Materialism and Greed: The Real Monsters in Poltergeist

Materialism and Greed: The Real Monsters in Poltergeist

A seemingly "Hallmark" family, although nowhere near perfect, is dropped into the middle of a most bizarre situation. This family fights to reunite themselves after becoming victims of disgruntled spirits in Tobe Hooper's 1982 film Poltergeist. The film attempts to criticize the 1980s boom of materialism, which the Freeling family clearly falls prey to. The external threat of the poltergeists that the Freelings face is merely a metaphorical threat that represents how greed and materialism can lead to the destruction of a successful family.

The Freelings are meant to represent the American dream, or at least "phase one" of it, in that they have achieved success on many levels, more specifically that of financial success. They are a traditional nuclear family with dad as the breadwinner, mom as the nurturing housewife, three kids, and a family dog. They have a very nice home with more than enough money to buy whatever stuff they want. Although they are free and unrepressed in many ways, in other ways they are also enslaved by those same material elements. Their house is wedged suffocatingly close to the others, and their growing wealth of possessions is only wedging them tighter. On the surface, this film appears to simply be the common battle of good vs. evil, or even man vs. the supernatural, however, it weaves several criticisms of the time throughout the film as well.

One of the cultural threats that affect those in the time period of the 1980s is that of materialism. "For the satire to work correctly, Poltergeist must define the culture of its characters as corrupt, and that is exactly what the film does" (Muir 89). Although it is Carol Anne who first makes contact with the poltergeists, Steven is most likely the family member who attracts them to the household in the first place. There is "a visible shift in the ascription of responsibility for the breakdown of traditional family relations. That responsibility has been transferred from child to parent" (Grant 151). This quote explains how the over time, "horror films move...to single out dad as the primary negative force in the middle-class family" (151-152). Although Steven may unknowingly be the negative force in the family, he has, on the other hand, expanded on this "grave" violation of the dead all over the neighborhood/cemetery by guiding people into the cursed homes, and this is a strong reason why the poltergeists focus on his household and his alone. The spirit "not only punish the greedy...it punishes those who benefit from the greed and moral lassitude of others. The Freelings go through hell not because they did anything really wrong themselves, but because they inadvertently prospered by the unseemly business practices of Steve's firm" (Muir 89). The reward of Steven's neighborhood work is evident throughout his home, although the poltergeists obviously are not aware or do not care that Steven is unaware of any wrongdoing.

The poltergeists are undoubtedly noticing the affluent lifestyle the family enjoys, at the spiritual expense of the dead. The poltergeists are associating the family's wealth of material goods with Steven's corrupt real estate success. This would explain why the bedroom ends up completely stripped of all the kids' petty possessions when Carol Anne gets sucked into her closet. The poltergeists also make an anti-materialist statement when pieces of jewelry, contents of the coffin they open upon a screaming Diane, fall out upon her. Diane apprehends her own materialism in a horrific light.

Greed is also another threat that the Freelings attempts to face as a family. They live in Cuesta Verde, which is Spanish for "it costs green." The "green" in this name is most likely referring to money. The choice of the name Cuesta Verde seems to imply that the money-based foundation upon which the American dream is built upon, is corrupt. This is apparent in that the money that fuels the real estate scheme is what allowed the graves to be disrespected in the first place. The greedy real estate company is making millions of dollars form these homes, which Steven is primarily responsible for. In order to maximize profits, the company merely moves the headstones and leaves the corpses. The invasion of their final resting space is clearly what provokes the spirits to retaliate.