poltrg-thoughts.bsky.social
@poltrg-thoughts.bsky.social
Hooper conceived the very concept for Poltergeist:
January 26, 2026 at 11:38 PM
Or, alternatively, getting kicked off the set unceremoniously because the cast sided with ahooper’s instincts:
January 26, 2026 at 11:14 PM
Often debunked, but the attachment to the Spielberg brand and ignorance of the public legal battle over it in 1982 makes people think Hooper was passive when he was quite offended by the idea he didn’t direct it.
January 25, 2026 at 7:00 PM
It also has a Hooper look and feel! Primary colors, raw emotions, atmospherics!
January 25, 2026 at 6:58 PM
It seems to have been a case of “un-professional” retaliation by certain people on set who were dead set on Spielberg clout but found themselves witnessing the reality of it:
January 25, 2026 at 6:57 PM
January 25, 2026 at 6:56 PM
He co-directed more on THE GOONIES than POLTERGEIST, if you compare actor comments!
January 25, 2026 at 6:55 PM
You gotta let indie filmmakers grow! With a Spielberg budget, Hooper had the stuff to pull some of that stuff out. Spielberg productions tend to inspire the “Spielberg” showmanship in any filmmaker. Here’s a George Miller “Spielberg oner” in his Spielberg-produced film:
January 22, 2026 at 8:20 AM
As for “every” shot…
January 22, 2026 at 8:17 AM
Movie moves way too slow for Spielberg, who is always throwing in a character plotzing, an ad libbed quip, or a zippy camera move every second! Hooper will spend over a minute on a single crane shot!:
January 22, 2026 at 8:11 AM
But did you notice “Hooper High” at the ending???

Inb4: “That’s a reference to Hooper being skunk faded throughout production.” No! It’s a reference to him and Beatrice Straight being “so high school” and getting to “mean girl” Spielberg off the set!:
December 30, 2025 at 1:31 PM
But Zimmer may be more like Hooper, in that Hooper really had to manage Spielberg from ruining the film, because Hooper actually had the vision that the cast trusted… so vice versa versa? Anyway, read the real anecdotes about Poltergeist, they’re interesting!:
December 25, 2025 at 7:51 AM
December 20, 2025 at 5:37 AM
Spielberg co-directed more of THE GOONIES, and it’s hard to co-direct when a director is telling you to rewrite your script constantly because it wasn’t fitting his own vision of the film! More stories of the set are coming out!
December 20, 2025 at 5:36 AM
Credit where it’s due… maybe you don’t like Poltergeist as much as you think… it’s pretty nonsensical (Hooper helped write the script), unevenly paced, and inattentive to characterization…
December 14, 2025 at 6:19 PM
December 14, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Re: Poltergeist…
December 14, 2025 at 6:16 PM
The Poltergeist family would have been more like a family of 1941 characters if Spielberg had his way…
December 3, 2025 at 10:16 PM
But it’s clear Hooper actually saved Poltergeist:
November 24, 2025 at 9:43 AM
November 24, 2025 at 9:41 AM
contributed to his later failed career…
November 24, 2025 at 9:38 AM
He did! And he saved it from being a forgettable mainstream product by giving it just a little bit of his edge. “Texas Chain Saw Massacre” is often considered one of the greatest horror films ever made and his adaptation of “Salem’s Lot” was a huge success. Some might say the “Poltergeist” rumors
November 24, 2025 at 9:38 AM
¡Es una gran colina con mucho apoyo!
November 20, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Bueno, lo escribió... pero al menos nos salvamos de una versión de la película REALMENTE infestada de Spielberg, gracias a los buenos sentidos de Hooper:
November 20, 2025 at 2:15 AM
November 7, 2025 at 2:26 PM