Poltergeist (1982)
82%RT Audience Score: 79%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 3 Oscars
4 wins & 8 nominations total
Smartly filmed, tightly scripted, and — most importantly — consistently frightening, Poltergeist is a modern horror classic
Poltergeist is the perfect movie to watch if you want to be scared and entertained at the same time. It’s a classic haunted house story that will make you jump out of your seat, but it also has a lot of heart. Plus, who doesn’t love a good ghost story? The special effects may be a bit dated, but that just adds to the charm. So grab some popcorn, turn off the lights, and get ready for a spooky good time!
Production Company(ies)
Columbia Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Bill, Phillips
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
4267 Roxbury Street, Forest Hills, Simi Valley, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1982
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 54m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 4, 1982 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 9, 2007
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
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Worldwide gross: $77,177,301
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $244,012,409
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 593
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 26,609,859
US/Canada gross: $77,177,301
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $244,012,409
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 269
US/Canada opening weekend: $6,896,612
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $21,805,102
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 610
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $10,700,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $33,830,320
Production budget ranking: 1,081
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $18,217,627
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $191,964,462
ROI to date (est.): 369%
ROI ranking: 368
JoBeth Williams – Diane Freeling
Beatrice Straight – Dr. Lesh
Dominique Dunne – Dana Freeling
Oliver Robins – Robbie Freeling
Heather O’Rourke – Carol Anne Freeling
Director – Tobe Hooper
Producers – Frank Marshall, Steven Spielberg
Writers – Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais, Mark Victor
Director(s)
Tobe Hooper
Writer(s)
Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais, Mark Victor
Producer(s)
Frank Marshall, Steven Spielberg
Film Festivals
Toronto
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
4 wins & 8 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (67) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (58) | Rotten (9)
One of the most fun haunted house movies ever made.
October 3, 2020 | Rating: B+
Chris Stuckmann
ChrisStuckmann.com
TOP CRITIC
[It] raises interesting psychological issues in the context of a baroque ghost story. It’s a devastating commentary on the tv-oriented suburban lifestyle. Finally, it demonstrates the power and efficacy of the story told from the child’s point of view.
April 27, 2018
Bruce McCabe
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
After a quarter-century, Poltergeist remains one of the most popular movies whose reputation rests almost exclusively on behind-the-scenes diversions.
October 23, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/4
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
A surprisingly yet successfully restrained lesson in how to haunt a house.
September 25, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Given the talents, Poltergeist is an annoying film because it could have been so much better.
September 25, 2007
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Though the shocks are well conveyed, it’s the sweetness that lingers, making this the first cute and cuddly entry in the genre.
September 25, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Poltergeist is a compelling entry that resides in a simpler, but no less effective time of supernatural horror.
November 12, 2021
Kristy Strouse
Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying
Fortunately, Spielberg has maintained a wry sense of humor throughout, and that makes most of this affair rather fun.
November 11, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
Peter Stack
San Francisco Examiner
Poltergeist has a humanity, a care for genuine human feeling, rarely found in scare-movies — I left not so much afraid of nightmares, as I often am, but hoping to find a ghost of my own to mess with.
November 10, 2021
Michael Ventura
L.A. Weekly
The movie feels more family sensitive than Hooper’s other works but includes its share of creepy moments and good reasons not to build your house on top of a cemetery. It also offers a classic phrase to raise hairs on the neck…
October 15, 2021
Robin Holabird
Robin Holabird
One of the all-time great haunted-house epics.
September 6, 2020 | Rating: 9/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Poltergeist doesn’t deserve serious attention… It lacks minimal logic and a coherent objective. [Full Review in Spanish]
August 26, 2019
Diego Galán
El Pais (Spain)…
Plot
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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about Poltergeist.
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