Poltergeist

A peaceful suburban home suddenly becomes a gateway for enraged ghosts who kidnap a little girl and take her to their twilight world. Hiring paranormal experts, the girl’s family attempts to discover why she was taken and how to get her back., A suburban house is plagued by “noisy ghosts” (poltergeists) who abduct the young daughter of the owners, so a parapsychologist and a “haunted-house cleaner” are brought in to rescue the little girl, whose father uncovers the reasons why their home has been chosen to play host to malevolent spirits., With Poltergeist, directed by Tobe Hopper, Steven Spielberg had his first great success as a producer. Released around the same time as Spielberg’s E.T., the film presents the dark side of Spielberg’s California suburban track homes. The film centers on the Freeling family, a typical middle class family living in the peaceful Cuesta Verde Estates. The father, Steve (Craig T. Nelson), has fallen asleep in front of the television, and the dog saunters around the house revealing the other family members — Steve’s wife Diane (JoBeth Williams), sixteen-year-old daughter Dana (Dominique Dunne), eight-year-old son Robbie (Oliver Robins), and five-year-old Carol Ann (Heather O’Rourke). Soon strange things begin to happen around the house; the pet canary dies, mysterious storms occur, and Carol Ann is summoned to the TV set, where a strange shaft of green light hits her and causes the room to shake (“They’re he-e-ere!”). As curious events continue, Carol Ann is repeatedly drawn to the television, where she begins to talk to “the TV people.” Soon Carol Ann is sucked into a closet, disappearing from this reality plane. Unable to find his daughter, Steve consults Dr. Lesh (Beatrice Straight), a para-psychologist from a nearby college. Lesh finds that paranormal phenomena is so strong in the Freelong household she is unable to deal with it and sends for clairvoyant and professional exorcist Tangina (Zelda Rubinstein) to examine the house in hopes of finding Carol Ann. Tangina makes a horrifying discovery: Carol Ann is alive and in the house, but is being held on another spectral plane., A peaceful suburban home suddenly becomes a gateway for enraged ghosts. The family residing in the house start noticing their presence. Before they could act upon it, the ghosts kidnap their youngest daughter and take her to their twilight world. Hiring paranormal experts, the girl’s family attempts to discover why she was taken and how to get her back.