Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. It’s Friday again, which means it’s time for a review, and today I am reviewing the novelisation of the movie Poltergeist, written by James Kahn.
Poltergeist by James Kahn was first published in May 1982 by Warner Books and (my copy) is 208 pages long.
Plot
The Freelings, living in their home in the new community of Cuesta Verde, have their lives turned upside down when a malevolent force attaches itself to their youngest daughter.
Characters
Steve Freeling
Steve Freeling, a successful real estate developer, is trying to live a quiet life with his family in a planned community in California called Cuesta Verde.
His quiet life is shattered when strange occurrences begin to happen at home. At first, the phenomenon seems relatively harmless, and, initially, Steve is sceptical about the existence of ghosts. However, as the spooky occurrences increase and intensify, he begins to unravel, fearing for the safety of his wife and children.
Diane Freeling
Diane Freeling is a loving mother and wife who would go to the ends of the earth for her family, and she finds herself having to balance her fears for their safety against her determination to confront the spirits that seem to have taken over their home.
When her youngest child, Carol Anne, is taken by the malevolent entity threatening her family, Diane resolves to do whatever she can to get her back. With the help of a psychic medium, Tangina Barrons, she summons the courage to cross to the other side and lead Carol Anne home.
Dana Freeling
Dana is the eldest child of Steve and Diane. There’s not much of her in the novel (nor the movie, now I think of it), and what there is of her did not need to be there. Her character adds very little to the movie or the book other than showing the Freelings living in a modern nuclear family with their three kids and a dog.
Robbie Freeling
Robbie is the Freelings’ middle child and shares a room with his younger sister, Carol Anne.
Whilst enjoying a scavenger hunt as part of his birthday at the start of the book, Robbie discovers the clown doll from his bedroom hiding between some rocks. When he reaches in to grab it, he is bitten.
The following night, during a storm, the old and gnarled tree outside the younger kids’ bedroom window seemingly comes to life and snatches him from the bedroom.
One of the scarier moments from the movie (at least when I first watched it at seven years old) is the part where the clown pulls Robbie under the bed, and in the book, it is vivid, more detailed and descriptive, which only adds to the creepiness. In fact, there are several mentions of that clown that gave me the creeps.
Carol Anne Freeling
Carol Anne is the youngest Fereling child.
During the high point of her brother’s birthday party, Carol Anne begins screaming, and her family rush upstairs and finds her staring at the snowy static on the TV screen. After calming her down, her parents put her to bed, where she sleeps soundly for an hour before waking up with no memory of the event.
The next evening at dinner, she tells her parents she has been dreaming about the people in her grandmother’s old scrapbook.
A little later in the book, she awakens in the middle of the night to discover shadows and voices in the after-broadcast static on the TV in her parents’ bedroom.
The following night while Steve, Diane and Dana are outside in the rain trying to rescue Robbie from the tree, Carol Anne is sucked into the closet of her bedroom and through a portal, taken by the malevolent force they soon come to know as ‘The Beast’, sending her family reeling.
However, help soon arrives in the form of a psychic medium, Tangina Barrons.
Dr Martha Lesh
Martha Lesh is a parapsychologist who has agreed to help Tangina rid herself of her psychic gifts in return for Tangina agreeing to have them assessed first.
When Tangina dreams about a little girl in trouble, Lesh and her team, Ryan and Marty, set up an experiment which allows Tagina to lead them to the girl’s house.
Finding themselves at the Freelings’ home, Dr Lesh, Marty and Ryan agree to help the family with their paranormal problem while an exhausted Tangina heads back to the university hospital to rest.
Martha is a tremendous comfort to Diane Freeling and her family, especially during their first night. She sets up the pull-out sofa in the living room, where they all gather for safety, and she helps keep the family calm amid the activity by remaining scientific and level-headed.
Later, after a meeting in which she is dismissed by her sceptical colleagues when she shows them some evidence captured at the Freelings’ home, Martha heads to visit Tangina. Tangina tells Lesh about a recent trance in which she saw the little girl, and they both agree that something more must be done to help the family.
Ryan Mitchel
Near the start of the book, when Tangina is in the lab dreaming about a little girl in trouble and asking for help, the team discovers that the readout of her EEG spikes when she is facing a certain direction, returning to normal when she turns away. Ryan comes up with the idea to hook Tangina up to a portable transmitter so that while she sleeps in the back of a van, the team can measure the readouts and watch for spikes as a clue that they are getting close to the little girl.
