We’re seeing dead people.
And that has some of us up in arms over a DirecTV ad that’s running on television right now.
You might have seen it. It’s one of those commercials where they take a classic movie scene and use one of the original stars to promote the TV service. Previous ads have featured Sigourney Weaver in a classic “Aliens” scene and Robert Patrick as the T-1000 from the “Terminator 2” helicopter scene.
In this case, it’s “Poltergeist.” Craig T. Nelson, who played the dad in the 1982 movie, is real and alive in the ad. But Heather O’Rourke, who is seen reciting the movie’s memorable line, “Theeeyyyy’rre heeerrre” is deceased. She died in 1988 at age 12 of septic shock while undergoing an operation to remove a bowel obstruction.
And that, some blog posters and their readers say, is why this ad really creeps them out.
“Glad I’m not the only one who was a bit taken aback by this ad. I don’t begrudge Nelson the dough but couldn’t they have figured out a way to not use the dead little girl?” wrote Dan Taylor on Slashfilm.com.
Tiffany on EW’s PopWatch blog said: “I had kind of an unsettled feeling when I first saw this, too. Couldn’t they find another memorable Craig T. Nelson movie to re-make for the commercial? Oh, I guess not. But really, a dead child should be off limits when shilling something she didn’t live long enough to see or experience.”
And on AdFreak.com, Jim wrote: “I found it inappropriate. … It’s one thing if the actor in question died of natural causes as an adult, but if you’re aware of Heather O’Rourke’s tragedy, it overwhelms the message. Will Dominique Dunne be in the next spot?” She’s the young actor strangled by her former boyfriend right before “Poltergeist” was released.
Given the reaction out on the Web, seems as if the DirecTV folks would have been better off not disturbing the ghosts on this one.
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