Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Poltergeist 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

They're here (again).

Reviewed by Randy Miller III September 16, 2022

Arriving almost a full decade and a half after its original Blu-ray Digibook edition (which was later repurposed in plain keepcase packaging), Warner Bros. has finally gone back to the well to bring us Steven Spielberg Tobe Hooper's horror classic Poltergeist on 4K, focusing all its energy on the strength of a brand-new restoration and HDR10 enhancement. Offering subtle or moderate improvements to the film's audio and even two resurrected vintage extras (rare territory for Warner Bros.), for many fans this will mark a long-overdue upgrade just in time for Halloween.

For a synopsis and very enthusiastic appreciation of Poltergeist, please refer to former Blu-ray.com reviewer Ben Williams' coverage of the Digibook edition linked above. While I wouldn't personally award this film a full five stars, I certainly can and will recognize it as a well-made production whose enduring legacy has survived two disappointing sequels, an equally bad 2015 remake, and even a long-standing curse if you're into that sort of thing.

Fun fact for the absurdly curious: Yes, that annoying jump-cut around the 34-minute mark is still present and is as distracting as ever. This hasty edit was made by MGM due to pressure from Pizza Hut about a disparaging comment one of the Freeling kids made about their wack-ass pies. Reportedly, the original footage no longer exists.

Poltergeist 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: The screenshots in this review are all sourced from the newly-remastered Blu-ray disc and, as such, obviously do not represent the 2160p, HDR10-enhanced transfer on the 4K disc. Both transfers are reviewed below.

Warner Bros.' new 2160p, HDR10-enhanced transfer is a real beauty, one that preserves the film's intended appearance to the fullest extent of this format's capabilities. Poltergeist isn't a visually showy or even attractive production, as only a handful of wistful suburban pans are sprinkled throughout a film that's largely dominated by static interiors and dark, stormy nights. Yet this new 4K transfer, likely sourced from the camera negative, nonetheless impresses at every turn with excellent color reproduction, stability, strong fine detail, and a soft but ever-present layer of film grain that clearly hasn't been subjected to excessive noise reduction. The HDR10 enhancement takes over in subtle but often noticeable ways, from the soon-to-be-dug-up flower beds of the Freelings' backyard to clothes and other background details, but absolutely adds another level of power to the bright whites present during a handful of hauntings. These moments are so dialed-in for contrast accuracy that they'll immediately strike viewers as impressive, especially on an OLED or even LCD screen with reliable local dimming. (There are even dual warnings, both on the slipcover and a full-page insert, warning viewers with epilepsy about the light intensity of strobe effects seen during the film and for very good reason -- they're intense.) Shadow detail is likewise quite good and, though Poltergeist doesn't serve up deep blacks due to its cinematography, they occasionally dig deep but never fall victim to crush or banding. Overall, it's quite the impressive presentation indeed and, again, one that deftly balances subtle refinements with appreciated accuracy to the source material, both in Poltergeist's era-specific film texture and intended color palette.

Contrary to Warner Bros.' usual habits, the included Blu-ray is a brand new disc (not available separately) that sources its 1080p transfer from the recent remaster and has been encoded with the more efficient AVC codec. As such, it displays similar strengths including more refined image detail, better color saturation, a more stable and film-like appearance, and of course improved contrast that helps support medium-deep blacks and bright whites with much less perceived crush and blooming. Although the lack of HDR enhancement -- not to mention that it's downsampled from its true 4K roots -- means that even its strongest moments can't match the UHD in terms of vibrancy or refined detail, it's nonetheless a very strong-looking disc that, if you're not yet equipped for 4K, may still be worth the upgrade.

Poltergeist 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

NOTE: Both the 4K and Blu-ray discs in this release feature the same audio options, reviewed below.

Poltergeist features two separate audio options; the default is a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio remix that, on the surface, sounds like a simple port of the older Blu-ray Digibook edition's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. However, Warner Bros.' new 4K restoration seems to have wrung a bit more sonic juice out of the original elements, which sound more crisp and forceful in key areas but with a similar overall aesthetic and volume level. I'm normally not a huge fan of remixes but this is one of the better ones, as it amps up the film's supernatural elements while retaining a vintage feel.

The second option may be a more interesting "upgrade", as Poltergeist's original 2.0 mix (listed as "Original Theatrical English" on the menu) has been granted a substantial bitrate boost from the old Blu-ray's lossy 192kbps Dolby Digital (that's DVD quality) to full-fledged DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio. It's still obviously less gripping than the remix in direct comparison, with a touch of distortion at higher volume levels and very little in the way of LFE and perceived width, but purists will certainly appreciate the option. The fact that both audio mixes have been not only retained but improved is good news for everyone -- another feather in WB's cap, as they're not usually known for this.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature and all applicable extras.

Poltergeist 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with...uh... different cover artwork, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption code. Although not exactly packed with extras, we actually get more here than previous releases so consider this yet another win. All bonus features are found on the Blu-ray disc only.

• They Are Here: The Real World of the Poltergeists (2 parts, 31:00 total) - Carried over from the 2008 Blu-ray (and what extra it isn't), this cheesy 2007 documentary features a few psychic mediums, paranormal investigators, and other frauds just trying to make a living by insisting the film's core mythology is plausible. There's a reason everyone failed the late, great James Randi's Million Dollar Challenge, folks.

• The Making of Poltergeist (7:18) - Though it's brief, this 1982 MGM featurette (new to disc, apparently!), offers a very nice glimpse behind the scenes of the film with comments from writer-producer Steven Spielberg, producer Frank Marshall (who actually directed this piece), actor Craig T. Nelson, and director Tobe Hooper, as well as candid footage from the set including a few good looks at special effects production.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:26) - Last included on MGM's 1997 DVD (1997 DVD, people!), this appropriately spooky vintage promotional piece has been similarly restored and can also be seen here.

Poltergeist 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tobe Hooper's Poltergeist is a solid horror classic that's held up decently well during the last 40 years, with its strong atmosphere and special effects often supporting the story and its characters rather than distracting from them. It's also inarguably due to the involvement of writer-producer Steven Spielberg and his fellow Amblin Entertainment co-founder Frank Marshall who, along with Kathleen Kennedy, produced some of that decade's most enduring films including E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which would arrive in theaters just one week later. Warner Bros. celebrates Poltergeist's 40th anniversary with a long-awaited 4K edition (which even includes a remastered Blu-ray not available separately), one whose new restoration clearly leads the charge but is also supported by two improved audio options and a pair of unearthed vintage bonus features. A firmly Recommended release, especially for die-hard fans.