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Saturday September 7th 2024

Poltergeist | 1982

Poltergeist location, Roxbury Street, Forest Hills, Los Angeles
Poltergeist location: the Freeling house: Roxbury Street, Forest Hills, Simi Valley, Los Angeles | Photograph: Erik Hollander

A 25th Anniversary DVD, but no Director’s Commentary. Surprise! It’s still a matter of heated dispute exactly how much of the film was directed by Tobe Hooper and how much by ostensible producer Steven Spielberg (who was shooting E.T. at the same time).

It certainly has the feel of a Spielberg movie as malign forces enter a suburban Californian household through the television set. Although the opening shots are of streets in Agoura Hills, the ‘Freeling’ house itself is 4267 Roxbury Street in the small estate of Forest Hills in the Simi Valley north of Los Angeles. This is a private home, so please respect the privacy of the occupants.