He’s heeeere: ‘Poltergeist’ writer walks among us

Michael Grais also wrote ‘Great Balls of Fire’ and ‘Cool World.’|

Growing up, children have countless visions for their futures and, most of the time, those visions don't necessarily turn into reality: princesses, astronauts, veterinarians, singers. Some of these are achievable, but children usually don't realize what their true passions are until a bit later in life.

For Michael Grais, however, he knew.

'I always loved movies. They were the biggest escape I could find from the world and I still find that to be true,' Grais said.

Grais enjoyed photography, music and writing. And when he realized he wanted to put those interests into a career, the film industry seemed perfect.

After attending film school at New York University, he earned his MFA in creative writing at the University of Oregon. He made the move to Los Angeles and has had a whirlwind of a career ever since.

Grais, 71, started out in television in the 1970s (his credits include 'Starsky and Hutch' and 'Kojak'). He spent two years in Canada working on a 2001 series called 'The Immortal.' The show had a small budget with an even smaller team. Grais had to step up and fill nearly every role at different times.

'It was exhausting but I learned every aspect of it,' he said.

Grais' first screenplay to make it on big screen was 1981's 'Death Hunt,' starring Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson and produced by two-time Oscar winner Albert S. Ruddy ('The Godfather,' 'Million Dollar Baby').

That's when Grais received an unexpected phone call. On the other end of the line – Steven Spielberg.

The 'Jaws' director told Grais about a ghost story he had been wanting to write.

'It was just an idea… and he hired me to write 'Poltergeist,'' Grais said, who shares screenwriting credit with Spielberg and Mark Victor.

The 1982 film was so successful that Grais went on to also co-write and co-produce its 1986 sequel, 'Poltergeist II: The Other Side'; and the original film saw a remake in 2016.

To this day, 'Poltergeist' is one of Grais' proudest achievements.

'I remember looking at the lines going around the block, and that was a huge thrill,' he said.

Another one of Grais' favorite career moments was writing the 1992 film 'Cool World,' starring Brad Pitt, Kim Basinger and Gabriel Byrne, and directed by animation icon Ralph Bakshi.

'The things I write attract stars, and so that's how you get movies made,' he said. 'I write characters that attract those actors playing them.'

And Grais' knack for writing has gone beyond his own scripts. A producer once asked him to help with a script written for Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Johnson kept rejecting the script, claiming his character wasn't right. Grais rewrote it and the script received the green light.

'I'm a script doctor on that one,' he laughed.

Despite Grais' experience with so many different roles, from producing and directing to editing, he says writing continues to be his first love.

'I would say my biggest contribution is as a writer,' he said. 'You become a part of the characters. You're thinking more about them than you are about reality. (You're) gone… for a few months into this world.'

Grais' biggest inspiration for generating story ideas is simply the world around him.

'I get an idea in my head from something that happened and then I expand on it,' he said. 'You see something and you think, 'Oh, that's a cool idea.''

He currently has one screenplay on the market called 'Crossfire Hurricane.' Grais read an article about cops robbing their own station, and was inspired to write a comedy about police being the villains during a Category 5 hurricane in Florida.

After Grais returned home after working on 'Immortals' in Canada, he was a little burned out.

'It was time to move on, so I moved on,' he said.

Grais took a break from the film industry and explored day trading and real estate. But his wife, Jennifer, had an idea for a book, and she convinced him to help her. He says it was a challenge getting back into it, but soon he was a writer all over again.

Grais has since fully reentered the film industry. He got in touch with production designer Carlos Barbosa ('The Inhumans,' 'Godless') to discuss an idea he had.

'He's an amazing architect and an amazing production designer. He's been working on one series after another,' said Grais. 'He's so intense and specific and focused that I thought he'd be a terrific person to team up with.'

Together, they created Graisland Entertainment, a partnership in association with Zero Gravity Management that produces original movies and shows.

'Everything on the Graisland Entertainment website… I really love and want to see and believe it would be successful,' Grais said.

Graisland Entertainment allows Grais to keep all his screenplays in one place while sending them out to be produced.

'I wrote a bunch of screenplays,' he said. 'I wanted to come to the market with a slate of pictures.'

Grais currently lives with his wife in Sonoma. They met at a dinner party and Grais says there was an instant connection. They've been married for 16 years.

The couple has lived all over the world, but found themselves missing California's weather. Jennifer attended a conference in Sonoma County and that was the final push to move.

'The minute we got here, we just loved it,' Grais said. But this career doesn't allow him to ever stay in one place.

'I go wherever the job takes me,' he said.

As for anyone hoping to pursue a career in the film industry, Grais said that if they want to make movies, then they should make a movie.

'I would suggest that they make a movie and see how it feels for them, and if they like it… then go to Los Angeles with this movie under your arm and try to get some attention with it,' he said. 'It's fabulous for young people who want to get into the field. There are so many more ways to do it now. I would suggest just doing what you love and see what happens.'

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.