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Adult Fear is no longer a trope
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* NothingIsScarier: The "other side" of the portals is never shown and we can only understand the experience of the dimension/plane from the visual of bright light and sounds that make it out. This makes Carol Anne's danger trapped there more frightening, [[spoiler:the rescue more tense,]] and making her feel more tragically, anxiously detached to amplify the AdultFear of a child going missing in peril.
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* NothingIsScarier: The "other side" of the portals is never shown and we can only understand the experience of the dimension/plane from the visual of bright light and sounds that make it out. This makes Carol Anne's danger trapped there more frightening, [[spoiler:the rescue more tense,]] and making her feel more tragically, anxiously detached to amplify the AdultFear horror of a child going missing in peril.
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* BlackComedyPetDeath: Tweety's death is an omen, but it has a funny portrayal as well. Diane discovers Tweeety dead in his cage and is caught by Carol Anne while trying to discreetly flush him down the toilet without her knowing. Caught in an awkward spot, Diane concedes to a burial for Tweety which Dana and Robbie interrupt to mock it, and even though Carol Anne gives a sincere and sweet funeral, she gets over it very quickly to ask Diane for a goldfish.
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** Robbie has some blood on his face following Carol Anne's disappearance, which is alarmingly gruesome to see on a child.
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** Robbie has some blood on his face from the tree attack, seen more clearly following Carol Anne's disappearance, which is alarmingly gruesome to see on a child.
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* CanaryInACoalMine: PlayedWith, the Freeling's pet canary dies as if to signify a harmful presence is coming over the house. From here, the situation goes downhill before the home becomes properly haunted.
* CollapsingLair: The ghosts fail to take any of the family back to the other side, so they settle for taking the house instead. The entire house collapses and disappears into the Other Dimension. [[note]]Steven later notes in the sequel that he has a very hard time explaining ''that'' to the insurance company.[[/note]]
* CollapsingLair: The ghosts fail to take any of the family back to the other side, so they settle for taking the house instead. The entire house collapses and disappears into the Other Dimension. [[note]]Steven later notes in the sequel that he has a very hard time explaining ''that'' to the insurance company.[[/note]]
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* CanaryInACoalMine: PlayedWith, Invoked with the Freeling's very bird itself-- Carol Anne's pet canary dies as if to signify a harmful presence Tweety is coming over the house. From here, the situation goes downhill before the home discovered dead in his cage by Diane, an odd misfortune that in hindsight becomes properly haunted.
visible as the first sign of the ghostly influence that will wreak havoc on the Freelings.
* CollapsingLair: The ghosts fail to take any of the family back to the other side, so they settle for taking the house instead. The entire house collapses and disappears into the OtherDimension.Dimension, folding in on itself as it gets sucked into the portal. [[note]]Steven later notes in the sequel that he has a very hard time explaining ''that'' to the insurance company.[[/note]]
* CollapsingLair: The ghosts fail to take any of the family back to the other side, so they settle for taking the house instead. The entire house collapses and disappears into the Other
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** Tweety being a canary that suddenly dies of no known cause is a thematic piece of foreshadowing-- he is a figurative canary in a coal mine; the weakest link whose death portends a danger that others should be aware of before it gets them too.
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** A microcosm of the larger switch features with the clown doll in the kids' room. It's a prominently creepy presence in the film that scares Robbie and seems rife for possession, but it doesn't get any grand payoff by the point of the climax where Tangina helps the Freelings retrieve Carol Anne, leaving it feeling like a RedHerring. [[spoiler: Then it turns out we were baited ''twice''-- first to think the doll would get a big scare, and then to think it ''wouldn't''. The first impression was correct--the doll gets screentime again, attacking in a memorable startle (that also falsely baits the viewer as to where it will pop up) to keep Robbie away from Carol Anne, all serving as the opening of the ''true'' climax and an event that announces that the trouble is far from over.]]
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** A microcosm of the larger switch features with the clown doll in the kids' room. It's a prominently creepy presence in the film that scares Robbie and seems rife ripe for possession, possession and a big scare, but it the doll doesn't get any grand payoff by the point of the climax where Tangina helps the Freelings retrieve Carol Anne, leaving it feeling like a RedHerring. [[spoiler: Then it turns out we were baited ''twice''-- first to think the doll would get a big scare, and then to think it ''wouldn't''. The first impression was correct--the doll gets screentime again, attacking in a memorable startle (that also falsely baits the viewer as to where it will pop up) to keep Robbie away from Carol Anne, all serving as the opening of the ''true'' climax and an event that announces that the trouble is far from over.]]
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* BackToCameraPose: The film's lobby poster depicts little Carol with her back to the viewer while she puts her hands against a television screen (the old cathode-ray tube kind) that's full of static. Her caption is "They're here."
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* BackToCameraPose: The film's lobby poster depicts little Carol Anne with her back to the viewer while she puts her hands against a television screen (the old cathode-ray tube kind) that's full of static. Her caption is "They're here."
* NothingIsScarier: The "other side" of the portals is never shown and we can only understand the experience of the dimension/plane from the visual of bright light and sounds that make it out. This makes Carol Anne's danger trapped there more frightening, [[spoiler:the rescue more tense,]] and making her feel more tragically, anxiously detached to amplify the AdultFear of a child going missing in peril.
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* OminousTelevision: The TV is presented as a conduit for the malevolent spirits that haunt the home, Carol mesmerized by it as the hauntings grow malignant and her parents being able to hear her voice through it.
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* OminousTelevision: The TV is presented as a conduit for the malevolent spirits that haunt the home, Carol Anne mesmerized by it as the hauntings grow malignant and her parents being able to hear her voice through it.
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* BaitAndSwitch: The clown doll in the kids' room is a prominently creepy presence in the film that scares Robbie and seems rife for possession, but it doesn't get any grand payoff by the point of the climax where Tangina helps the Freelings retrieve Carol Anne, leaving it feeling like a RedHerring. [[spoiler: Then it turns out we were baited ''twice''-- first to think the doll would get a big scare, and then to think it ''wouldn't''. The first impression was correct--the doll gets screentime again and attacks and keeps Robbie away from Carol Anne as the opening of the ''true'' climax, an event that announces that the trouble is far from over.]]
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* BaitAndSwitch: BaitAndSwitch:
** The film pulls out all the stops for a visually and emotionally dramatic climax once expert psychic Tangina Barrons steps in and successfully helps Diane and Steven retrieve Carol Anne from the other side, even proclaiming with contented authority that "this house is clean". [[spoiler:The resulting denouement of the film then...continues, running past the point where a film with the rescue as a climax should have cut to credits. Indeed, the film had been quite far from pulling out all the stops, as more scares unpeel the remaining danger and the Beast makes one last cataclysmic push to steal Carol Anne, providing the film's true climax.]]
** A microcosm of the larger switch features with the clown doll in the kids'room is room. It's a prominently creepy presence in the film that scares Robbie and seems rife for possession, but it doesn't get any grand payoff by the point of the climax where Tangina helps the Freelings retrieve Carol Anne, leaving it feeling like a RedHerring. [[spoiler: Then it turns out we were baited ''twice''-- first to think the doll would get a big scare, and then to think it ''wouldn't''. The first impression was correct--the doll gets screentime again and attacks and keeps again, attacking in a memorable startle (that also falsely baits the viewer as to where it will pop up) to keep Robbie away from Carol Anne Anne, all serving as the opening of the ''true'' climax, climax and an event that announces that the trouble is far from over.]]
