Poltergeist (1982)

Director:

Tobe Hooper

Writers:

Steven Spielberg (story)
Steven Spielberg (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

4 June 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

They're here.

Plot:

A family's home is haunted by a host of ghosts.

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Television | Real Estate | Middle Class | Paranormal Investigation

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Craig T. Nelson	...	Steve Freeling
JoBeth Williams	...	Diane Freeling (as Jobeth Williams)
Beatrice Straight	...	Dr. Lesh
Dominique Dunne	...	Dana Freeling
Oliver Robins	...	Robbie Freeling
Heather O'Rourke	...	Carol Anne Freeling
Michael McManus	...	Ben Tuthill
Virginia Kiser	...	Mrs. Tuthill
Martin Casella	...	Marty (as Marty Casella)
Richard Lawson	...	Ryan
Zelda Rubinstein	...	Tangina
Lou Perryman	...	Pugsley (as Lou Perry)
Clair E. Leucart	...	Bulldozer Driver (as Clair Leucart)
James Karen	...	Mr. Teague
Dirk Blocker	...	Jeff Shaw

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:16 | Italy:VM14 | Australia:PG (TV rating) | UK:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1982) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | USA:PG (re-rating after appeal) | USA:R (original rating) | West Germany:16 | Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

4267 Roxbury Street, Forest Hills, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The swirling, flickering lights coming from the closet during the rescue scene were achieved using a very simple effect by having an aquarium full of water in front of a spotlight. Then a fan blew on the surface of the water to make it swirl.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the beloved breakfast scene with Diane and the kids, Diane's spatula appears and re-appears. When Robbie first says "Ask Dad!", Diane's right hand is firmly clasped around the plate of waffles. Then, in the next shot, she has the spatula in her hand again.

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.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "20 to 1: 50 to 01: Great Movie One Liners (#4.10)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

The Star-Spangled Banner

Good Scary Fun!!!

I am not going to go into all the controversy surrounding this movie...everybody knows about the various deaths of cast members, as well as questions over who actually directed "Poltergeist". What I will decribe in this review are my feelings concerning the movie.

"Poltergeist" is a good scary picture which will not only entertain you, but will make you wonder what originally occupied the land where your home is currently standing. This movie makes good use of foreshadowing and building of tensions to move a viewer to believe what they are actually seeing is really happening. While giving the "funeral" for the pet bird, Robbie asks if they can later dig it up so they can "see the bones". At the end of the film he is indeed treated to seeing "dug up bones", only they were not ones he had in mind.

Great movie, great acting, great scary fun! A+