Poltergeist (1982)

Simply Perfect

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

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. Poltergeist is a pretty watchable but also entertaining horror flick but it's far from being as good as it could have been as well cause i didn't found it that scary to be honest but it's special effects and the acting was a major plus for sure also even Steven Spielberg was a producer so that says something. (7.5/10)

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.

I watched this movie as a kid and only recently rewatched it recently. I love the monstrosities that it creates, obviously being something different than just ghosts. It makes me feel bad for the family, and depending on how much you believe in this kind of stuff, it can be a problem people really experience. The ending however leaves you somewhat unsure of what will happen to the family, and if their reputation will rebuild itself. Great effects for its time though, really can give you a good scare if you're fragile enough, haha.

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.