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Poltergeist (1982)

PG 114 min  -  Horror  -   4 June 1982 (USA)
7.4
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Ratings: 7.4/10 from 49,912 users  
Reviews: 262 user | 136 critic

A family's home is haunted by a host of ghosts.

Director:

Tobe Hooper

Writers:

Steven Spielberg (screenplay), Michael Grais (screenplay), and 2 more credits »
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Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Craig T. Nelson ...
JoBeth Williams ...
Diane Freeling (as Jobeth Williams)
Beatrice Straight ...
Dominique Dunne Dominique Dunne ...
Oliver Robins ...
Heather O'Rourke ...
Michael McManus Michael McManus ...
Virginia Kiser Virginia Kiser ...
Martin Casella Martin Casella ...
Marty (as Marty Casella)
Richard Lawson ...
Zelda Rubinstein ...
Lou Perryman Lou Perryman ...
Pugsley (as Lou Perry)
Clair E. Leucart Clair E. Leucart ...
Bulldozer Driver (as Clair Leucart)
James Karen ...
Dirk Blocker Dirk Blocker ...
Jeff Shaw
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Storyline

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. Written by Rob Hartill  

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Television | Moving | Afterlife | Good Versus Evil  | See more »

Taglines:

From a dimension beyond the living, a terror to scare you to death. See more »

Genres:

Horror

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Juegos diabólicos See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$10,700,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$6,896,612 (USA) (6 June 1982) (890 Screens)

Gross:

$76,606,280 (USA)
See more »

Company Credits

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) (as Dolby Stereo) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally given a R rating, but the filmmakers protested successfully and got a PG rating (the PG-13 rating did not exist at the time). See more »

Goofs

Continuity: Carol Anne's bedroom door has six panels, but in the hall way when Diane Freeling was walking, all the doors were plain with no design. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Carol Anne: Hello? What do you look like? Talk louder, I can't hear you! Hey, hello! Hello, I can't hear you! Five. Yes. Yes. I don't know. I don't know.
See more »

Crazy Credits

After the credits and the logo of the MGM lion is shown, we hear children
laughing. Fans of the film have assumed that the laughing children are
those who have been released from the beast and have crossed over the
threshold into the next life. See more »


Soundtracks

"The Star-Spangled Banner"
(1814) (uncredited)
Music based on "The Anacreontic Song" by John Stafford Smith
Played as TV sign-off music several times See more »