Then, with Tangina in a sleepwalking state, they let her out of the van and let her lead them right to the Freelings’ door.
Although Ryan begins the book as a full-on sceptic, by the end, he can allow himself to believe, since he has witnessed things he cannot entirely explain.
Marty Lewandowski
Marty is very much put through the wringer in the novel in terms of being tortured by the entities in the Freelings’ home, so much more than in the movie. Here, he is subjected to being bitten, being eaten alive by spiders and rats to the extent that he dissolves, and transforming into ‘The Beast’ before finding himself back in one piece, standing naked in the Freelings’ living room. It all proves too much for him, and he ends up packing his things and flying home.
Tangina Barrons
Tangina is a clairvoyant medium working with Dr Lesh and allowing her to study her in exchange for helping ‘cure’ her of her psychic-ness. She has been experiencing visions of a lost little girl calling out for her mother, leading her and Dr Lesh’s team to the Freelings’ front door.
In the Freelings’ home, Lesh introduces them and explains what Tangina can do. She tells the family they would like to help if possible since they feel they were drawn together for a reason.
While Dr Lesh’s team remain to try to help the Freelings, Tangina, exhausted from her recent experiences, heads back to the university hospital, where she attempts to go into the ether via a trance to find Carol Anne.
Upon locating her, she explains to Carol Anne that the creature or entity known as ‘The Beast’ is frightened of the light and that Carol Anne should stay as close to it as she can without going in.
Later, before returning to the house to help rescue Carol Anne, Tangina puts herself into a trance once more, allowing her to communicate with her. She tells Carol Anne that to get away from the malevolent spirits, she must now head towards the light but not enter it or even look at it.
During this trance, Tangina battles with the ‘The Beast’. He almost bests her, but she temporarily debilitates him.
Finally, when at the house, Tangina instructs Steven and Diane on how to rescue their daughter, helping them set up a system to ensure Diane can get to the other side, grab Carol Anne and get back in one piece.
Writing Style
James Kahn’s writing style is engaging and descriptive, making it easy to picture what is happening in the story even if you have never seen the movie. He also manages to capture the sense of tension throughout, building the atmosphere layer by layer, until before we know it, we are amid a full-scale haunting right alongside the Freelings.
What makes this particular novelisation stand out is Kahn’s ability to add depth to the characters beyond what the film was able to do. We see more of the family’s dynamic and how each member copes with the supernatural activity. Steve and Diane Freeling are more fleshed out, with a fuller backstory that gives us a better understanding of their relationship.
We also get to see how and why Tangina and Dr Lesh began to work together and learn more about the dynamic of Dr Lesh’s team.
These characterisations give the narrative a sense of realism and make the reader more invested in their plight; by the end, the characters have each grown and changed significantly due to their shared experiences, giving a complete and satisfying ending to their journeys.
Kahn’s excellent character development helps to elevate the plot, making it a more nuanced and emotional horror story than its movie counterpart, and speaking of the movie, the novelisation treats us to scenes that were not included either because they were cut for time or not filmed at all. This extra material allows readers to experience the story anew, which is always great.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Poltergeist novelisation is a must-read for horror fans and anyone who loves a good ghost story. With extended and reworked scenes and additional characterisation, Kahn brings a fresh take on the eerie events of the classic film. It is a well-written and suspenseful adaptation that provides an immersive experience of the supernatural horror genre.
Poltergeist was one of the first horror movies I saw as a kid, and it scared the living daylights out of me. I have always held the movie up as one of the scariest ever, but having read it, I find the book a little creepier. As I mentioned in another post, I like to read at night – it helps me fall asleep. However, while reading Poltergeist, I found it hard to nod off. Every noise my creaky old flat made had me looking out into the pitch-black hallway making sure the shadows weren’t moving…
Anyway…
I am giving Poltergeist an 8/10.
Have you read Poltergeist or seen either the original movie or the 2015 remake? Which did you prefer?
As always, thanks for stopping by to check out my review!
Until next time,
George
© 2023 GLT
Categories: Book Reviews, Reading
GEORGE L THOMAS 
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