Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Please don't spend money on this.

Lack of good storyline.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Poltergeist is an entertaining movie with good acting, a pleasant family and touches of humour but the horror scenes didn't deliver much impact.The storyline of a real estate agent, his homemaker wife, and three kids in a new suburban development built over a cemetery is the perfect setting for a horror movie. Unfortunately, the movie just didn't register on the fright meter. Beatrice Straight, the woman scorned in the movie Network, was the main paranormal. Excellent theatrical voice and expressive eyes.The whole movie had an undercurrent of humour and human warmth typical of writer Stephen Spielberg's early movies. I find it hard to watch a movie today with Craig Nelson without cracking a smile. Together with Jo Beth Williams, they reminded me of 1950's TV parents, the Nelsons or the Cleavers.There is a certain nostalgia about the movie as I look back at middle class parents in the era just before mobile phones, the internet and other shifts in the social landscape. That is what stayed with me after viewing this movie. An interesting period movie but not quite up to expectations.

Even with all the rumors about the Poltergeist movies' curse that victimized some thespians from the cast, one of the greatest unsolved mysteries about it, is how much it had Tober Hooper's contribution in the making of it or he was just a director-for-hire (in this particular case more of a 'ghost director') and the movie was, in fact, solo directed by Steven Spielberg.Well, some of the cast and crew alleged that Hooper "was just there", the others said that, in fact, he directed it under strictly supervision by Spielberg who was always on the set. Which of the sides are right, probably we'll never know, but one thing is true for sure, the movie looks and feels more like a Spielberg directed movie than having Hooper's creativity touch in it.From the emotional tone to the uneven, relatively slow pace; the engaging, but a bit corny storytelling; the evolving camera-work; the skilled staging of the sequences (totally 'Spielberg-ish'); the dark humour inserted; the naivety on the children's point of view; the over-exaggerated allusion to "Star Wars"; lead character first name, Steven or the over-the-top / campy horror sequences, "Poltergeist" sweats Spielberg from every skin pore. It's Spielberg's baby, only got the "directed by" credit from someone else (Hooper was chosen due to his work on "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre"), because he was contractual obligated to helm "E.T." for Universal. The only contribution from Hooper may have been on those thrilling horror sequences involving the skeletons, the rescue of Carol Anne or the escape from the house, but even that, i have my serious doubts, because Spielberg have done something similar a year before when Indy and Marion were trying to get out from the Well of Souls.As a movie which relies too much on its storytelling and the visual side of it (the mastering of suspense, the jump scares, the special effects that may look cheesy for today's standards, but were frightening back in the day...), most of the cast were recruited as 'jobbers', but JoBeth Williams (even if she looked way too young for her role as the desperate Mom) and Craig T. Nelson did OK in their roles. Zelda Rubinstein and the Academy Award Winner, Beatrice Straight offered strong support, even if the real stand-out was one of the cutest child actors that ever appeared on-screen, the then 6 years old Heather O'Rourke, who was absolute brilliant, captivating and haunting as Carol Anne. Ill-fated Dominique Dunne (the younger sister of actor Griffin Dunne), who unfortunately didn't live to attend the premiere, wasn't much of an actress and her scenes were cut short (on purpose or not...).In short, "Poltergeist" is for an old-fashioned ghost story, what the future "The Goonies" is for a pre-puberty daring adventure, both penned by a director who based it on his own dreams (& experiences) from when he was a young boy, full of imagination & creativity, and avid to become a filmmaker. It's a shame that he kind of lost his touch since the early 90's...

Poltergeist is the 198(like)2? Horror film. It stars Jobeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson as a couple living in a house and are plagued by evil spirits,threatening to take there daughter. So,Poltergeist is directed by Tobe Hooper..they say,ya,don't think so,who apparently directed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and of course,straight away,Poltergeist became a box office hit as well as a brilliant film in the horror genre,and guess what?! I'm here to talk why. Not only,is Poltergeist a brilliant film,but it's so realistic and chilling,most people now would be like 'oh my god,this isn't scary,what the hell is up with you,let's watch Paranormal Activity' well I actually think Poltergeist is quite creepy,there are scenes in this film that actually gave me goosebumps. The acting obviously was brilliant in the film especially from little star Heather O'Rouke. Poltergeist is a brilliant,one of the best,horror films!!

Saw this in the mid 80s on a VHS. Found it to be really scary. Revisited it recently aft watching the remake. The remake was bad. This movies effects were really good for that time. It has diminished over the years but the movie still stands out as one of the best pg13 horror. Moving household items, flickering lights, sudden rain n thunder, ghost investigators coming to live at the house, people passing thru another dimension/ghost world were all the stuff which inspired future horror films. The creepy smiling clown n the big monster tree really added to the scary stuff. Kids will definitely enjoy this as it lacks the tension n violence. Don't let the names of Hooper n Spielberg fool u. Its not brutal or violent neither it is tame or mild. It does hav some creepy n scary stuff.