** The film pulls out all the stops for a visually and emotionally dramatic climax once expert psychic Tangina Barrons steps in and successfully helps Diane and Steven retrieve Carol Anne from the other side, even proclaiming with contented authority that "this house is clean". [[spoiler:The resulting denouement of the film then...continues, running past the point where a film with the rescue as a climax should have cut to credits. Indeed, the film had been quite far from pulling out all the stops, as more scares unpeel the remaining danger and the Beast makes one last cataclysmic push to steal Carol Anne, providing the film's true climax.]]
** A microcosm of the larger switch features with the clown doll in the kids'
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** After the immortal statement of, "They're here!", we see a bulldozer tearing up ground for the pool. As it does, it digs up the cigar box Tweetie was buried in, [[spoiler:previewing the reveal of what the development is built on]].
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** After the immortal statement of, "They're here!", we see a bulldozer tearing up ground for the pool. As it does, it digs up the cigar box Tweetie was buried in, [[spoiler:previewing the reveal of what the development is built on]].on and the eventual paranormal resurfacing of the human caskets and corpses below]].
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** A hiccup occurs during the rescue of Carol Anne--[[spoiler:Steven pulls the rope to the Other Side too early out of fear and ends up briefly pulling out the Beast]] before Diane and Carol Anne are saved. This indicates that one of the objectives-- [[spoiler:getting all of the spirits to pass on]], has failed even though Carol Anne was saved, and indeed, [[spoiler:the Beast, the one remaining spirit, returns to exert its influence shortly after, leading to the destruction of the house and the near loss of Carol Anne for good.])
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* BaitAndSwitch: The clown doll in the kids' room is a prominently creepy presence in the film that scares Robbie and seems rife for possession, but it doesn't become supernatural by the point of the climax where Tangina helps the Freelings retrieve Carol Anne, leaving it feeling like a RedHerring. [[spoiler: Then it turns out we were baited ''twice''-- first to think the doll would get scary, and then to think it ''wouldn't''. The first impression was correct--the doll gets screentime again and attacks and keeps Robbie away from Carol Anne as the opening of the ''true'' climax, an event that announces that the trouble is far from over.]]
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* BaitAndSwitch: The clown doll in the kids' room is a prominently creepy presence in the film that scares Robbie and seems rife for possession, but it doesn't become supernatural get any grand payoff by the point of the climax where Tangina helps the Freelings retrieve Carol Anne, leaving it feeling like a RedHerring. [[spoiler: Then it turns out we were baited ''twice''-- first to think the doll would get scary, a big scare, and then to think it ''wouldn't''. The first impression was correct--the doll gets screentime again and attacks and keeps Robbie away from Carol Anne as the opening of the ''true'' climax, an event that announces that the trouble is far from over.]]
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* BaitAndSwitch: The clown doll in the kids' room is a prominently creepy presence in the film that scares Robbie and seems rife for possession, but it doesn't become supernatural by the point of the climax where Tangina helps the Freelings retrieve Carol Anne, leaving it feeling like a RedHerring. [[spoiler: Then it turns out we were baited ''twice''-- first to think the doll would get scary, and then to think it ''wouldn't''. The first impression was correct--the doll gets screentime again and attacks and keeps Robbie away from Carol Anne as the opening of the ''true'' climax, an event that announces that the trouble is far from over.]]
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* IKnowWhatYouFear: Tangina warns the Freelings that [[spoiler:The Beast]] can sense their fears and exploit them, which has already been seen clearly with Robbie being attacked by the tree he was scared of and will be seen later [[spoiler:in the true climax with Robbie being attacked again by the clown doll we've seen make him scared before without a scary payoff.]]
to:
* IKnowWhatYouFear: Tangina warns the Freelings that [[spoiler:The [[spoiler:the Beast]] can sense their fears and exploit them, them to keep them from saving Carol Anne, which has already been seen clearly with Robbie being attacked by the tree he was scared of and will be seen again later [[spoiler:in the true climax with Robbie being attacked again by the his other fear--the clown doll we've seen make him scared before uneasy earlier without a scary payoff.]]
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* IKnowWhatYouFear: Tangina warns the Freelings that [[spoiler:The Beast]] can sense their fears and exploit them, which has already been seen clearly with Robbie being attacked by the tree he was scared of and will be seen later [[spoiler:in the true climax with Robbie being attacked again by the clown doll we've seen make him scared before without a scary payoff.]]
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* TheDollEpisode: A large clown doll figures prominently in one scare scene.
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* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: The Freeling family has been through so much, clearly traumatized from their [[TraumaCongaLine horror upon horror experience]] at their haunted house, which has been sucked into another plane of existence. However, it's implied Teague will be facing consequences for desecrating the graves. Meanwhile, although the whole thing has left them shaken up, at least the Freeling family have each other [[EarnYourHappyEnding once more]] and have earned a peaceful night's reprieve at a motel. And to [[PlayedForLaughs lighten the mood]], the movie ends with Steven unceremoniously [[WeAreNotGoingThroughThatAgain pushing the television out of their motel room]].]]
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* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: The Freeling family has been through so much, clearly traumatized from their [[TraumaCongaLine horror upon horror experience]] at their haunted house, which has been sucked into another plane of existence. However, it's implied Teague will be facing consequences for desecrating the graves. Meanwhile, although the whole thing has left them shaken up, at least the Freeling family have each other [[EarnYourHappyEnding once more]] and have earned a peaceful night's reprieve at a motel.Holiday Inn. And to [[PlayedForLaughs lighten the mood]], the movie ends with Steven unceremoniously [[WeAreNotGoingThroughThatAgain pushing the television out of their motel room]].]]
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* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: The Freeling family has been through so much, clearly traumatized from their [[TraumaCongaLine horror upon horror experience]] at their haunted house, which has been sucked into another plane of existence. However, it's implied Teague will be facing consequences for desecrating the graves. Meanwhile, although the whole thing has left them shaken up, at least the Freeling family have each other [[EarnYourHappyEnding once more]] and have earned a peaceful night's reprieve at a motel. And to [[PlayedForLaughs lighten the mood]], the movie ends with Steven unceremoniously [[WeAreNotGoingThroughThatAgain pushing the television out of their motel room]].]]
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cut trope
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* RapunzelHair: Carol Anne's hair reaches at least down to her waist, sometimes it appears even longer.
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Skunk Stripe is no longer a trope. Zero Context Examples and examples that do fit existing tropes will be deleted.
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* SkunkStripe: After [[spoiler:going to the Other Side to rescue Carol Anne]], Diane, who's naturally brown-haired, has a streak of white hair at her temples.
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* OtherworldlyVisitsYoungestFirst: Carol Anne Freeling is the first to encounter the mysterious presence in their new home. But events move swiftly to reveal that the poltergeists are quite real, especially after Carol Anne is abducted by the spirits.
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Renamed one trope.
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* EverybodyLives: [[spoiler:Despite being a horror/thriller film, there are no murders or fatalities depicted in the film (well, except for Tweetie)]].
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* EverybodyLives: [[spoiler:Despite being a horror/thriller film, there are no murders or fatalities depicted in the film (well, except for Tweetie)]].Tweetie).]]
