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Poltergeist
Poltergeist
Stats
- Episodes featuring their films
- 2
- Movies in this archive
- 3
Rewatchables episodes featuring Craig T. Nelson’s films
Displaying all 2 episodes
Mentioned in discussions
Casting What-Ifs
Jeff Speakman, Stephen Baldwin and Richard Grieco for Jack; Halle Berry for Annie
In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:29:50Read transcript
- Speakman is reported as attached during Paramount development
- Baldwin and Grieco are discussed as other Jack possibilities
- The Ellen DeGeneres story is explicitly treated as a denied urban legend
- Berry’s own regret and description of the earlier static-bus script are cited
- Other alleged Annie candidates remain uncertain
- Craig T. Nelson reportedly could not leave Coach to play Mac
- Ed Harris was considered when Harry was the villain
- McTiernan, Harlin and Tarantino reportedly declined directing
- McTiernan’s version is imagined as marginally better
- Michael Bay reportedly sought the job before his feature debut
Apex Mountain
Spielberg; Williams; bedroom clowns; closet portals; family ghost films; cursed productions; haunted-house escape
In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:17:30Read transcript
- Spielberg is proposed on the strength of Raiders, E.T. and Poltergeist. — Bill Simmons
- Spielberg had the juice to do whatever he wanted after this week. — Bill Simmons
- Craig T. Nelson is considered and rejected. — Bill Simmons
- JoBeth Williams is affirmed. — Bill Simmons
- Creepy bedroom clowns are affirmed. — Bill Simmons
- Closet portals are affirmed. — Bill Simmons
- Family ghost movies are affirmed. — Bill Simmons
- Supposedly cursed real-life productions are affirmed. — Bill Simmons
- Hooper is rejected in favor of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. — Bill Simmons
- Frantic haunted-house escapes are compared with The Amityville Horror, before this film’s escape is favored. — Bill Simmons
Half-Assed Internet Research
Production debate; casting careers; curse lore; budget; football footage
In the discussion (22)
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:59Read transcript
- The discussion places Poltergeist alongside Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. in Spielberg’s early-1980s dominance. — Bill Simmons
- The project is described as growing from Night Skies, with Spielberg’s E.T. commitments preventing him from directing. — Bill Simmons
- Spielberg’s visual fingerprints feed the disputed account that he effectively took over directing. — Bill Simmons
- The discussion recounts Directors Guild involvement, a fine and Spielberg’s public letter praising Hooper. — Bill Simmons
- Frank Marshall is quoted crediting Spielberg’s storyboards and near-daily presence while identifying Hooper as the on-set director. — Bill Simmons
- Zelda Rubinstein is reported to have said Spielberg directed all six days she worked. — Bill Simmons
- The film is said to have lost its effects, sound-effects and score Oscar nominations to E.T. — Bill Simmons
- JoBeth Williams’s career is traced through Kramer vs. Kramer, Stir Crazy, The Big Chill and major television films; she is praised as this film’s driving force. — Bill Simmons
- Craig T. Nelson’s long career is surveyed from film roles through Coach, Parenthood and The Incredibles. — Bill Simmons
- The curse discussion recounts Dominique Dunne’s murder by her boyfriend and its connection to her father’s later reporting. — Bill Simmons
- Heather O’Rourke’s death at twelve during the third film’s production is discussed as part of the curse lore. — Bill Simmons
- Lou Perriman’s murder and other deaths are cited in the curse discussion, with a documentary series suggested for further context. — Bill Simmons
- Williams is reported to have found pictures repeatedly crooked at home during production. — Bill Simmons
- Rubinstein’s reported vision of her dog before learning of its death is presented as another strange anecdote. — Bill Simmons
- The clown apparatus is reported to have malfunctioned and actually choked the child actor before the crew intervened. — Bill Simmons
- The film’s roughly $10.7 million budget and strong 1982 box office are cited; the transcript garbles the gross. — Bill Simmons
- Richard Lawson’s family connections and earlier acting work are discussed. — Bill Simmons
- Spielberg’s childhood fear of clowns and a tree outside his window is said to have inspired the movie. — Bill Simmons
- The house is said to remain in Simi Valley, California. — Bill Simmons
- The televised Rams–Saints game is identified as a 1980 Monday Night Football game, with the Saints losing and Archie Manning struggling. — Bill Simmons
- A late-nineteenth-century Denver cemetery incident is cited as an inspiration, correcting an initial garbled date. — Bill Simmons
- The collapsing house is said to have been a roughly four-foot model. — Bill Simmons
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:17:42Read transcript
- Craig T. Nelson, the reporter, Reeves and Pacino are offered before Theron receives the emphatic choice. — Bill Simmons
- Her emotionally heightened argument with Kevin is played as illustration. — Isaiah Blakely
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:08Read transcript
- Craig T. Nelson wins for a prosecutor whose aggressive, television-movie intensity looks overmatched opposite Pacino’s restraint.
Displaying all 5 discussions
