Poltergeist (1982)
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A suburban family's life is upended when their home is invaded by malevolent ghosts that abduct their youngest daughter.
The story
Steve and Diane Freeling live in the planned community of Cuesta Verde, California. Their lives are disrupted when their youngest daughter, Carol Anne, begins to communicate with a television set displaying static. The following night, a ghostly hand emerges from the screen, followed by a violent earthquake. As the family deals with the escalating supernatural occurrences—including moving furniture and a tree that seems to come alive—they realize their home is being invaded by malevolent spirits. The situation turns dire when Carol Anne is pulled into a portal, forcing the family to confront the terrifying reality of the ghosts inhabiting their property.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Steve and Diane Freeling live in Cuesta Verde, California. After Carol Anne begins communicating with a television and a ghostly hand emerges from the screen, the family faces a series of supernatural events, including a tree that attacks Robbie and Carol Anne being pulled into a portal in the closet. Parapsychologist Martha Lesh and spiritual medium Tangina Barrons are called in to investigate. They discover the house is built on a former cemetery and that a demonic presence called 'the Beast' is holding Carol Anne captive in another dimension. Diane enters the portal to rescue Carol Anne, and they successfully return to the house. However, as the family prepares to move, 'the Beast' attacks again. Diane manages to rescue the children from a flooded excavation filled with skeletal remains. Steve realizes the graves were never moved, only the stones. The family flees as the house implodes into a portal, and they eventually settle into a hotel where Steve removes the television.
- First release year
- 1982
- Runtime (minutes)
- 114
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tobe Hooper
- Writers
- Steven Spielberg · screenplay; Michael Grais · screenplay; Mark Victor · screenplay; Steven Spielberg · story
- Cast and characters
- JoBeth Williams · Diane Freeling; Craig T. Nelson · Steven "Steve" Freeling; Beatrice Straight · Dr. Lesh; Oliver Robins · Robbie Freeling; Heather O'Rourke · Carol Anne Freeling; Dominique Dunne · Dana Freeling; Zelda Rubinstein · Tangina Barrons; James Karen · Mr. Lewis Teague
- Genres
- supernatural horror; thriller
- Themes
- family; supernatural
- Tone and mood
- spooky; frightening
- Premise and plot tags
- haunted house; ghosts; portal
- Source material / true-story basis
- Night Skies
- Franchise connections
- Poltergeist
- Content notes
- horror
- Reception
- A major critical and commercial success, recognized as a horror classic.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 88% · scale: percentage · review count: 72; Metacritic · score: 79% · scale: percentage · review count: 16
- Awards and nominations
- BAFTA · Best Special Visual Effects · win; Academy Award · Best Visual Effects · nomination; Academy Award · Best Original Score · nomination; Academy Award · Best Sound Effects Editing · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was originally intended to be a horror sequel to Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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