With special effects light years ahead of the 1982 movie it's based on this could have been a chilling thrill ride but clearly this was not set up to be nearly as frightening as the original. Plenty of satire and jokes throughout prevent the movie from ever establishing a mood of foreboding and unease which was a bit disappointing as I was expecting more of a psychological thriller and scare fest like the movies namesake. I do like the update in technology to drones flying through the netherworld with elements of the stereotypical ghost hunting equipment being used to analyze the paranormal occurences as in many "ghost hunter" style shows popular today. The 3d was underutilized and didn't really add much to the film in my opinion. Final verdict: if you want a scary movie, watch the original but if you want a lighter mood with modern day special effects and mannerisms; this movie isn't bad.

So I was skeptical because the original is one of my favorite movies of all time. After seeing the previews though i was kind of intrigued. When I was going to watch it i kept an open mind to base what i thought on it being its own movie. Does it have the heart of the original ? No. But it doesnt try to be the original and it works. The 3-d really draws you into the movie and I think really helps set the movie apart. Not a bad movie.

The original Poltergeist is one of my favorite movies because I thought that it mixed humor with some scary parts, a good story, some pretty good special effects , and a great musical score by Jerry Goldsmith. I saw the original Poltergeist in a packed theater where everyone seemed to be laughing and screaming and enjoying the movie. When we saw the remake in the theater, there was only one other person in the audience and he kept talking to himself. I liked this movie more than I thought I would. I liked how the story was similar but not the same. I liked the family as much as I liked the family in the original and the differences between the two families are interesting. I feel that the original is much better, but I have watched this newer version more than once and I actually liked it better the second time.

I didn't dislike this film and, on it's own, it might have been held with higher regard. The original Poltergiest was my first foray into horror and as a 9 year old. I had many a rough night after watching it (my adult fear of clowns and creepy trees is solely due to seeing the original before turning 10). The adult characters, though acted well enough, just don't generate the same sympathy as Craig T Nelson and Jobeth Williams did in the original. I feel like the kids are just running through the motions in most scenes. I generally felt the terror that the original family and the investigators felt in the 80s version. The remake is not nearly as bad as I expected, but it's just missing something that original captured. Worth checking out, just don't expect the same movie as the original.

Yes for you new kids on the block my summary will mean nothing. For those of you who saw the original in the theatre. ..keep reading. .. I decided when I saw this remake on blu ray at such a low price that I would hate myself for not getting it and trying to watch it with an open mind. I read the slanted critic reviews and decided that the children that give such reviews are not to be trusted, what with there fresh out of college big words that don't translate into a real review only showing that they know how to use a thesaurus as well as trying to show off those big words and trash an otherwise good, fun, jump scare movie for the sake of their careers ( sorry I digress..ie big word lol). I watched this movie in the words of captain kirk. ."young minds, new ideas" and I didn't look for anything else. They took a premise from the 80s and made it their own with their own spin. Sure there were a few knods to the first which I found funny but as a whole I feel the director took this and put a new spin on it. It was fun and very entertaining and I would highly recommend it to any of my peers. So like I said "don't knock it till you've tried it"