Poltergeist 1982

Critics score:
88 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Vincent Canby, New York Times: Poltergeist is like a thoroughly enjoyable nightmare, one that you know that you can always wake up from, and one in which, at the end, no one has permanently been damaged. It's also witty in a fashion that Alfred Hitchcock might have appreciated. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Hooper and Spielberg hold our interest by observing the everyday rituals of this family so closely that, since the family seems real, the weird events take on a certain credibility by association. Read more

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader: Though the shocks are well conveyed, it's the sweetness that lingers, making this the first cute and cuddly entry in the genre. Read more

TIME Magazine: The film delivers honest special-effects shocks without forfeiting its good nature. Read more

David Pirie, Time Out: It is consistently redeemed by its creator's dazzling sense of craft. Read more

Variety Staff, Variety: Given the talents, Poltergeist is an annoying film because it could have been so much better. Read more