about this early-80s horror from Hooper and Spielberg (i.e. two key male creators) is how centred in heroism our female protagonists are, and how centred around femininity that heroism is.

The female focus of the film - empathetic, nurturing, open-minded, protective, relatable, unwavering, emitting quiet confidence and strength - makes this one of the most positive and potent representations of feminine power in horror cinema, and helps to keep it as one of my enduring favourites from one of the best years for the genre.

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