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* OrpheanRescue: Carol Anne is kidnapped by the ghosts and taken to the astral plane where they are trapped.
* RescuedFromTheUnderworld: Carol Anne is kidnapped by the ghosts and taken to the astral plane where they are trapped.
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* SuburbanGothic: A family living in a new planned community in California is terrorized by a poltergeist. It turns out that the neighborhood [[spoiler:was built on top of an old cemetery and only the headstones were moved prior to construction.]]
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* SuburbanGothic: A family living in a new planned community in California is terrorized by a poltergeist. It turns out that the neighborhood [[spoiler:was built on top of an old cemetery and only the headstones were moved prior to construction.]]construction]].
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The franchise is often said to be cursed, because several people associated with it, including stars Dominique Dunne and Creator/HeatherORourke, died prematurely. "The Poltergeist Curse" has been the focus of an E! True Hollywood Story. The first film is also known for persistent rumors that Spielberg directed most of the movie.
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The franchise is often said to be cursed, because several people associated with it, including stars Dominique Dunne Creator/DominiqueDunne and Creator/HeatherORourke, died prematurely. "The Poltergeist Curse" has been the focus of an E! True Hollywood Story. The first film is also known for persistent rumors that Spielberg directed most of the movie.
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* BackToCameraPose: The film's lobby poster depicts little Carol with her back to the viewer while she puts her hands against a television screen (the old cathode-ray tube kind) that's full of static. Her caption is "They're here."
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* QuietingTheUnquietDead: The medium Tangina coaxes all but one of the ghosts haunting the Freeling's house to pass into the light and the next plane of existence in their after-life journey.
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* AbsurdlyYouthfulMother: If one does the math; Diane is 32 and Dana is 16. The novelization clarifies that Diane is actually Steven's second wife, and only Dana's stepmother. Robbie and Carol Anne are Diane's children.
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* FanDisservice: Diane spending the last act of the film just in a baseball jersey and panties when she's being terrorised by the spirits, at one point nearly being raped by them.
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* INeedAFreakingDrink: PlayedForLaughs. Diane and Dr Lesh initially bond over a bottle of booze to de-stress from the supernatural events. A later scene then shows Diane turning the bottle upside down to reveal she's drunk everything herself.
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* YoungestChildWins: Carol Anne is the youngest in the Freeling family, and the only child born in the house. So she has supernatural powers, and can communicate with the dead.
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"Adult Fears are about the things mature, well-adjusted adults generally are concerned about, as opposed to supernatural, petty or far-fetched fears"
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* AdultFear: Your five-year-old daughter disappearing while seemingly safe in your house, then discovering that she has been taken by poltergeists that you have no idea how to deal with as she screams for help.
** On a similar note, your children’s lives are threatened by forces that you can’t really fight.
** On a similar note, your children’s lives are threatened by forces that you can’t really fight.
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This film was ranked as #80 on Bravo's ''Series/OneHundredScariestMovieMoments'' and the Chicago Film Critics Association named it the 20th scariest film ever made.
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This film was ranked as #80 on Bravo's ''Series/OneHundredScariestMovieMoments'' ''100 Scariest Movie Moments'' and the Chicago Film Critics Association named it the 20th scariest film ever made.
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* AdultFear: Your five-your-daughter disappearing while seemingly safe in your house, then discovering that she has been taken by poltergeists that you have no idea how to deal with as she screams for help.
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* AdultFear: Your five-your-daughter five-year-old daughter disappearing while seemingly safe in your house, then discovering that she has been taken by poltergeists that you have no idea how to deal with as she screams for help.
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** There's the scene where Marty hallucinates ripping his face off in the bathroom, and dripping blood into the sink.
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** There's the scene where Marty hallucinates ripping his face off in the bathroom, and dripping blood and flesh into the sink.
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* CreepyChild: Carol Anne has her moments. Witness her sing-song "theeeeeeyyyyy're heeeeerrreee!" after some ghosts try to reach for her through the TV screen and her parents wake up to see her sitting in front of the TV.
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* CreepyChild: Carol Anne has her moments. Witness her sing-song "theeeeeeyyyyy're "Theeeeeeyyyyy're heeeeerrreee!" after some ghosts try to reach for her through the TV screen and her parents wake up to see her sitting in front of the TV.
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* CuttingCorners: The realtor had to move a cemetery to develop his neighborhood, and did so... or rather, because it was too expensive, just moved the headstones and kept the corpses right where they were, probably hoping someone didn't digged deep enough to run into one of them.
to:
* CuttingCorners: The realtor had to move a cemetery to develop his neighborhood, and did so... or rather, because it was too expensive, just moved the headstones and kept the corpses right where they were, probably hoping someone didn't digged dig deep enough to run into one of them.
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* EndlessCorridor: Diane comes across one of these in their home supposedly caused by poltergeist activity warping the laws of physics or hallucination. Diane "dispells" it by breaking into a sprint. It's a VertigoEffect.
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* EndlessCorridor: Diane comes across one of these in their home supposedly caused by poltergeist activity warping the laws of physics or hallucination. Diane "dispells" "dispels" it by breaking into a sprint. It's a VertigoEffect.
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* EverybodyLives: [[spoiler:Despite being a horror/thriller film, there are no murders or fatalities depicted in the film (well, except for Tweety)]].
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* EverybodyLives: [[spoiler:Despite being a horror/thriller film, there are no murders or fatalities depicted in the film (well, except for Tweety)]].Tweetie)]].
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* {{Poltergeist}}: The film is haunting by the dead of an improperly relocated cemetery.
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* {{Poltergeist}}: The film is about a haunting by the dead of an improperly relocated cemetery.
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* RedHerring: When characters tell there's an Indian burial ground near the Freelings' house, the viewer (and probably the characters themselves, In Universe) would think that that would be the source of the ghostly disturbances. Turns out it's not responsible, just an indicator of what the realtor company's attitude towards sacred ground.
to:
* RedHerring: When characters tell mention there's an Indian burial ground near the Freelings' house, the viewer (and probably the characters themselves, In Universe) would think that that would be the source of the ghostly disturbances. Turns out it's not responsible, just an indicator of what the realtor company's attitude towards sacred ground.
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* TearOffYourFace: The psychic's assistant, Marty, hallucinates that he pulls off his own face.
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* TearOffYourFace: The psychic's psychiatrist's assistant, Marty, hallucinates that he pulls off his own face.
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Changed line(s) 97 (click to see context) from:
** The children's room is littered with ''Franchise/StarWars'' toys, a [[Series/SesameStreet Bert and Ernie]] poster and, for some reason, an ''Film/{{Alien}}'' poster.
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** The children's room is littered with ''Franchise/StarWars'' toys, a [[Series/SesameStreet Bert and Ernie]] poster and, for some reason, an ''Film/{{Alien}}'' poster. Given that there is no chance that a kindergartener like Carol Anne would ever be allowed to watch “Alien”…
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* OminousTelevision: The TV is presented as a conduit for the malevolent spirits that haunt the home, Carol mesmerized by it as the hauntings grow malignant and her parents being able to hear her voice through it.
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It was followed by two sequels and a reboot: ''Film/PoltergeistIITheOtherSide'' (1986), ''Film/PoltergeistIII'' (1988) and ''Film/{{Poltergeist|2015}}''.
