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Poltergeist (James Kahn)


If you're a horror fan- or a fan of Steven Spielberg, you're aware of the movie "Poltergeist", right?  Well, what you may not be so aware of is the fact that there was a novel done based on the movie.

Though, it's not too far-fetched, since pretty much every movie in the 1980's had a novel done for it...

The Freelings are a happy family: A loving father and mother, two daughters and a son, and a lovable dog.  They are a happy family living in a cozy little community called Cueste Verde.  They have a comfortable home, and a comfortable life.

Soon, however, things take a turn for the worst when their daughter, Carol Anne disappears... only for her voice to start transmitting through the family television...

The only thing I'm going to say about the movie this book is based on is that I loved it when it came out.  I'll save the rest of my thoughts for a proper review at some point.

This, however, is about the book.

The book is actually pretty faithful to the movie in terms of character portrayal, quotes, and events.  However, it takes the opportunity to explore a bit of the backstory behind the investigators and the psychic Tangina.  This exploration gives these characters the "flesh" they lacked in the movie- especially the relationship between Tangina and the lead investigator, Dr. Lesh.  It was both neat, and actually quite gratifying to get such fullness to these characters- rather than them being relegated to dues ex machina roles to resolve the situation- especially Tangina.

The text itself is easy to read, and flows smoothly.  It sets up the scenes nicely, and creates a decent mood for each moment... even if it is a little dated, and not as tense as it could've been at times.

I was quite pleased with this book.  I would recommend that fans of the movie give it a read.  It might be worthwhile for the casual reader, but I wouldn't bet my money on it.  Since this book would be more for a niche of fans, I'm going to have to put "Poltergeist" in "The Bad".
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