Making of 'Poltergeist', The (1982)
*** (out of 4)
Frank Marshall, producer of the film in question, directs this eight-minute documentary that takes a look at how some of the special effects were created for the Tobe Hooper film. What we basically get is a promo trying to build up interest for the movie and on this level I think the short fails because in all honesty if I had seen this thing it really wouldn't have made me want to go and watch the movie. I'm really not sure who they were aiming this short at but they talk about the special effects but we never really get to see them and the short doesn't sell the "scare" factor of the movie. We all know today that the movie ended up being a massive hit so obviously they didn't even need this thing. The reason this short is worth watching is for the behind the scenes footage, which includes some shots of what appears to be Steven Spielberg directing. The legend and myth about who directed this film is now notorious and it's interesting to see what Spielberg is doing here because it's typically the director doing such a thing. Craig T. Nelson gets a few brief interview clips as does Marshall. Fans of the film will certainly want to check this out as a curio but it's certainly nothing ground-breaking.