Remake of the haunted house classic of the same name, Poltergeist lacks personality & thrills, resulting in a bland horror movie of little recommendation.

The 1982 version of Poltergeist is in many ways the perfect popcorn horror movie. Scary, yet never macabre; Funny, yet never distracting from the drama; and most importantly, it contains a feeling that high stakes are at play during its story of a suburban family terrified by pesky spirits.

This 2015 remake lacks all of those elements. While it hits the right story beats, its lethargic energy just does not sell the story on the screen. Considering Poltergeist stars charismatic actors Sam Rockwell & Rosemary Dewtt, and is directed by Gil Kenan (who did a great job with his haunted house animation debut Monster House), that it results in a resounding "meh" is all that more disappointing.

The film begins with our resident victims -the Bowen family - moving into their new abode. Eric (Rockwell) is dealing with the loss of his job through Jack Daniels; Amy (Dewitt) is a wannabe novelist; Kendra (Saxon Sharbino) is all bitchy adolescence; and young Madison (Kennedi Clements) is so cute that even the dead want her as their own. 

Also a part of the family is middle child Griffin, whose fear of everything becomes very annoying, very quick. As played by Kyle Catlett, the performance is a reminder that while there have been some quite excellent child performances of late, there are also some that are simply distracting in tone and delivery (see also The Imitation Game).

When Madison is taken captive by the evil ghosts haunting her new home, her family look to paranormal investigators for help, resulting in a tug of war between the living and the dead, with Madison’s life in the balance.

In place are all of the haunted house horror staples that films like the original Poltergeist made famous: there is a foreboding attic that screams "don't come up here!", a scary tree that's just waiting to pounce, & a collection of creepy looking clown dolls that make Annabelle look like Barbie. Kenan weaves through them all with cold, expert precision, failing to evoke any feeling of dread, jeopardy or excitement. 

This is where Rockwell & DeWitt should have elevated the material & added more grit & grunt into their roles of (supposedly) worried sick parents, helpless against supernatural forces who have abducted their daughter. Yet even they are disappointedly subdued, and with that the film’s key dramatic element is lost.  

One of the producers of Poltergeist is Sam Raimi. While as a horror director Raimi has put together a legendary career (Evil Dead series, Drag me to Hell), as a producer his track record is less than stellar. A remake of an already successful film like Poltergeist should be an easy enough feat to pull off. Yet the formula Raimi & Kenan bring to the project – shoot it glossy, pander to the PG-13 crowd, and remove all traces of genuine drama and excitement - is head scratching in intent and dull in execution.

In the end the only overwhelming feeling which Poltergeist circa 2015 conjures is a strong desire to re-watch the original.