Behind the Scenes Archive

The filmmakers started shooting exteriors at Simi Valley, California while James Spencer, the production designer, started building the house set 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 be...

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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,” says Spielberg, “but one of the most truly visceral movies ever made....

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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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