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Poltergeist (1982) 7.4
A family's home is haunted by a host of ghosts. Director:Tobe Hooper |
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Craig T. Nelson | ... | ||
| JoBeth Williams | ... |
Diane Freeling
(as Jobeth Williams)
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| Beatrice Straight | ... | ||
| Dominique Dunne | ... | ||
| Oliver Robins | ... | ||
| Heather O'Rourke | ... | ||
 |
Michael McManus | ... | |
|
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Virginia Kiser | ... | |
|
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Martin Casella | ... | |
| Richard Lawson | ... | ||
| Zelda Rubinstein | ... | ||
| James Karen | ... | ||
|
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Lou Perryman | ... |
Pugsley
(as Lou Perry)
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|
|
Clair E. Leucart | ... |
Bulldozer Driver
(as Clair Leucart)
|
| Dirk Blocker | ... |
Jeff Shaw
|
|
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
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Storyline
A young family are visited by ghosts in their home. At first the ghosts appear friendly, moving objects around the house to the amusement of everyone, then they turn nasty and start to terrorise the family before they "kidnap" the youngest daughter. Written by Rob Hartill
Plot Keywords:
ghost | moving | television | brother sister relationship | alternate dimension |Taglines:
Some things have to be believed to be seen. See more »Genres:
HorrorParents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
4 June 1982 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Juegos diabólicos See more »Box Office
Budget:
$10,700,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend:
$6,896,612 (USA) (4 June 1982)Gross:
$6,896,612 (USA) (4 June 1982)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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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.
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(1814) (uncredited)
Music based on "The Anacreontic Song" by John Stafford Smith
Played as TV sign-off music several times
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Spielberg hired Tobe Hooper after being impressed with his work on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. See more »Goofs
The shadow of the rig "flying" Diane's stunt double is visible against the wall as she is propelled backwards by the shock of grabbing the doorknob. See 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.
See more »
Crazy Credits
After the credits and the logo of the MGM lion is shown, we hear children laughing. Fans of the film have assumed that the laughing children are those who have been released from the beast and have crossed over the threshold into the next life. See more »Soundtracks
"The Star-Spangled Banner"(1814) (uncredited)
Music based on "The Anacreontic Song" by John Stafford Smith
Played as TV sign-off music several times
See more »
Poltergeist was one of the films of the 80s that many kids of that era remember renting when VCRs were already a very popular thing. Like The Exorcist, it has been embedded into our movie culture as one of the great scary movies.
This film has been credited as having great special effects. But what I love about this movie is that, like other Spielberg films, the FXs are not offered to us at the expense of the film. That is, the effects aren't used to cover up holes. This is very popular in movies today. With the advancement in computer technology, many filmmakers decide that they can write their script on a POST-IT note and fill in the missing pieces with million-dollar special effects. But Spielberg films do not do this. Even in films like Jurassic Park which was a special effects showcase, the computer technology did not cover for anything. It enhanced the film to make it absolutely spectacular.
Poltergeist seems to be in the same vein as JAWS in that the monster is not shown right off the bat. Though a film like this is intended to be far-fetched and exploding, it is done in such a way that we almost could believe that this is what a real haunting would be like. We don't see a slimy creature around every corner. Instead, fear of the unknown is used. And Spielberg was a genius in tapping into childhood fears. Clowns, trees, lightning, closets...genius! Because, though we all tend to grow out of our childhood fears, there is still something terrifying about looking at them as an adult.
A great concept and great acting come together to make a truly unique movie. The long-debated question as to whether Tobe Hooper (the film's credited director) actually directed much or whether Spielberg took over for most of it, has never been satisfied. However, the film seems to show more tones of Spielberg than anything.
See it. * * * 1/2 out of * * * *