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It was followed by two sequels and a reboot: ''Film/PoltergeistIITheOtherSide'' (1986), ''Film/PoltergeistIII'' (1988) and ''Film/{{Poltergeist|2015}}''.
''Film/{{Poltergeist|2015}}'' (2015).
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* AdultFear: Your five-your-daughter disappearing while seemingly safe in your house, then discovering that she has been taken by poltergeists that you have no idea how to deal with as she screams for help.
** On a similar note, your children’s lives are threatened by forces that you can’t really fight.
** On a similar note, your children’s lives are threatened by forces that you can’t really fight.
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* ABeastInNameAndNature: The sinister entity behind the haunting is referred to as "The Beast".
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* EverybodyLives: [[spoiler:Despite being a horror/thriller film, there are no murders or fatalities depicted in the film]].
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* EverybodyLives: [[spoiler:Despite being a horror/thriller film, there are no murders or fatalities depicted in the film]].film (well, except for Tweety)]].
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Moving to disambiguated title.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/poltergeist_350_0.jpg]]
->''"They're here..."''
-->-- '''Carol Anne'''
''Poltergeist'' (1982) is a horror movie directed by Creator/TobeHooper and co-written and produced by Creator/StevenSpielberg, chronicling the terrifying paranormal events that surround the Freelings, an ordinary suburban family, whose home is invaded by spirits that show a special interest in their five-year-old daughter, Carol Anne.
It was followed by two sequels and a reboot: ''Film/PoltergeistIITheOtherSide'' (1986), ''Film/PoltergeistIII'' (1988) and ''Film/{{Poltergeist|2015}}''.
The franchise is often said to be cursed, because several people associated with it, including stars Dominique Dunne and Creator/HeatherORourke, died prematurely. "The Poltergeist Curse" has been the focus of an E! True Hollywood Story. The first film is also known for persistent rumors that Spielberg directed most of the movie.
This film was ranked as #80 on Bravo's ''Series/OneHundredScariestMovieMoments'' and the Chicago Film Critics Association named it the 20th scariest film ever made.
''If you are looking for a trope about mischievous ghost vandals, you can see it under {{Poltergeist}}''
----
!!''Poltergeist'' provides examples of:
* AllJustADream: One of the parapsychologists begins tearing his face off, only for reality to snap back, and everything's fine. He's the only one of the parapsychologists who does not return.
* AllThereInTheManual: Spielberg gave James Kahn free rein on the novelization, leading to it having ''tons'' of backstory (including Tangina's battles with demons on the spirit plane, a spectral SouthernBelle who protected Carol-Anne on the Other Side, an even ''more'' nightmarish sequence of Marty in the kitchen, and--perhaps most critically--a more thorough explanation of why the ghostly activity started ''now'' rather than when the family first moved into the house) that was never even hinted at in the film.
* AluminumChristmasTrees: The skeletons used in the film are real human skeletons. At the time of filming, it was a lot more affordable to use real ones than to fabricate them by hand. Science classes across the US also used actual human skeletons for the same reason. As costs of fabrication have drastically reduced in the decades since, modern audiences may find the use of real skeletons to be unwholesome or even taboo.
* AntagonistTitle: ''Poltergeist'' is not only the name of the work but also what the family battles against the whole time. It's also a OneWordTitle.
* BigWhy: Steve grabs his land-developer boss and screams at him for having relocated the headstones of the cemetery on which his haunted house was built, while ''leaving the bodies''. His rant of accusation ends with a furious double example of this trope.
* BloodyHorror:
** There's the scene where Marty hallucinates ripping his face off in the bathroom, and dripping blood into the sink.
** There's another scene nearing the end of the film, after rescuing the daughter the mother and the daughter come out of the ghost's world, and they're both coated with blood-tinted globs of mucus.
** Robbie has some blood on his face following Carol Anne's disappearance, which is alarmingly gruesome to see on a child.
* BystanderSyndrome: Diane's neighbors help pull her from her pool, but when she starts screaming hysterically for them to help her children inside, the wife instantly becomes emotionally adamant that her husband ''not'' help Diane. They just abandon her as she runs inside.
* CanaryInACoalMine: PlayedWith, the Freeling's pet canary dies as if to signify a harmful presence is coming over the house. From here, the situation goes downhill before the home becomes properly haunted.
* CollapsingLair: The ghosts fail to take any of the family back to the other side, so they settle for taking the house instead. The entire house collapses and disappears into the Other Dimension. [[note]]Steven later notes in the sequel that he has a very hard time explaining ''that'' to the insurance company.[[/note]]
* CoolGate: The entity, known as [[spoiler:the Beast]] creates one in Carol Anne's closet, with the exit in the living room ceiling.
* CreatorCameo: The hands that rip off Marty's face in the bathroom belong to Steven Spielberg. The effect was created with a wax-and-latex bust of the actor, but since there was only one model, the actor was reluctant to start ripping it apart, so Spielberg did it for him.
* CreepyChild: Carol Anne has her moments. Witness her sing-song "theeeeeeyyyyy're heeeeerrreee!" after some ghosts try to reach for her through the TV screen and her parents wake up to see her sitting in front of the TV.
* CreepyDoll: The clown doll was a bit unsettling ''before'' it started grabbing kids, too. Robbie already is scared of it before [[spoiler:it attacks him]], and tries to cover it with a jacket.
* CuttingCorners: The realtor had to move a cemetery to develop his neighborhood, and did so... or rather, because it was too expensive, just moved the headstones and kept the corpses right where they were, probably hoping someone didn't digged deep enough to run into one of them.
* DissonantSerenity: After Carol Anne is taken, Steven becomes emotionally catatonic, speaking entirely in monotone, in a kind of HeroicBSOD.
* TheDollEpisode: A large clown doll figures prominently in one scare scene.
* DownTheRabbitHole: Although we don't follow her there, Carol Anne's sojourn on the Other Side may qualify, particularly as she doesn't seem to remember much of what happened to her. Plus, the way her closet tried to drag her back again matches the "rabbit hole" imagery...if it's a ''carnivorous'' rabbit with an extradimensional esophagus, that is.
* DrugsAreGood: Diane and Steven are shown smoking a marijuana cigarette together and having a great time.
* ElectromagneticGhosts: When Marty takes a picture of a flickering light, he said that it was electrical and tells the Freelings that they can smell the charge.
** In [[https://i0.wp.com/caps.pictures/198/2-poltergeist/full/poltergeist-movie-screencaps.com-7749.jpg?strip=all this picture]], orbs appear on camera screens, but a ghost of a woman couldn't.
** The ghostly orbs and the glowing ghost can be shown on three video screens with three different filters on three different television sets. When you take a closer look, [[https://i2.wp.com/caps.pictures/198/2-poltergeist/full/poltergeist-movie-screencaps.com-7927.jpg?strip=all it shows the ghosts' faces and bodies]].
** The parapsychologists use an EMF detector equipment to detect the paranormal activities in the house, but when it beeps, a ghostly glowing woman appears on top of the staircase.
* EndlessCorridor: Diane comes across one of these in their home supposedly caused by poltergeist activity warping the laws of physics or hallucination. Diane "dispells" it by breaking into a sprint. It's a VertigoEffect.
* EtherealWhiteDress: In the [[https://iv1.lisimg.com/image/21997804/314full-paula-paulson.jpg behind-the-scenes picture]], Paula Paulson can be shown wearing a white wig, a white gown and a white body suit to resemble a ghost while on wires.
