Poltergeist

While the book differs somewhat from the movie, it is worth reading if you're a fan of Poltergeist! The way the family meets Tangina is very different from the movie and you also get to read about her astral confrontation with "The Beast"! A deleted scene that can be seen in the orignal trailer for the movie is explained in great detail, as well as the way one of the ending scenes was shot differently! It is also explained in greater detail on what happened to Marty and why he didn't return to the house! If you're a fan and want to know more about this movie read the book. It's worth it!

This is a chilling read!! James Khan has fashioned a tight frightening text based on this film's screenplay. I felt it was excellently well written and expanded upon. It can be very hard to find this book but if you can find it, read it!!! It's great!

Rarely does a book written from a screenplay turn out better than this. Kahn's imagination expanded and expounded on what was a visual treat with the movie into something mind numbingly surreal in the written word. This book stands on it's own in so many ways. Steve and Diane Freeling live an ideal life, Steve with a good job in a booming real estate economy and Diane a stay-at-home mother of three. But there's something they don't know about their property, something that came with the house, until Carol Anne, their five year old daughter, goes missing. By chance, through a dream that dwarf-medium Tangina Barrons experiences, Dr. Martha Lesh and her team of parapsychologists get involved with the Freeling's dilemma. Dr. Lesh, and Tangina, have never encountered such a powerful presence as what resides in the Freeling's home. Tangina is determined to bring Carol Anne back from the netherworld she is trapped in. Here is where the book shines above the movie. James Kahn takes us through these alternate dimensions of shadow, shade, arid wastelands, cloudiness, and sludge; and introduces us to the mystical creatures that dance within these realms. Here are creatures of shadow, fire, earth, plant, and demonic prescience. When Tangina encounters The Beast, she knows in her heart that she must save Carol Anne. Kahn's description of these dimensions is worth the price of looking up a copy of this book, they are fascinating and inspired. The book haunts me in ways that the movie could not. A great deal of imagination and talent went into the novelization of this movie, and becomes a piece of written work that you shouldn't turn your nose up at. The book gives the impression that the movie was based on it, not the other way around. It's well worth your effort, should you be a horror or Sci/Fi fan, to pick up a copy. Enjoy!

Books are usually better than movies. The same can be said for this one, but not by much. The book added some much needed depth that the film should have used. Another level of creepiness, this time seen from the other realm and it's ghosts. The film did a great job of keeping it's viewers creeped out with all the horror, ghosts and kidnapping of a Carol Anne. Good special effects, even for an early 1980's film. The crawling meat, the guy ripping the skin off his face, and the climactic ending were very well done. Poltergeist is one of my all time favorite horror films. I enjoyed the acting immensley. Heather O'Rourke was such an extremely cute child. I can still see her cute image in the Rams football helmet as she slides across the kitchen floor, as she is asking for pepperoni pizza. Fun stuff. JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson played the distraught, frightened parents. Their chemistry together was very believeable. Tangina plays a huge part in the book, unlike the film where she appears only at the very end, and is only there because she was asked by the ghost hunters. The book has Tangina constantly dream about the "other side" and it's ghostly occupants. She eventually sees 5 year old Carol Anne lost in this other realm, and the dreams takes on another level of realism for her. She know understands that the little girl must be rescued. To make matters worse, she knows that she must confront the guardian of the realm; the beast. A creature who wanders the Freeling family home regularly without being seen. Very cool creepy visual. I was freaked out on many occasions reading "Poltergeist". The part with the beast and describing it's thoughts and how it is filled with a venomness hates really got to me. The battle between the beast and the psychic Tangina in the other realm is epic. There is even a part in the book where the beast buries his horns in Tangina's eyes. Wow! It would have been great if the film, even slightly, delved into the other relam. Bottom line, both book and film are great. Both are highly recommended.

This is a great book. It really caught me with the scenes about paranormal activity and creatures appearing from nowhere, different realms, parapsychology, you name it. It is a great book and I urge you to get a copy if you can.