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Tobe Hooper Pretended to Direct ‘Poltergeist’ for Steven Spielberg!

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Photo: POLTERGEIST (1982) Warner Brothers

One of the worst kept secrets in horror history is that Steven Spielberg actually directed Poltergeist (1982), which is credited to the great Tobe Hooper. It’s a weird Hollywood myth that causes such conflicting emotions in us horror fans because, well, we love Hooper but this is a huge knock against his legacy. If it’s not true, it’s an awful and horribly insulting rumor that continues to infect the director’s reputation. That said, where there’s smoke there’s fire.

In fact, we’ve sort of confirmed this here on Bloody Disgusting multiple times. One piece of evidence was shared this past February, in which a mini-doc ended the debate once and for all. Before her passing, Zelda Rubinstein, who starred in the film as Tangina, had told AIC this shocker back in 2007: “I can tell you that Steven directed all six days I was there. I only worked six days on the film and Steven was there. Tobe set up the shots and Steven made the adjustments.

While there have been shreds of evidence over the years, it’s hard to understand why this happened. From the outside looking in, it’s hard to not think that Spielberg was saving the film from Hooper’s incompetence. Even Rubinstein suggested in the aforementioned interview that he was allowing “unacceptable chemical agents into his work.” Revisionist history is allowing this to become the facts even though there’s actually a much more believable reason.

Promoting his new film Wish Upon, director John Leonetti not only confirmed that Spielberg directed Poltergeist but that Hooper was used as a pawn to allow this to happen. You see, his brother is cinematographer Matt Leonetti, who was Director of Photography on Poltergeist. Because of this, John was assistant camera and was on set for every single shot of the film, which is how he learned the truth behind this long-debated mystery.

It was a very intense, very fun, very technical movie to work on,” Leonetti told Shockwaves. “There’s a lot going on. And candidly… Steven Spielberg directed that movie. There’s no question. However, Tobe Hooper – I adore. I love that man so much. But, had I known you were going to ask me that question, I would’ve brought this one picture I have, which is the whole movie in one shot!”

Below is the shot in question, which he further explains. “It’s the scene where the tree comes in to grab the boy, and we have two cameras set up. In the foreground on an apple box is (an excited) Tobe, standing right behind him is Spielberg pointing. Next to him was my brother on camera and me.

Photo: POLTERGEIST (1982) Warner Brothers

While Zelda was only on set for a week, the Leonetti’s where there for every. single. shot. Hearing this from John’s mouth is the best confirmation we’re going to get next to Hooper or Spielberg finally coming clean. This brings us back to the aforementioned question I asked, WHY? John explains and it gives us motive:

Hooper was so nice and just happy to be there. He creatively had input. Steven developed the movie, and it was his to direct, except there was anticipation of a director’s strike, so he was “the producer” but really he directed it in case there was going to be a strike and Tobe was cool with that. It wasn’t anything against Tobe. Every once in a while, he would actually leave the set and let Tobe do a few things just because. But really, Steven directed it.

There you have it. The 35-year-long mystery has been solved. Poltergeist was always supposed to be a Steven Spielberg-directed movie and a young Tobe Hooper played the role to avoid a shut down in the midst of a director’s strike. It all makes sense, and now that it’s in the open it would be pretty cool if Hooper or Spielberg would come clean and talk about it in length. No matter, I think Hooper has carved out a nice legacy for himself and Spielberg doesn’t appear to care one way or another who gets the credit so long as his company delivered a quality product to moviegoers. You have to respect that.

Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

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SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!

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As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.

Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:

Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.

Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.

Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.

Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.

Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?

Also check out:

The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.

Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.

And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.

These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.

Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.

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