* EvilIsVisceral: Carol Anne's closet turning into a [[WombLevel squidgy, pink, mucous throat-esophagus sort of thing]] with a tentacle reaching out to grab her and pull her in.
* EverybodyLives: [[spoiler:Despite being a horror/thriller film, there are no murders or fatalities depicted in the film]].
* ExtremeMeleeRevenge: The clown comes to life, sneaks up on Robbie and attempts to suffocate him. Robbie overcomes the clown, throws it on the bed, and tears it apart, screaming, "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** After the immortal statement of, "They're here!", we see a bulldozer tearing up ground for the pool. As it does, it digs up the cigar box Tweetie was buried in, [[spoiler:previewing the reveal of what the development is built on]].
** The cemetery Steve and Teague are talking in front of has a tree identical to the one that tried to eat Robbie; a subtle clue that the Freeling house was built over a cemetery.
* FriendlyGhost:
** The ghosts in the movie. While they went from exploding glass to bending utensils like forks and spoons to stacking chairs, they can be shown gliding down the staircase after Carol Anne's abduction.
** The ghostly-looking figure gliding down the staircase along with the orbs that represent the ghosts.
* GoIntoTheLight: Tangina tries to convince the ghosts to do this, while having Diane warn her daughter to stay away.
* HappilyMarried: Diane and Steven are a loving couple. Their relationship never comes into conflict.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Carol Anne has long golden hair and she is very kind and innocent with a pure heart (she's actually specifically targeted by the evil spirits because of her pureness).
* HauntedTechnology: A variation. The TV itself isn't haunted ''per se'', but it serves as a link between the world of the living and the world of the dead.
* HearingVoices: Carol Anne first hears the ghosts whispering to her through television static in the television set.
* HeliumSpeech: Tangina has a very high voice, to the point that it sounds artificial, all the time. It is the actress' normal voice though.
* ImaginaryFriend: The Freelings first think Carol Anne has imaginary friends when they notice her talking to "people" on a TV that's on a static channel. Subverted when it turns out the "TV people" really are ghosts, and real.
* IndianBurialGround: Early in the movie it's briefly mentioned that an Indian burial ground is nearby Cuesta Verde. Later it turns out [[spoiler:that's not related to the hauntings; the real source of that is that Steve's neighborhood was built on top of an improperly relocated Christian cemetery (the bodies are still there)]].
-->'''Steve:''' You son of a bitch! You moved the headstones but you ''left the bodies'', didn't you? You left the bodies and you only moved the headstones! ''YOU ONLY MOVED THE HEADSTONES!! '''WHY?! WHY??!!'''''
* InnocentBlueEyes: Carol Anne has blue eyes and, as explicitly stated in the movie, is especially pure and innocent.
* IronicNurseryTune: The opening theme is a sweet theme sounding like a nursery theme. Soon after the opening scene the movie turns to horror.
* ISeeDeadPeople: Carol Anne can see and hear ghosts and communicate with them, initially through the TV set, later everywhere in the house.
* LastNoteNightmare: The ending theme starts out with children singing... And then, at the very end of the end credits, disturbing laughter is heard.
* LightIsNotGood: The light is good; it's just not good for things that don't need to go there, like the living.
* LockedIntoStrangeness: After rescuing Carol Anne from the Other Side, Diane develops a white streak of hair at each temple. She is reluctant to dye the streaks back, speculating to her older daughter that they look "punk".
* LongHairIsFeminine: Carol Anne's long blonde hair is iconic and she's definitely a girly girl.
* MamaBear: Diane is willing to go through absolute hell to keep her children safe.
-->'''Diane:''' '''''NO! NOT MY BABIES!!!'''''
* MoodWhiplash: From a horrific scene of exploding raw steak, maggoty chicken and Marty ''tearing his own face off'' ([[spoiler:he's hallucinating]]), we segue into a near-mystical manifestation of gracefully-glowing light. [[spoiler:Justified when it's revealed that there's an insanely-malign ghost sharing the house with a bunch of inoffensive/trapped ones.]]
* MonsterClown: A clown doll turns evil and attacks Robbie, [[spoiler:but this is just the ghosts' distraction in order to kidnap Carol Anne.]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The demon who is the main antagonist is first referred to as only "The Beast".
* NextSundayAD: ''Poltergeist'' was filmed in 1982 but a poster for the 1988 Superbowl hangs on the childrens' bedroom wall. Notable for being HarsherInHindsight as the movie's main child actress, Heather O’Rourke got sick and died on the day of the 1988 Superbowl.
* NoTellMotel: The motel the family heads to at the end of the film has a reputation for being used to fool around, seeing how Dana chuckles, saying "I know that place..." when Diane mentions it.
* {{Novelization}}: A novelization was written by James Kahn, adapted from the film's original screenplay. The copyright is 1982 by Amblin' Enterprises, Inc. It was printed in the United States through Warner Books, with the first printing in May 1982. While the film focuses mainly on the Freeling family, much of the book leans toward the relationship between Tangina and Dr. Lesh away from the family. The novel also expands upon many scenes that took place in the film, such as the Freelings' living room being visited by night by outer-dimensional entities of fire and shadows, and an extended version of the kitchen scene in which Marty watches the steak crawl across a countertop. In the book, Marty is frozen in place and is skeletonized by spiders and rats. There are also additional elements not in the film, such as Robbie's mysterious discovery of the clown doll in the yard during his birthday party, and a benevolent spirit, "The Waiting Woman", who protects Carol Anne in the spirit world.
* OffscreenRealityWarp: The spirits demonstrate their talent at chair stacking during a brief period when the camera is not on them.
* OneWordTitle: Also an AntagonistTitle.
* OrpheanRescue: Carol Anne is kidnapped by the ghosts and taken to the astral plane where they are trapped.
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: The "angry at the living" type.
* OurWormholesAreDifferent: The wormhole in Carol Anne's closet is like the nexus of the anomalies around the house. Near the end, the portal grows violent and sucks in the entire home.
* PeekABooCorpse: Diane is assaulted by corpses in the unfinished backyard pool. Later on, the entire family had to escape from a house where corpses in coffins were literally popping themselves up out of the floor and blocking their way. One even tossed itself onto the windshield of their departing car for good measure. And those skeletons were ''real''.
* {{Poltergeist}}: The film is haunting by the dead of an improperly relocated cemetery.
* RapunzelHair: Carol Anne's hair reaches at least down to her waist, sometimes it appears even longer.
* ReallyGetsAround: Dana talks on the phone late at night, knows all about the local NoTellMotel and exits the car of her boyfriend with hickeys on her neck.
* RedHerring: When characters tell there's an Indian burial ground near the Freelings' house, the viewer (and probably the characters themselves, In Universe) would think that that would be the source of the ghostly disturbances. Turns out it's not responsible, just an indicator of what the realtor company's attitude towards sacred ground.
* SayMyName: CAROL ANNE! Her name is very frequently called or shouted.
* ShooOutTheClowns: The first twenty minutes of this film are very light-hearted, like when Steve and his neighbor are dueling with their remotes. After Carol Ann utters "They're here..." the film becomes considerably darker. The neighbors later reappear in a scene where Steven and Diane go to ask them if they experience any "disturbances" too (to which the neighbors look at them like they're crazy, and which is played for laughs). Once the film turns really dark, the neighbors aren't shown or mentioned again. They actually reappear to [[spoiler:rescue Diane from the pool corpses]], but then it is very brief and they've completely lost their comedic tendencies.
