"They're heeereee..." Who could say no to a Cineworld re-release of horror masterpiece Poltergeist? The spine-tingling chiller is celebrating its 40th anniversary (yes, really) with a special 4DX presentation at Cineworld this Halloween, which is set to invest a whole new layer of fright into an iconic horror set-up.
Directed by Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and conceived by Steven Spielberg (it's contested whether Spielberg, in fact, helmed it), Poltergeist tells the story of the Freeling family. They're living an apparently normal life in eighties American suburbia when strange things start happening around the house, apparently initiated by young daughter Carol Anne's (Heather O'Rourke) interaction with the TV set.
Before they know it, the Freelings are beset by a host of monstrous demons as their daughter is taken into another dimension. They realise that they must get her back, setting in motion a seat-gripping adventure.
4DX is exclusive to Cineworld cinemas in the UK and Ireland, offering a unique sensory experience that is tailor-made for the Poltergeist canvas. Here are the scenes you need to experience all over again in the format.
1. Feel the impact of the tree abduction
The moving seats of 4DX are designed to enhance one's visceral reaction to movies. Poltergeist is, ostensibly, a haunted house film, but due to Spielberg's influence, it's also just as much of a popcorn rollercoaster ride that throws all manner of sensory scares and set pieces at the audience.
The juddering impact of the movie's famous abduction-by-tree is set to attain new dimensions as 4DX amplifies the sense of physical movement in the scene. As Robbie Freeling is taken, a distraction to get the parents out of the house, young, angelic Carol Anne is taken to the other side via the closet, another opportunity for 4DX to physically enhance a famous and terrifying moment in horror history.
2. Experience the tactility of the world's worst face peel
4DX utilises scents and tactile effects to make you feel the world of a given movie on a profoundly physical level. So, just imagine what it's like when applied to the wonderfully creepy and scrungy horror environment of Poltergeist.
If you have the stomach and the bravery for it, the moment when a paranormal investigator is exposed to a horrible reflection of himself is bound to be even more ghastly than ever.
But isn't that why we love horror movies in the first place? 4DX is set to amplify that sense of crowd-pleasing appeal.
3. Wind, rain and scents bring to life Carol-Anne's rescue
Zelda Rubenstein's introduction as the psychic Tangina sets in motion the eventual rescue of the imperilled Carol Anne. Tangina instructs the distraught Freeling family that an inter-dimensional rescue is needed to save the girl from the clutches of 'The Beast', the demonic entity that's steering all the paranormal activity in the house.
This is where the movie gets most Spielbergian as portals open up and trail ropes from one side of the house to the other. The onslaught of lighting, practical effects and Jerry Goldsmith's unforgettable, Oscar-nominated score is sure to be heightened even further by 4DX, which unleashes its contingent of tactile effects and scents to make you feel the impact of Carol-Anne's liberation.
4. Everything in 4DX comes together as the Beast returns
Poltergeist pulls a deviously nasty switcheroo at the end when the thought-to-be-expelled Beast returns for one final attempt at abducting Carol-Anne. As clown dolls come to life and skeletons rise from the swimming pool, how could one resist the full-on 4DX experience?
Moving seats, wind, rain, scents and effects throw the audience into the terrifying endgame as the true nature of the Freeling's house, and the land on which it's built, is revealed. It's a bold new way of revisiting one of the most famous horror movie climaxes of all time.
Are you ready to head to the other side? Then click here to book your Poltergeist 4DX tickets. The movie is re-released in 4DX at Cineworld on October 31.
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