There is such a thing as DVD etiquette. For example, when a studio celebrates a movie's 25th anniversary by issuing a new DVD, it's customary to include at least a few bonus features on it.
Which is why "Poltergeist: 25th Anniversary Edition" ($19.98) comes across as almost impolite. Given the film's impact -- the 1982 movie was a huge horror hit that inspired two sequels, a controversy overs its directing credit and the deliciously eerie legend about a "Poltergeist" curse -- this disc should be overflowing with creepy extras designed to please the fans who have waited several years for a substantive release. What those fans get instead is a decent-looking remastered version of the movie, an interesting half-hour documentary about the "Real World of Poltergeists" and ... that's it.
What a missed opportunity for Warner Home Video, especially because "Poltergeist" isn't just some outdated leftover from the "I Love the '80s" vaults. The shocker, which forever implanted the phrase "They're here" into the public consciousness and traumatized more than one kid (including this one) who saw it because tickets for "E.T." were sold out, holds up remarkably well as a genuinely scary suburban ghost story. In an era when dark and gory torture flicks reign, watching "Poltergeist" -- with its moving performances and underlying spiritual themes -- is both frightening and refreshing.
"Poltergeist" also is an undeniably Spielbergian experience, which is why the debate continues about whether Steven Spielberg, who wrote and produced the film, also directed it, as opposed to the credited Tobe Hooper. In a recent interview with Ain't It Cool News, actress Zelda Rubenstein -- who wrongly and famously declares in the movie that "This house is clean" -- gives directing credit to Spielberg: "I can tell you that Steven directed all six days I was there. I only worked six days on the film and Steven was there. Tobe set up the shots and Steven made the adjustments. You’re not going to hear that from Tobe Hooper, you’ll hear it from Zelda, because that was my honest to God experience. I’m not a fan of Tobe Hooper."
Meow. Seems like perfect fodder to address in a making-of documentary on the DVD, doesn't it? At the absolute least, a couple of deleted scenes, commentary from some of the cast members (including Rubenstein) or even the suprisingly compelling "E! True Hollywood Story" on the "Poltergeist" curse could and should have been included here. The aforementioned "Real World of Poltergeists Revealed" documentary provides a fascinating window into the world of the paranormal investigators, psychics and ghost hunters who seek out spirits like the ones who freak out the Freeling family in the movie. But co-producer Frank Marshall is the only person interviewed who is remotely affiliated with "Poltergeist," and he's only on screen for a brief minute or two. And that may make some Carol Anne fans mad enough to sic a possessed clown doll on the producers of this spooky-but-skimpy DVD.
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PHOTOS: 'Poltergeist' -- MGM and Warner Home Video/'Surf's Up' -- Sony