* ShoutOut:
** While Diane and Steven are in bed, we see they are watching ''Film/AGuyNamedJoe''. This is a movie from 1943 where a dead Air Force pilot comes back to Earth as a ghost to pass his knowledge onto an up and coming rookie. Spielberg would go on to remake this film later in his career under the title ''Film/{{Always}}''.
** The children's room is littered with ''Franchise/StarWars'' toys, a [[Series/SesameStreet Bert and Ernie]] poster and, for some reason, an ''Film/{{Alien}}'' poster.
** The family's yellow canary was called Tweety, obviously after Tweety Bird of ''The Looney Tunes''.
* SkunkStripe: After [[spoiler:going to the Other Side to rescue Carol Anne]], Diane, who's naturally brown-haired, has a streak of white hair at her temples.
* SnowyScreenOfDeath: The spirits first communicate with Carol Anne through an untuned television set.
* TheSoulsaver: The psychic Tangina helps a group of [[spoiler:friendly yet lonely]] ghosts (lost souls) trapped in the astral plane go into the Light.
* SoundtrackDissonance: The film inexplicably begins with "The Star-Spangled Banner" playing over the credits; our confusion is resolved when we realize it's a TV station playing the national anthem before ending their broadcast for the evening.
* SuburbanGothic: A family living in a new planned community in California is terrorized by a poltergeist. It turns out that the neighborhood [[spoiler:was built on top of an old cemetery and only the headstones were moved prior to construction.]]
* TearOffYourFace: The psychic's assistant, Marty, hallucinates that he pulls off his own face.
* TemptingFate: After [[spoiler:getting back Carol Anne from the Other Side]], Tangina exclaims confidently "This house is clean," thinking that [[spoiler:with Carol Anne back on the physical plane]], the poltergeist's link to the house was severed. [[spoiler:Nope - it was regrouping... and it was ''pissed''...]]
* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: Carol Anne's very feminine frilly blue pajamas trimmed with satin ribbons.
* ThirdActStupidity: Steven and Diane Freeling act with reasonable intelligence throughout most of the movie--not perfectly, but then they didn't have an idea that it could be so dangerous. However, after managing to rescue Carol Anne from a demonic ghost, they decide that Diane, Robbie and Carol Anne will stay in the house overnight. Not only that, but they let Robbie and Carol Anne stay alone in the same room that Carol Anne was originally stolen from. Would you take that kind of risk with ''your'' kids? In fairness, Tangina HAD said that the house was "clean". Little did she know...
* TrueBlueFemininity: Carol Anne's pajamas are blue and very feminine.
* UnfinishedBusiness: The reason why ghosts are lonely.
-->'''Dr. Lesh:''' They're ''so'' alone. ''So'' alone.
* VertigoEffect: A notable version of this happens during the ghost's assault on the family at the end of the film. Diane gets thrown out of the house at one point and then battles her way back in to save her children. As she's running down the hallway to the children's bedroom, a Vertigo Effect begins which soon turns into a full-blown special effect in which the hallway itself starts becoming stretched and distorted. The more she runs, the longer the hallway becomes and the further away she gets from her children's bedroom door. She eventually catches up to it by running at full speed.
* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The inspiration for the story of the movie comes from an actual occurrence in Denver, Colorado. In the late 1800s, when Denver was expanding, there was a graveyard where the city government wanted to put in a grand city park like the one that New York city built and that cities across the country sought to emulate; Central Park. The city put out notices for bids to relocate the cemetery and decided to go with the lowest bidder. About a third of the way into the project the contractor realized that he had seriously underbid the job and, long story short, started moving just the headstones. He completed the job and the city started building the slated structure, and were actually getting close to finishing, when one of the contractor's employees spilled the beans. The contractor was arrested but the damage was done. The city, not being able to afford to tear down the building and dig up the cemetery again, left it as it was and just finished the project, leaving the unmarked graves as they were. The park is named Cheesman Park, and the graves sit under the Greek Pavilion on the east end of the park and extend south to 8th Avenue.
* WhenTreesAttack: The tree near the Freelings' house turns evil and its branches go through the kid's window to take and attack Robbie.
* WholePlotReference: To "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS3E91LittleGirlLost Little Girl Lost]]", an episode of ''Series/{{The Twilight Zone|1959}}''.
----
->''"They're here..."''
-->-- '''Carol Anne'''
''Poltergeist'' (1982) is a horror movie directed by Creator/TobeHooper and co-written and produced by Creator/StevenSpielberg, chronicling the terrifying paranormal events that surround the Freelings, an ordinary suburban family, whose home is invaded by spirits that show a special interest in their five-year-old daughter, Carol Anne.
It was followed by two sequels and a reboot: ''Film/PoltergeistIITheOtherSide'' (1986), ''Film/PoltergeistIII'' (1988) and ''Film/{{Poltergeist|2015}}''.
The franchise is often said to be cursed, because several people associated with it, including stars Dominique Dunne and Creator/HeatherORourke, died prematurely. "The Poltergeist Curse" has been the focus of an E! True Hollywood Story. The first film is also known for persistent rumors that Spielberg directed most of the movie.
This film was ranked as #80 on Bravo's ''Series/OneHundredScariestMovieMoments'' and the Chicago Film Critics Association named it the 20th scariest film ever made.
''If you are looking for a trope about mischievous ghost vandals, you can see it under {{Poltergeist}}''
----
!!''Poltergeist'' provides examples of:
* AllJustADream: One of the parapsychologists begins tearing his face off, only for reality to snap back, and everything's fine. He's the only one of the parapsychologists who does not return.
* AllThereInTheManual: Spielberg gave James Kahn free rein on the novelization, leading to it having ''tons'' of backstory (including Tangina's battles with demons on the spirit plane, a spectral SouthernBelle who protected Carol-Anne on the Other Side, an even ''more'' nightmarish sequence of Marty in the kitchen, and--perhaps most critically--a more thorough explanation of why the ghostly activity started ''now'' rather than when the family first moved into the house) that was never even hinted at in the film.
* AluminumChristmasTrees: The skeletons used in the film are real human skeletons. At the time of filming, it was a lot more affordable to use real ones than to fabricate them by hand. Science classes across the US also used actual human skeletons for the same reason. As costs of fabrication have drastically reduced in the decades since, modern audiences may find the use of real skeletons to be unwholesome or even taboo.
* AntagonistTitle: ''Poltergeist'' is not only the name of the work but also what the family battles against the whole time. It's also a OneWordTitle.
* BigWhy: Steve grabs his land-developer boss and screams at him for having relocated the headstones of the cemetery on which his haunted house was built, while ''leaving the bodies''. His rant of accusation ends with a furious double example of this trope.
* BloodyHorror:
** There's the scene where Marty hallucinates ripping his face off in the bathroom, and dripping blood into the sink.
** There's another scene nearing the end of the film, after rescuing the daughter the mother and the daughter come out of the ghost's world, and they're both coated with blood-tinted globs of mucus.
** Robbie has some blood on his face following Carol Anne's disappearance, which is alarmingly gruesome to see on a child.
