Behind the Scenes Archive

The following are a pair of retro featurettes featuring behind the scenes footage and  interviews from Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, Craig T. Nelson, and more!

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The  exteriors were shot at Simi Valley, California while Mike Muscarella, the Construction Coordinator, oversaw the construction of the interior sets at MGM. According to Richard Edlund, lingering thoughts of  a director’s strike rushed Poltergeist into production. “That way, even if the strike happened, we’d still...

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Tobe Hooper was hired to direct, something which later become somewhat of a massive controversy. Spielberg had seen Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and loved it. Spielberg said about TCM: “It’s a real cult film, I know, but one of the most truly visceral movies ever made. “Essentially it starts...

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The legacy of Poltergeist begins with Raiders of the Lost Ark. During the production of Raiders, Steven Spielberg headlined discussions for what soon became Poltergeist. In a 1982 interview with Fangoria Magazine, Producer Frank Marshall said: “Steven had always wanted to do a ghost story....

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