Board 8 Watches and Ranks 80s Horror - The Rankings

18. Poltergeist (1982, 222 points)
Directed by: Tobe Hooper / Screenplay by: Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais, Mark Victor
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Why Its Significant - A box office smash and critical darling, Poltergeist was a collaborative effort between two legends who need no introduction - Tobe Hooper & Steven Spielberg. Poltergeist innovated and redefined the haunted house genre. Poltergeist steered away from gothic mansions and placed the horror within the idyllic confines of a California suburb. Another distinctive feature of Poltergeist was its melding of the supernatural with the technological age. The television, a symbol of connection and entertainment, became a conduit between the real world and the spectral realm. Poltergeist was also lauded for its special effects, produced by Industrial Light and Magic, utilizing a mix of practical and innovative techniques that received an Academy Award nomination for their efforts. It ushered in a new era of suburban horror and explored the anxieties of a changing world. It received two sequels, a remake, a TV series, Italian imitation (Ghosthouse), amusement park attractions, and potentially a new remake & TV series in the works, as well as being parodied by countless pieces of media over the decades.

The Rankers
Jcgamer107 - 3
Mythiot - 6
Inviso - 7
Lightning - 11
Snake - 16
Johnbobb - 17
Plasmabeam - 18
Evilordexdeath - 23
Fortybelowsummer - 23
Rockus - 23
Karo - 24
Bitto - 25
Seginustemple - 26

Jcgamer107 - 8/10

Inviso - The one was legitimately unsettling in the best possible way. No one actually dies in the entire film, which is kinda crazy for a horror movie. I was worried at first that having an almost two-hour long movie kick off the demonic stuff and literal abduction of a child around thirty minutes in would make the rest of the movie feel like it was dragging, but it didnt. If anything, thats where the movie really got interesting for me. Like, you start things off by setting the stage in a quiet suburb of cookie cutter houses (even emphasizing the formulaic design with two remotes operating on the same frequency in different houses), but even in those early scenes, with get the general creepiness of Carol Anne hearing voices in the static on TV. Hell, the earliest haunting scenes, as quick as they are to show up, set things up as well maybe youre not EVIL ghosts, right before flipping the switch and hitting the family with the abduction.

Anyway, Carol Anne gets ghostnapped (and her brother Robbie is nearly eaten by a demonic tree), and you see the toll it takes on the family. How are they supposed to explain that their daughter is in some weird ghost realm? The introduction of the paranormal investigators is both campy, yet also played completely straight, and it really sells the setting when theyre caught completely off-guard by how intense the haunting is. These are people legitimately terrified to have been brought into the house, and its only with the introduction of the creepy spirit medium that it feels like the tables are turning. Everything gets super intense, with the family trying to rescue Carol Anne and cleanse the spirits, and it SEEMS like this is where the movie is coming to its happy conclusionbut I LOVE that theres one final snag, as the Beast spirit is not ready to give up so easily.

The burial ground twist is funny too, especially once the entire neighborhood starts getting overwhelmed by the demonic power of the house. Its also just so weird to watch a house implode into a vortex of demonic energy. It just gives the movie a sense of weirdness and wackiness without diminishing the horror aspect of it, and I think that sells the film really well.

Lightning - Theyre here!

This is one of the biggest horror hits of the 1980s, defining a whole new wave of fun horror movies with almost a family friendly edge to them. Through all that it still manages to be effectively scary. You can feel the influence of Spielberg throughout this film, which makes sense as he purportedly ghost directed it.

This really is just a lot of fun throughout, from the early suggestions of a haunting to the scenes with the ghost hunters to the scares in the climax to the gag at the very end. It does feel a little predictable, though films like this are so influential you have to wonder if the reason for that is that this just affected so many other films.

Overall Poltergeist is a warm hearted yet still pretty frightening rollercoaster ride of a horror film that set the stage for a lot of modern, thrill ride style horror movies that we see today. Its far from the deepest film on the list, but it is one of the most enjoyable of them all.

4/5

Snake - Poltergeist is a chilling yet thrilling ride that takes the classic haunted house trope and infuses it with Spielbergian wonder. The film excels at building suspense. What starts with flickering television screens and furniture moving on their own escalates to clown doll attacks (TERRIFYING) and assaults from tree appendages. What really elevates the film are the performances though. The Freelings are a relatable family, and the actors breathe life into their characters in a way that makes you care deeply about their fate.

JoBeth Williams, as the concerned mother who fiercely protects her children, shows a masterclass in conveying escalating terror, from initial disbelief to raw maternal desperation. Craig T. Nelsons transition from denial to action is believable and adds depth to the narrative. And of course, Heather O'Rourke is simply unforgettable as Carol Anne, her wide eyes and unwavering chilling line delivery in "They're here..." are both parts endearing and deeply unsettling. And even Zelda Rubinstein as the quintessential horror film medium with her quirky charm and unexpected fierceness.

All these combinations make Poltergeist a genuinely unsettling and emotionally resonant experience and theres a reason its one of the most famous horror films of all time.

Johnbobb - For the most part, I enjoy Poltergeist. In many ways, it's kind of ahead of it's time in terms of special effects. However, I'm at a loss for things to really say about it. It's better than most 80s horror, and has a handful of very memorable and legitimately terrifying moments, even if it ultimately doesn't stick with me all that much as a whole.

Plasmabeam - Like most stories about domestic hauntings, it didnt move the needle for me.