* BystanderSyndrome: Diane's neighbors help pull her from her pool, but when she starts screaming hysterically for them to help her children inside, the wife instantly becomes emotionally adamant that her husband ''not'' help Diane. They just abandon her as she runs inside.
* CanaryInACoalMine: PlayedWith, the Freeling's pet canary dies as if to signify a harmful presence is coming over the house. From here, the situation goes downhill before the home becomes properly haunted.
* CollapsingLair: The ghosts fail to take any of the family back to the other side, so they settle for taking the house instead. The entire house collapses and disappears into the Other Dimension. [[note]]Steven later notes in the sequel that he has a very hard time explaining ''that'' to the insurance company.[[/note]]
* CoolGate: The entity, known as [[spoiler:the Beast]] creates one in Carol Anne's closet, with the exit in the living room ceiling.
* CreatorCameo: The hands that rip off Marty's face in the bathroom belong to Steven Spielberg. The effect was created with a wax-and-latex bust of the actor, but since there was only one model, the actor was reluctant to start ripping it apart, so Spielberg did it for him.
* CreepyChild: Carol Anne has her moments. Witness her sing-song "theeeeeeyyyyy're heeeeerrreee!" after some ghosts try to reach for her through the TV screen and her parents wake up to see her sitting in front of the TV.
* CreepyDoll: The clown doll was a bit unsettling ''before'' it started grabbing kids, too. Robbie already is scared of it before [[spoiler:it attacks him]], and tries to cover it with a jacket.
* CuttingCorners: The realtor had to move a cemetery to develop his neighborhood, and did so... or rather, because it was too expensive, just moved the headstones and kept the corpses right where they were, probably hoping someone didn't digged deep enough to run into one of them.
* DissonantSerenity: After Carol Anne is taken, Steven becomes emotionally catatonic, speaking entirely in monotone, in a kind of HeroicBSOD.
* TheDollEpisode: A large clown doll figures prominently in one scare scene.
* DownTheRabbitHole: Although we don't follow her there, Carol Anne's sojourn on the Other Side may qualify, particularly as she doesn't seem to remember much of what happened to her. Plus, the way her closet tried to drag her back again matches the "rabbit hole" imagery...if it's a ''carnivorous'' rabbit with an extradimensional esophagus, that is.
* DrugsAreGood: Diane and Steven are shown smoking a marijuana cigarette together and having a great time.
* ElectromagneticGhosts: When Marty takes a picture of a flickering light, he said that it was electrical and tells the Freelings that they can smell the charge.
** In [[https://i0.wp.com/caps.pictures/198/2-poltergeist/full/poltergeist-movie-screencaps.com-7749.jpg?strip=all this picture]], orbs appear on camera screens, but a ghost of a woman couldn't.
** The ghostly orbs and the glowing ghost can be shown on three video screens with three different filters on three different television sets. When you take a closer look, [[https://i2.wp.com/caps.pictures/198/2-poltergeist/full/poltergeist-movie-screencaps.com-7927.jpg?strip=all it shows the ghosts' faces and bodies]].
** The parapsychologists use an EMF detector equipment to detect the paranormal activities in the house, but when it beeps, a ghostly glowing woman appears on top of the staircase.
* EndlessCorridor: Diane comes across one of these in their home supposedly caused by poltergeist activity warping the laws of physics or hallucination. Diane "dispells" it by breaking into a sprint. It's a VertigoEffect.
* EtherealWhiteDress: In the [[https://iv1.lisimg.com/image/21997804/314full-paula-paulson.jpg behind-the-scenes picture]], Paula Paulson can be shown wearing a white wig, a white gown and a white body suit to resemble a ghost while on wires.
* EvilIsVisceral: Carol Anne's closet turning into a [[WombLevel squidgy, pink, mucous throat-esophagus sort of thing]] with a tentacle reaching out to grab her and pull her in.
* EverybodyLives: [[spoiler:Despite being a horror/thriller film, there are no murders or fatalities depicted in the film]].
* ExtremeMeleeRevenge: The clown comes to life, sneaks up on Robbie and attempts to suffocate him. Robbie overcomes the clown, throws it on the bed, and tears it apart, screaming, "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** After the immortal statement of, "They're here!", we see a bulldozer tearing up ground for the pool. As it does, it digs up the cigar box Tweetie was buried in, [[spoiler:previewing the reveal of what the development is built on]].
** The cemetery Steve and Teague are talking in front of has a tree identical to the one that tried to eat Robbie; a subtle clue that the Freeling house was built over a cemetery.
* FriendlyGhost:
** The ghosts in the movie. While they went from exploding glass to bending utensils like forks and spoons to stacking chairs, they can be shown gliding down the staircase after Carol Anne's abduction.
** The ghostly-looking figure gliding down the staircase along with the orbs that represent the ghosts.
* GoIntoTheLight: Tangina tries to convince the ghosts to do this, while having Diane warn her daughter to stay away.
* HappilyMarried: Diane and Steven are a loving couple. Their relationship never comes into conflict.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Carol Anne has long golden hair and she is very kind and innocent with a pure heart (she's actually specifically targeted by the evil spirits because of her pureness).
* HauntedTechnology: A variation. The TV itself isn't haunted ''per se'', but it serves as a link between the world of the living and the world of the dead.
* HearingVoices: Carol Anne first hears the ghosts whispering to her through television static in the television set.
* HeliumSpeech: Tangina has a very high voice, to the point that it sounds artificial, all the time. It is the actress' normal voice though.
* ImaginaryFriend: The Freelings first think Carol Anne has imaginary friends when they notice her talking to "people" on a TV that's on a static channel. Subverted when it turns out the "TV people" really are ghosts, and real.
* IndianBurialGround: Early in the movie it's briefly mentioned that an Indian burial ground is nearby Cuesta Verde. Later it turns out [[spoiler:that's not related to the hauntings; the real source of that is that Steve's neighborhood was built on top of an improperly relocated Christian cemetery (the bodies are still there)]].
-->'''Steve:''' You son of a bitch! You moved the headstones but you ''left the bodies'', didn't you? You left the bodies and you only moved the headstones! ''YOU ONLY MOVED THE HEADSTONES!! '''WHY?! WHY??!!'''''
* InnocentBlueEyes: Carol Anne has blue eyes and, as explicitly stated in the movie, is especially pure and innocent.
* IronicNurseryTune: The opening theme is a sweet theme sounding like a nursery theme. Soon after the opening scene the movie turns to horror.
* ISeeDeadPeople: Carol Anne can see and hear ghosts and communicate with them, initially through the TV set, later everywhere in the house.
* LastNoteNightmare: The ending theme starts out with children singing... And then, at the very end of the end credits, disturbing laughter is heard.
* LightIsNotGood: The light is good; it's just not good for things that don't need to go there, like the living.
* LockedIntoStrangeness: After rescuing Carol Anne from the Other Side, Diane develops a white streak of hair at each temple. She is reluctant to dye the streaks back, speculating to her older daughter that they look "punk".
* LongHairIsFeminine: Carol Anne's long blonde hair is iconic and she's definitely a girly girl.
* MamaBear: Diane is willing to go through absolute hell to keep her children safe.
-->'''Diane:''' '''''NO! NOT MY BABIES!!!'''''
