Poltergeist (1982)

Genre: Horror

Directed by: Tobe Hooper

Cast: JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Heather O’Rourke

Running time: 93 minutes

Steven and Diane Freeling are living in a cozy little Californian suburb, but their idyllic life turns to a nightmare when an evil spirit, or poltergeist, abducts Carol Anne, the couple’s youngest daughter, within her home. The Freelings will seek help from ghost experts to retrieve their sweet little girls from the grip of these malevolent ghostly creatures.

Written by the great Steven Spielberg, the original Poltergeist movie remains a classic to this day. The special effects were particularly well done, especially for the era when the film was made. Also, the Freelings felt like a real tight-knit family who would go through hellfire and brimstone to get one of their own back. It did not feel fake at all. Everybody was good in their respective roles.

While not the scariest movie of all-time, Poltergeist does a solid job of keeping you on edge. With good acting, a compelling storyline and great special effect, it is a film well worth seeing, if you haven’t already done so. If you have seen it, it is good enough to watch again. It is sad to think that two of the movie’s starts, Heather O’Rourke and Dominique Dunne, would die prematurely a few years after its release.

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