POLTERGEIST (1982)

"They're here."

The Freelings are a normal American family in a normal American suburb.  Dad smokes weed while reading a book about President Reagan, Mom cheerfully watches her teenage daughter being verbally harassed by construction workers (including Sonny Landham from PREDATOR and Lou Perryman from TCM 2), the dog eats a waffle, teenage daughter fondly remembers the fun she had at the Holiday Inn, kids throw food all over the place, the youngest daughter talks to ghosts inside the TV.  Say what?! That's not normal.

It appears that the Freelings have a ghost problem on their hands: a killer tree in the backyard, toys that float in the air, a ghost hand reaching out of the TV, chairs that move around the kitchen and worst of all...their youngest daughter has been sucked into the ghost world and can't get out.  Instead of calling the cops (who would have probably just stole the weed and then shot the dog before calling it a day), the parents call in some paranormal investigators.  What happens next is...kinda blah.

The best way to watch POLTERGEIST is to watch it as a kid back in the 1980's.  I saw it back then (as a kid) and it was a trip, but watching it now as a stunningly handsome adult I was underwhelmed.  The story is alright, but it just never grabbed me like it did back then.  It might be because I don't believe in ghosts or it could simply be that this film is dated and not very exciting anymore.  The creepy steak scene was still creepy (although why the guy was being quiet as to not wake up anybody when he was about to grill a fucking steak was kinda odd) and the special effects are nice, but I still found my mind wandering during the final act when, if this was a truly timeless 80's thriller (like say THE THING or ALIENS), my eyes should have been glued to the screen.

Despite it's flaws, POLTERGEIST is still mandatory viewing for anybody interested in 80's popular culture.  Solid acting, nice pace, Dexter's mother-in-law looking good in those shorts, James Karen being as awesome as always, Craig T. Nelson topless, tons of moments that have been referenced endlessly in other movies and TV shows, lots of STAR WARS merch.  Check it out.

Part 2 - Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)
Part 3 - Poltergeist III (1988)
Remake - Poltergeist (2015)

A GUY NAMED JOE (1943)

I'm guessing this is a nod to producer Frank Marshall.

GO FOR BROKE! (1951)

RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD PART II (1988)

The best thing about ROTLD2 is that badass poster art.  Other than that, it's pretty lame.

The story starts out with that one kid from THE BLOB remake finding a missing barrel of 2-4-5 Trioxin in a sewage drain and accidentally releasing the contents.  So now, before you know it, zombies start popping up all over the place and doing stupid comedy shit (falling in a grave, stepping on another zombies hand, dancing, talking about Harry Truman)...only about 1% of it is amusing.  By the time the end credits mercifully show up, you're ready to roundhouse this disc right into the trashcan.

Stupid comedy bits, Thom Mathews and James Karen totally wasted with unfunny lines, zero nudity, zero gore, that one guy from "The X-Files", that one guy from "Twin Peaks", 80's rock soundtrack and maybe even a Bub (from DAY OF THE DEAD) sighting. Which is really weird.  ROTLD2 had a few moments, but for the most part, it's very disappointing.

Part 1 - The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Part 3 - Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993)
Part 4 - Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis (2005)
Part 5 - Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave (2005)