POLTERGEIST: Hooper vs. Spielberg & The Directing Debate

from Cinema Shock · host Cinema Shock

This is the episode that gives our series its name. In the early 1980s, Tobe Hooper was given the opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to direct a big-budget horror film for Universal Pictures—written and produced by none other than Steven Spielberg, who was at the peak of his powers. That film was POLTERGEIST, and it would become the most commercially successful movie of Hooper’s career. But it also became his most controversial. Ever since its release, questions have swirled about who actually directed the film—Hooper or Spielberg? The speculation has been so persistent that it’s often overshadowed the movie itself… and cast a long shadow over Hooper’s career going forward. In this episode, we explore how POLTERGEIST came to be, the origins of the authorship controversy, and the impact it had on Hooper’s legacy. And yes—we weigh in on what we think really happened on set. BUY OUR NEW MERCH: http://cinemashock.threadless.com Coming Up: THE FUNHOUSE (1981) POLTERGEIST (1982) Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy. This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis. Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net Follow us: twitter.com/cinema_shock facebook.com/cinemashocknet instagram.com/cinema_shock

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Mar 25, 2021

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This week, we’ll discuss how the film came about, where the controversy came from, and how it affected Hooper’s career going forward (spoiler alert: not in great ways!). And we’ll give our own opinions on who we think really directed POLTERGEIST.

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POLTERGEIST: Hooper vs. Spielberg & The Directing Debate

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This episode is 2 hours and 26 minutes long.

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This episode was published on March 25, 2021.

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