Poltergeist: Joseph Kahn stirs up the “Hooper or Spielberg” debate, Caroline Williams responds

Originally released on June 4, 1982, Poltergeist was made on a budget of $10.7 million and ended up earning more than $121 million at the box office… and for more than forty years, viewers have been debating which member of the creative team should get the credit for that success. Was credited director Tobe Hooper really responsible for calling the shots, or did he let producer/writer Steven Spielberg take the helm? Apparently this is a debate that will never die, as director Joseph Kahn decided to stir it up again on social media – and Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 star Caroline Williams is taking him to task for it.

What is Poltergeist about?

Officially on the record, Tobe Hooper, who had previously made The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Eaten Alive, Salem’s Lot, and The Funhouse, directed Poltergeist from a screenplay Steven Spielberg wrote with Michael Grais and Mark Victor. Spielberg also crafted the initial story.

The film has the following synopsis: Strange and creepy happenings beset an average California family, the Freelings — Steve, Diane, teenaged Dana, eight-year-old Robbie, and five-year-old Carol Ann — when ghosts commune with them through the television set. Initially friendly and playful, the spirits turn unexpectedly menacing, and, when Carol Ann goes missing, Steve and Diane turn to a parapsychologist and eventually an exorcist for help.

Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Dominique Dunne, Oliver Robins, Heather O’Rourke, Beatrice Straight, Michael McManus, Virginia Kiser, Martin Casella, Richard Lawson, James Karen, Dirk Blocker, and Zelda Rubinstein star, with appearances by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2‘s Lou Perryman and Predator‘s Sonny Landham.

What did Joseph Kahn say about Poltergeist?

Kahn wrote on X, “I am a huge Spielberg nerd, and also a Tobe Hooper fan (especially Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2). So, knowing both styles in and out, I say this with full conviction and authority: Spielberg directed Poltergeist. I think at a certain point Tobe spoke to the actors, but no question, Spielberg staged the scenes, the camera work, the lighting, the editing, the music, story, script, locations, casting, basically everything else. Except talk to the actors…and even on that part, debatable. Anyone who doesn’t think Spielberg directed it simply has no eye for cinema. No sense of editing or movement. It’s night and day. It’s like watching Michael Jordan wear a Tobe Hooper skin suit and do dunks from the free throw line. And no, people cannot suddenly emulate this style. If they could there would be a million Spielbergs. There is only one. And I’ll add one very f*cking obvious thing: Poltergeist is shot with Spielberg’s LENSES. Spielberg controls actual T Stops and DEPTH OF FIELD like few directors do, certainly not Hooper.“

Kahn got a lot of responses, some agreeing with him and some disagreeing. Then Williams stood up for her director.

What did Caroline Williams say?

Williams posted a letter Spielberg sent to Hooper on June 2, 1982 to lament that “some of the press has misunderstood the rather unique, creative relationship” they had behind the scenes on Poltergeist, and had started giving him credit for directing the film instead of Hooper. She has no time for anyone trying to “kick the pins out from under one of Tobe’s greatest achievements.”

She went on to say, “Joseph Kahn considers himself to be a film expert. He will never achieve the legendary heights that Tobe Hooper did and revels in trying to add to the libel that Tobe didn’t direct Poltergeist. Steven’s letter to Tobe puts the lie to that. When confronted with proof in print, he resorts to ‘Hollywood politics.’ He’s a mean, envious, ordinary little man who only feels himself when he’s pretending to be better than all the others. My views are well known and better expressed through John Bloom’s article Last of the Hippie Filmmakers. It explains Hollywood politics surrounding the film then and now.

Steven offered the film to Tobe & enthusiastically worked with him on it. All of the stars except the embittered Zelda Rubinstein said so. When I worked with Craig T. Nelson on The District we shared Tobe stories. At an industry party, I did the same with JoBeth Williams. Neither said that Tobe didn’t direct the film, were actually flattering about their portrayals of him. While I grow tired of this bullshit popping up occasionally, I enjoy the support of Mick Garris (listen to his podcast with me) and Joe Russo, who have taken up the cause. As I stated, John Bloom’s article Last of the Hippie Filmmakers states the case. … Mick was unit publicist and was there every day, as well as in production meetings, etc. He’s also the single most honorable man in show biz. Whatever he says, you can take to the bank.“

So there we have the latest chapter in this seemingly endless debate. What do you think of the “did Tobe Hooper really direct Poltergeist” confusion? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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