The discussion places Poltergeist alongside Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. in Spielberg’s early-1980s dominance.
The project is described as growing from Night Skies, with Spielberg’s E.T. commitments preventing him from directing.
Spielberg’s visual fingerprints feed the disputed account that he effectively took over directing.
The discussion recounts Directors Guild involvement, a fine and Spielberg’s public letter praising Hooper.
Frank Marshall is quoted crediting Spielberg’s storyboards and near-daily presence while identifying Hooper as the on-set director.
Zelda Rubinstein is reported to have said Spielberg directed all six days she worked.
The film is said to have lost its effects, sound-effects and score Oscar nominations to E.T.
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.
Craig T. Nelson’s long career is surveyed from film roles through Coach, Parenthood and The Incredibles.
The curse discussion recounts Dominique Dunne’s murder by her boyfriend and its connection to her father’s later reporting.
Heather O’Rourke’s death at twelve during the third film’s production is discussed as part of the curse lore.
Lou Perriman’s murder and other deaths are cited in the curse discussion, with a documentary series suggested for further context.
Williams is reported to have found pictures repeatedly crooked at home during production.
Rubinstein’s reported vision of her dog before learning of its death is presented as another strange anecdote.
The clown apparatus is reported to have malfunctioned and actually choked the child actor before the crew intervened.
The film’s roughly $10.7 million budget and strong 1982 box office are cited; the transcript garbles the gross.
Richard Lawson’s family connections and earlier acting work are discussed.
Spielberg’s childhood fear of clowns and a tree outside his window is said to have inspired the movie.
The house is said to remain in Simi Valley, California.
The televised Rams–Saints game is identified as a 1980 Monday Night Football game, with the Saints losing and Archie Manning struggling.
A late-nineteenth-century Denver cemetery incident is cited as an inspiration, correcting an initial garbled date.
The collapsing house is said to have been a roughly four-foot model.
