Poltergeist | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Tobe Hooper |
Produced by | |
Screenplay by |
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Story by | Steven Spielberg |
Starring | |
Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
Cinematography | Matthew F. Leonetti |
Edited by | Michael Kahn |
Production
company |
SLM Production Group
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Distributed by | MGM/UA Entertainment Co. |
Release date
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Running time
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114 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $10.7 million |
Box office | $121.7 million |
Poltergeist is a 1982 American supernatural horror film directed by Tobe Hooper. Steven Spielberg wrote and produced, but had a clause in his contract to prevent him from directing another movie while he made E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Therefore, Hooper was selected to direct based on his work on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It is the first and most successful entry in the Poltergeist film series. Set in a California suburb, the plot focuses on a family whose home is invaded by malevolent ghosts that abduct the family's younger daughter.
Released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on June 4, 1982, the film was a major critical and commercial success, achieving in being the eighth highest-grossing film of 1982. Years since its release, the film has been recognized as a classic within the horror genre and has gained a cult following. Aside for being nominated for three Academy Awards, a scene from the film was ranked as #80 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments and the Chicago Film Critics Association named it the 20th scariest film ever made. The film also appeared at #84 on American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Thrills, a list of America's most heart-pounding movies.
The Poltergeist franchise is believed by some to be cursed due to the premature deaths of several people associated with the film, a notion that was the focus of an E! True Hollywood Story. The film's success helped spawn a franchise consisting of two sequels and a remake of the same name which started production in late 2013, and was released in theaters on May 22, 2015.