A New Urbanist Perspective on “Poltergeist”

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Until one of my roommates suggested watching it a couple weeks ago, I had never seen Steven Spielberg’s classic Poltergeist. I was five years old, when the film was released back in 1982. It would have been pretty intense for a five-year-old, but by today’s standards, the “horror” film is a bit cheesy.

The interesting thing about the movie was noticing that it was set in a sprawling suburb in southern California. I won’t give away the plot for those who haven’t enjoyed the film yet, but I couldn’t help but wonder, if the horrors inherent in suburban life inspired the plot of this classic horror film!