Spirits raised in `Poltergeist'

The family portrayed in the 1982 film "Poltergeist" fell victim to supernatural peril. Their furniture moved by itself, spirits could be seen floating in the very air of their California suburban home, and the youngest daughter was kidnapped by paranormal forces.

But for all the ghosts and ghouls antagonizing the family, the story's true villain turned out to be a real estate developer.

The film's ending reveals that the residence for the couple and their three children (known as the Freelings) was built on the former site of a cemetery. The developer moved the graveyard's headstones without moving the coffins buried beneath them, and the neighborhood spirits in phase one of "Cuesta Verde Estates" apparently took considerable offense.

The result was a family terrorized by forces beyond their control, and "a very scary movie," said producers Frank Marshall and Steven Spielberg before the film's release.

"The movie portrayed the element of man's greed in that the developer took the time to move the tombstones, but not the graves," noted Tim McKenna of the McKenna Group of Keller Williams Realty. "I would venture to say that there was a significant savings to the developer to not move the bodies. And the only reasons there were to move the bodies were sentimental."

In reality, graveyards are frequently moved, particularly on the East Coast. But very seldom would a developer show such disrespect for the dead in the name of cost-cutting, McKenna said.

Steve Freeling (Craig T. Nelson) is the "best rep" of the real estate company, and an upstanding family man. By contrast, actor Richard Lawson's supercilious portrayal of Steve's boss (listed as "Ryan Teague" in the credits) provided every bit the stereotypical image of an insensitive, deskbound, bean-counter.

Late in the film, Ryan and Steve actually discuss the issue of moving a graveyard, when the developer plans to move the cemetery a second time so they can build more houses in the area.

"That's sacrilegious, isn't it?" Steve asks.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Ryan assures him. "After all, it's not ancient tribal burial ground. It's just people. Besides, we've done it before. ..."

The film's ending, however, ensures that the dead will rest easier. Through some high-voltage special effects, the Freeling home becomes a screaming pandemonium of spectral lights trying to take the children to another place in time and space. Steve's wife, Diane (played by Jobeth Williams), falls into their unfinished swimming pool, which by that time is crawling with disinterred skeletons that have suddenly stirred to life. Coffins sprout up through the floor and out of the ground in the Freelings' front yard, letting everyone know that they are still there.

After Ryan drives up in the middle of all this chaos, Steve grabs him and reveals the film's final twist.

"You moved the cemetery," he yells, "but you left the bodies, didn't you? You ... left the bodies and you only moved the headstones! You only moved the headstones! Lies! Lies!"

He drives off with the family in their station wagon, and while they make their escape, they encounter a note of irony by passing a billboard that reads, "You are now leaving Cuesta Verde -- We'll miss you!"

While the film is chock-full of terror-driven hysterics, McKenna cited a couple of true-to-life parallels.

He recalled one occurrence in Reno about 15 years ago when a developer attempted the same underhanded "move only the gravestones" ploy. McKenna said they were caught before they could actually finish the deed, and were subsequently forced to move the graves.

He also believed the film's trappings, replete with tract homes, middle-class families and numerous cul-de-sacs, depicted a neighborhood similar to those in Summerlin or Green Valley. Actually, the neighborhood was modeled after one in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Still, McKenna pointed out how "Poltergeist" was more about entertainment, and less about portraying corruptness in real estate. He believed the dubious developer attitudes in the film can only be found on the silver screen.

"That'd be like me finding a green monster that lives underneath a Green Valley home, and it started eating some of my clients," he said. "I'd feel pretty lousy about that."

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