New Interview With Assistant Cameraman Claims That Spielberg Directed "Poltergeist"

Scene from Poltergeist

It's a fact that everyone knows pretty well. In 1982, Steven Spielberg directed the Oscar-winning film E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial. It went on to become a giant success and one of the highest grossing movies period. However, there's another movie released just a week before that may or may not have been directed by Spielberg. Poltergeist is a movie listed as being directed by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Tobe Hooper, but it's long been held as a rumor that he didn't actually direct it. There's a new interview out with one of Poltergeist's assistant cameramen that suggests that there was a devious strategy to Hooper getting top billing and that Spielberg actually directed it. How much is true? The details follow after the jump.

R.I.P. Melissa Mathison (1950-2015)

Left to right: Steven Spielberg and Melissa Mathison

On November 11, 2015, screenwriter Melissa Mathison died at the age of 65 in Los Angeles, CA after battling an illness. Among her many credits is the screenplay for director Steven Spielberg's E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, which many consider to be among his best films. Beyond that, her career has featured work on the sets of films such as Apocalypse Now, Kundun, and even in animation with the Studio Ghibli English translation version of Ponyo. With her plans to reunite with Spielberg on the Roald Dahl adaptation of "The BFG," the news comes as a shock. She leaves behind an impressive career spanning 40 years in which she inspired films to be more youthful, whimsical, and lively.