Tobe Hooper made Poltergeist in 1982. It’s an uneven film that is more entertaining than it is artful, but the choice to cast Zelda Rubinstein as the creepy, yet lovable, medium made for an unforgettable and spellbinding scene. Cinematically the scene is very plain. The camera stays tight on Zelda to capture the nuance and depth of her delivery. There are a few cutaways to close up reactions but nothing else. The scene breaks the cardinal rule of show don’t tell, but in a horror movie there are advantages to leaving the fear unseen and allowing the audience’s imagination to customize the imagery. Our imaginations know what frightens us most.
