History Trivia / Poltergeist1982

* AnonymousAuthor: A notorious Hollywood subject. Whether Creator/TobeHooper was the real director of the film or little more than a proxy for Creator/StevenSpielberg (who was contractually forbidden from directing at the time since he was in pre-production for ''[[Film/ETTheExtraterrestrial E.T.]]'') is either one of the great Hollywood UrbanLegends or [[OpenSecret barely-hidden-truths]], depending on whom you ask and what you read. Many sources, in particular Zelda Rubinstein, have openly stated that Hooper was actually little more than a stand-in on the set, and the film was, for all intents and purposes, directed by Creator/StevenSpielberg. Creator/HarlanEllison has denounced that story as "a rumor that time has proved to be utterly false and destructive to Hooper's reputation." [[http://www.poltergeist.poltergeistiii.com/really.html Here is probably the best summary and explanation of the whole issue.]]

* AnonymousAuthor: A notorious Hollywood subject. Whether Creator/TobeHooper was the real director of the film or little more than a proxy for Creator/StevenSpielberg (who was contractually forbidden from directing at the time since he was in pre-production for ''Film/ETTheExtraterrestrial'') is either one of the great Hollywood UrbanLegends or [[OpenSecret barely-hidden-truths]], depending on whom you ask and what you read. Many sources, in particular Zelda Rubinstein, have openly stated that Hooper was actually little more than a stand-in on the set, and the film was, for all intents and purposes, directed by Creator/StevenSpielberg. Creator/HarlanEllison has denounced that story as "a rumor that time has proved to be utterly false and destructive to Hooper's reputation." [[http://www.poltergeist.poltergeistiii.com/really.html Here is probably the best summary and explanation of the whole issue.]]

* AnonymousAuthor: A notorious Hollywood subject. The identity of the one true director of this film is either one of the great Hollywood UrbanLegends or [[OpenSecret barely-hidden-truths]], depending on whom you ask and what you read. Many sources, in particular Zelda Rubinstein, have openly stated that Hooper was actually little more than a stand-in on the set, and the film was, for all intents and purposes, directed by Creator/StevenSpielberg. Creator/HarlanEllison has denounced that story as "a rumor that time has proved to be utterly false and destructive to Hooper's reputation." [[http://www.poltergeist.poltergeistiii.com/really.html Here is probably the best summary and explanation of the whole issue.]]

** Canada: ''Poltergeist: Revenge of the Ghosts''

* IAmNotSpock: James Karen at the time was also the commercial spokesman for Pathmark supermarkets. He received hate mail from people saying they would never shop there again because of his character's treatment of the Freelings.

* CastTheExpert: Zelda Rubinstein supposedly had genuine psychic ability, claiming to have visions of things before they happened.

* AnonymousAuthor: A notorious Hollywood subject. The identity of the one true director of this film is one of the great Hollywood [[UrbanLegends either-legends]] or [[OpenSecret barely-hidden-truths]], depending on whom you ask and what you read. Many sources, in particular Zelda Rubinstein, have openly stated that Hooper was actually little more than a stand-in on the set, and the film was, for all intents and purposes, directed by Creator/StevenSpielberg. Creator/HarlanEllison has denounced that story as "a rumor that time has proved to be utterly false and destructive to Hooper's reputation." [[http://www.poltergeist.poltergeistiii.com/really.html Here is probably the best summary and explanation of the whole issue.]]

* CommonKnowledge: That the scene where Dianne falls in the pool and is surrounded by dead bodies was filmed with real corpses. This is in fact only half-true as while the bodies were indeed real, they were originally medical skeletons, like the ones found in biology classrooms, that were then given makeup and painted to look like dug up bodies.

* HostilityOnTheSet: Creator/ZeldaRubeinstein disliked Creator/TobeHooper, because she could tell he had a drug problem. She later remarked that he "couldn't direct traffic".

** [=JoBeth=] Williams genuinely panicked during the climactic scene in which her character falls into the half-completed swimming pool while corpses bob around her--not because of the corpses, but due to her fear that the heavy set-lights perched on the pool's muddy edge would fall in and electrocute her. Finally Spielberg came into the water with her, saying, "Now if they fall, we'll both fry." Williams was reassured enough to finish the scene.

* HostilityOnTheSet: Zelda Rubeinstein disliked Creator/TobeHooper, because she could tell he had a drug problem. She later remarked that he "couldn't direct traffic".

** Dominique Dunne, who played Dana in the first movie, died in November 1982 at age 22, after being strangled by her abusive former boyfriend John Thomas Sweeney.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece:
** In the '80s, analog television sets would produce a screen of static when not tuned to a specific channel. Nowadays, not so much.
** In the '80s and earlier, networks would stop broadcasting late at night, typically "signing off" by playing the national anthem before cutting to static. Younger audiences might not even be familiar with what's going on.
** Nowadays, hotel televisions are typically tied in place with cables to prevent theft, so the final shot of the father evicting a TV from their hotel room is dated.

** Carol Anne was originally going to die in the first act and then haunt the house in the second. This was dropped for being far too dark.

* UsefulNotes/AFIS100YearsSeries:
** AFIS100Years100Thrills: #84
** AFIS100Years100MovieQuotes:
*** #69, "They're here!"

* AFIS100YearsSeries:

** Creator/JoeSpano was originally cast as Steve Freeling, but he was starring in ''Series/HillStreetBlues at the time, and Creator/StevenBochco wouldn't let him out of his contract.