Poltergeist Blu-ray Movie

Poltergeist Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner delivers Poltergeist to your home theater on Blu-ray with a spiffy new remaster in the film's original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1. As usual, Warner has utilized VC-1 to compress the title and it is, of course, presented in full 1080p. Poltergeist is one of those films that I didn't have much hope for on Blu-ray. With all the complex optical compositing used for visual effects back in 1982, it was almost a certainty that the film would look murky and be riddled with dirt and debris. Fortunately, that's not the case and Warner should be applauded for bringing home a fantastic looking presentation.

As I mentioned, I honestly wasn't expecting much out of this set, but I'm pleasantly surprised to see that Poltergeist looks pretty darn amazing. Colors are nicely saturated and contrast is stable and sufficiently deep. Detail is vastly improved over the previous DVD release and there's a really nice level of filmic grain present throughout the entire film. If there is a single bone to pick with this release, it lies in the occasional bit of dirt on the otherwise pristine print. Given the aforementioned optical compositing done on the film, I'm honestly surprised that it is as clean as it is. So, don't take the presence of a small amount of dirt as a criticism, but rather an observation. Anyway, Poltergeist looks better than ever and is certainly an attractive Blu-ray presentation.

Poltergeist Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Thankfully, Warner has chosen to give Poltergeist the full Dolby TrueHD 5.1 treatment with his Blu-ray release and the film has never sounded better. As with all TrueHD releases, there is also a standard English Dolby Digital track included as well as a both English and French Dolby 2.0 tracks. Poltergeist certainly wasn't produced at a time when the likes of 5.1 lossless audio were even an option, but it does benefit from having what was considered a state-of-the-art sound mix upon its theatrical release. This translates nicely to Dolby TrueHD.

Poltergeist features surprisingly active surround usage, nice, deep bass and a very pleasing spacial feel in its mix. Clearly, this has been trumped up and remixed for Blu-ray, but the results are completely satisfying. Naturally, the effect isn't anywhere close to a modern day mix from something along the lines of Transformers, but it is an above average mix. Dialogue is also nicely rendered with every syllable reproduced in a crisp and clear manner. Ultimately, Poltergeist sounds great on Blu-ray.

Poltergeist Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

In something of a bizarre move, the only extra included on the Blu-ray release of Poltergeist is a dopey documentary on real-life ghost hunters. I'll take the zero on that one!

Poltergeist Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Poltergeist is something of a rare treat. It's a film that manages to combine realistic human drama, a terrific and suspenseful story and excellent acting. Even though the movie is now 26 years old, it retains its ability to draw you in and really get the viewer involved in the story. Warner has done a nice job in bringing the film to Blu-ray by giving Poltergeist a very nice video restoration and a surprisingly involving Dolby TrueHD track. Supplements are, for all intents and purposes, non-existent, but the real draw here is the film itself. Poltergeist is a film that I'm proud to have in my collection and is highly recommended.