IMDb > Poltergeist (1982)
Poltergeist
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Poltergeist (1982) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 55 | slideshow) Videos (see all 4)
Poltergeist (1982) -- A family's home is haunted by a host of ghosts.
Poltergeist (1982) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   30,146 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Steven Spielberg (story)
Steven Spielberg (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Poltergeist on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
4 June 1982 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
They're here. more
Plot:
A family's home is haunted by a host of ghosts. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(159 articles)
12 Sneak Peeks – Private Practice 6.09 & 6.10
 (From TVovermind.com. 2 December 2009, 6:36 PM, PST)

Uncanny Birthday Suits
 (From FilmExperience. 23 November 2009, 7:30 AM, PST)

User Comments:
My favorite film experience more (242 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
114 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The film was originally given a R rating, but the filmmakers protested successfully and got a PG rating (the PG-13 rating did not exist at the time). more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Steven, Diane and Dana are moving furniture out of the way to get into Carol Anne and Robbie's closet, the two beds have had the bed skirts sucked off while the mattresses are undisturbed. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Carol Anne: Hello? What do you look like? Talk louder, I can't hear you! Hey, hello! Hello, I can't hear you! Five. Yes. Yes. I don't know. I don't know.
more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
The Star-Spangled Banner more

FAQ

What is a poltergeist?
Why did the poltergeists want Carol Anne?
How does the movie end?
more
11 out of 16 people found the following comment useful.
My favorite film experience, 20 March 2007
10/10
Author: ray-280 from Philadelphia

I noticed that IMDb lists the release dates for films, and laughed here because I could never forget Friday, June 4, 1982, my last day in tenth grade, and about my tenth date with the exceptionally pretty and wonderful young lady I dated throughout most of high school. The weather was perfect, and I took my ladyfriend out for a nice lunch and a walk down Broadway in search of a movie. ET had been the hyped Spielberg film of that summer, but this one was already out, and the thought of a horrified hottie clinging to me for dear life (or vice versa) was irresistible. Poltergeist it was.

Like all Spielberg films, one will not find many weaknesses. The plot will be engaging, the visuals stunning, the acting excellent, and the overall experience first-class. This film did not disappoint.

The restrospectively amusing casting of Craig T. Nelson in the lead. Notable supporting cast include the late Dominique Dunne and the late Healther O'Rourke, both of whom would die tragically in 1988 and 1982, respectively, the earlier by domestic violence and the latter by illness. The loss to Hollywood is still felt to this day as each would likely have Oscars by now. The cast of competent, moderately known talents provided a strong yet muted substance to the special-effects stylings for which Spielberg became so famous.

As I settled in with my date to watch the film, I was equally enthralled both by her touch and the screen. From the moment O'Rourke uttered the to-this-day-chilling "They're here!!," through the amusing plot twist that explains the hauntings (a certain home developer forgot to do something with the gravesite that had previously existed on the land and apparently ticked off some spirits), though the death, destruction, and absolute terror experienced by the hapless protagonist family.

I will never again be fifteen, never again experience the deep cuts to the heart that come with teenage desire, never again wonder if maybe those horror movies could happen in real life, never again will experience the thrill of not having school or any other responsibilities for the next three months, and will never again be as vital or physically capable as I was so effortlessly back then, but to have had that even once, all at the same time, in the greatest city in the world, was absolutely awesome.

Whatever might have been wrong with my life at that age simply did not exist in that theater, during that film, with that date. Anything less than a perfect film would have spoiled what was literally a perfect day. It didn't.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Poltergeist (1982)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
abortion theory Jyoder35
Another Poltergeist actor dead lollipop99
Poltergeist delayed until 2011. james362001
Actual skeletons? lil_missy12003
Horror/Comedy the proper genre? skatingbach
Dana's neck jimmybeverage
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