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Poltergeist

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Poltergeist (1982)

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Reviews Counted:49

Fresh:42

Rotten:7

Average Rating:7.1/10

Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: Ghosts invade suburbia in this 1982 horror film from director Tobe Hooper (TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) and producer Steven Spielberg. Life in the Freeling family's tract home is comfortably bland, but... Ghosts invade suburbia in this 1982 horror film from director Tobe Hooper (TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) and producer Steven Spielberg. Life in the Freeling family's tract home is comfortably bland, but frisky poltergeists soon put a little excitement into their daily routine--moving furniture and communicating with their youngest daughter, Carol Anne, through the television set. Unfortunately, harmless pranks quickly turn nasty and the previously friendly ghosts kidnap Carol Anne, trapping her in the spirit world. To win the child back, the family calls in a team of parapsychologists and a psychic who conducts an elaborate exorcism. The apocalyptic finale is deliciously macabre, and pushed the limits of the PG rating. A number of sequels followed, and speculation still remains on whether Spielberg--who wrote the story and storyboarded the action--essentially ghost directed the film. [More]

Starring: Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, Dominique Dunne

Starring: Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, Dominique Dunne, Oliver Robbins, Zelda Rubinstein

Director: Tobe Hooper

Director: Tobe Hooper
Screenwriter: Michael Grais, Mark Victor, Steven Spielberg
Producer: Frank Marshall, Steven Spielberg
Composer: Jerry Goldsmith

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Feb 15, 2000

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Poltergeist

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Spielberg clockwork: great suburbs, great special effects, great abuse of an expositive score, great overuse of the slow push-in, great hot mom, great irrelevant dad, great plucky little kids.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
02/22/09
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

Spielberg clockwork.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
02/22/09
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

Think of it more as a fun-ride than a horror movie.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
10/11/08
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Twenty-five years on, the film is still looking remarkably good %u2013 and, I'm betting sales of clown dolls have never quite recovered.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
12/07/07
Amber Wilkinson
Amber Wilkinson
Eye for Film

After a quarter-century, Poltergeist remains one of the most popular movies whose reputation rests almost exclusively on behind-the-scenes diversions.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
10/23/07
Eric Henderson
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine

It's a highly effective and uncommonly emotional horror film, and in the summer of 1982, I preferred it to Spielberg's more universally admired E.T.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
10/18/07
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

So darn good it makes me wish Spielberg hadn't given up on the horror genre.

Full Review Source: FEARnet | comment Comment
10/12/07
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
FEARnet

At first this takes the form of your classic poltergeist activity (moved furniture, that kind of thing), but it becomes weirder.

Full Review Source: Film4 | comment Comment
09/25/07
Film4

A surprisingly yet successfully restrained lesson in how to haunt a house.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
09/25/07
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine

Given the talents, Poltergeist is an annoying film because it could have been so much better.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment 2 Comments
09/25/07
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A vapid, silly horror movie with occasional moments of promise that ultimately fails due to an overdose of cuteness.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment 4 Comments
09/25/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Though the shocks are well conveyed, it's the sweetness that lingers, making this the first cute and cuddly entry in the genre.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
09/25/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
02/25/07
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

It is consistently redeemed by its creator's dazzling sense of craft.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out

Pull your face off and wallow in the creepy goodness.

comment Comment
11/09/05
Kevin A. Ranson
Kevin A. Ranson
MovieCrypt.com

Hooper's skill with gore combined with Spielberg's ability to sanitize anything into family-friendliness makes Poltergeist a smash horror hit -- and it's rated PG.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
10/01/05
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

No review available.

comment Comment
09/18/05
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

No review available.

comment Comment
06/30/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

That it's all hokum gets washed aside by the believable and perceptive family value story set in bland suburbia.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
06/20/05
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
06/03/05
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for Poltergeist

January 27, 2010: Zelda Rubinstein: 1933-2010 Opens in new window
Zelda Rubinstein, the actress most famously remembered for her portrayal of the psychic Tangina Barrons in the "Poltergeist" movies, has passed away. She was 76. More...

August 13, 2009: Poltergeist Remake Arriving in November 2010 Opens in new window
MGM is moving forward with its planned "Poltergeist" remake, setting aside November 24, 2010 for its release. More...

March 24, 2009: Screenwriters Talk Poltergeist, The Birds Remakes Opens in new window
What would possess a screenwriter to try and update "The Birds" and "Poltergeist"? Thanks to a new interview with husband-and-wife duo Stiles White and Juliet Snowden, you can... More...

September 02, 2008: Perelman in Talks for Poltergeist Remake Opens in new window
Could Vadim Perelman wind up directing MGM's upcoming "Poltergeist" remake? More...

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