* MoodWhiplash: From a horrific scene of exploding raw steak, maggoty chicken and Marty ''tearing his own face off'' ([[spoiler:he's hallucinating]]), we segue into a near-mystical manifestation of gracefully-glowing light. [[spoiler:Justified when it's revealed that there's an insanely-malign ghost sharing the house with a bunch of inoffensive/trapped ones.]]
* MonsterClown: A clown doll turns evil and attacks Robbie, [[spoiler:but this is just the ghosts' distraction in order to kidnap Carol Anne.]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The demon who is the main antagonist is first referred to as only "The Beast".
* NextSundayAD: ''Poltergeist'' was filmed in 1982 but a poster for the 1988 Superbowl hangs on the childrens' bedroom wall. Notable for being HarsherInHindsight as the movie's main child actress, Heather O’Rourke got sick and died on the day of the 1988 Superbowl.
* NoTellMotel: The motel the family heads to at the end of the film has a reputation for being used to fool around, seeing how Dana chuckles, saying "I know that place..." when Diane mentions it.
* {{Novelization}}: A novelization was written by James Kahn, adapted from the film's original screenplay. The copyright is 1982 by Amblin' Enterprises, Inc. It was printed in the United States through Warner Books, with the first printing in May 1982. While the film focuses mainly on the Freeling family, much of the book leans toward the relationship between Tangina and Dr. Lesh away from the family. The novel also expands upon many scenes that took place in the film, such as the Freelings' living room being visited by night by outer-dimensional entities of fire and shadows, and an extended version of the kitchen scene in which Marty watches the steak crawl across a countertop. In the book, Marty is frozen in place and is skeletonized by spiders and rats. There are also additional elements not in the film, such as Robbie's mysterious discovery of the clown doll in the yard during his birthday party, and a benevolent spirit, "The Waiting Woman", who protects Carol Anne in the spirit world.
* OffscreenRealityWarp: The spirits demonstrate their talent at chair stacking during a brief period when the camera is not on them.
* OneWordTitle: Also an AntagonistTitle.
* OrpheanRescue: Carol Anne is kidnapped by the ghosts and taken to the astral plane where they are trapped.
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: The "angry at the living" type.
* OurWormholesAreDifferent: The wormhole in Carol Anne's closet is like the nexus of the anomalies around the house. Near the end, the portal grows violent and sucks in the entire home.
* PeekABooCorpse: Diane is assaulted by corpses in the unfinished backyard pool. Later on, the entire family had to escape from a house where corpses in coffins were literally popping themselves up out of the floor and blocking their way. One even tossed itself onto the windshield of their departing car for good measure. And those skeletons were ''real''.
* {{Poltergeist}}: The film is haunting by the dead of an improperly relocated cemetery.
* RapunzelHair: Carol Anne's hair reaches at least down to her waist, sometimes it appears even longer.
* ReallyGetsAround: Dana talks on the phone late at night, knows all about the local NoTellMotel and exits the car of her boyfriend with hickeys on her neck.
* RedHerring: When characters tell there's an Indian burial ground near the Freelings' house, the viewer (and probably the characters themselves, In Universe) would think that that would be the source of the ghostly disturbances. Turns out it's not responsible, just an indicator of what the realtor company's attitude towards sacred ground.
* SayMyName: CAROL ANNE! Her name is very frequently called or shouted.
* ShooOutTheClowns: The first twenty minutes of this film are very light-hearted, like when Steve and his neighbor are dueling with their remotes. After Carol Ann utters "They're here..." the film becomes considerably darker. The neighbors later reappear in a scene where Steven and Diane go to ask them if they experience any "disturbances" too (to which the neighbors look at them like they're crazy, and which is played for laughs). Once the film turns really dark, the neighbors aren't shown or mentioned again. They actually reappear to [[spoiler:rescue Diane from the pool corpses]], but then it is very brief and they've completely lost their comedic tendencies.
* ShoutOut:
** While Diane and Steven are in bed, we see they are watching ''Film/AGuyNamedJoe''. This is a movie from 1943 where a dead Air Force pilot comes back to Earth as a ghost to pass his knowledge onto an up and coming rookie. Spielberg would go on to remake this film later in his career under the title ''Film/{{Always}}''.
** The children's room is littered with ''Franchise/StarWars'' toys, a [[Series/SesameStreet Bert and Ernie]] poster and, for some reason, an ''Film/{{Alien}}'' poster.
** The family's yellow canary was called Tweety, obviously after Tweety Bird of ''The Looney Tunes''.
* SkunkStripe: After [[spoiler:going to the Other Side to rescue Carol Anne]], Diane, who's naturally brown-haired, has a streak of white hair at her temples.
* SnowyScreenOfDeath: The spirits first communicate with Carol Anne through an untuned television set.
* TheSoulsaver: The psychic Tangina helps a group of [[spoiler:friendly yet lonely]] ghosts (lost souls) trapped in the astral plane go into the Light.
* SoundtrackDissonance: The film inexplicably begins with "The Star-Spangled Banner" playing over the credits; our confusion is resolved when we realize it's a TV station playing the national anthem before ending their broadcast for the evening.
* SuburbanGothic: A family living in a new planned community in California is terrorized by a poltergeist. It turns out that the neighborhood [[spoiler:was built on top of an old cemetery and only the headstones were moved prior to construction.]]
* TearOffYourFace: The psychic's assistant, Marty, hallucinates that he pulls off his own face.
* TemptingFate: After [[spoiler:getting back Carol Anne from the Other Side]], Tangina exclaims confidently "This house is clean," thinking that [[spoiler:with Carol Anne back on the physical plane]], the poltergeist's link to the house was severed. [[spoiler:Nope - it was regrouping... and it was ''pissed''...]]
* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: Carol Anne's very feminine frilly blue pajamas trimmed with satin ribbons.
* ThirdActStupidity: Steven and Diane Freeling act with reasonable intelligence throughout most of the movie--not perfectly, but then they didn't have an idea that it could be so dangerous. However, after managing to rescue Carol Anne from a demonic ghost, they decide that Diane, Robbie and Carol Anne will stay in the house overnight. Not only that, but they let Robbie and Carol Anne stay alone in the same room that Carol Anne was originally stolen from. Would you take that kind of risk with ''your'' kids? In fairness, Tangina HAD said that the house was "clean". Little did she know...
* TrueBlueFemininity: Carol Anne's pajamas are blue and very feminine.
* UnfinishedBusiness: The reason why ghosts are lonely.
-->'''Dr. Lesh:''' They're ''so'' alone. ''So'' alone.
* VertigoEffect: A notable version of this happens during the ghost's assault on the family at the end of the film. Diane gets thrown out of the house at one point and then battles her way back in to save her children. As she's running down the hallway to the children's bedroom, a Vertigo Effect begins which soon turns into a full-blown special effect in which the hallway itself starts becoming stretched and distorted. The more she runs, the longer the hallway becomes and the further away she gets from her children's bedroom door. She eventually catches up to it by running at full speed.
* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The inspiration for the story of the movie comes from an actual occurrence in Denver, Colorado. In the late 1800s, when Denver was expanding, there was a graveyard where the city government wanted to put in a grand city park like the one that New York city built and that cities across the country sought to emulate; Central Park. The city put out notices for bids to relocate the cemetery and decided to go with the lowest bidder. About a third of the way into the project the contractor realized that he had seriously underbid the job and, long story short, started moving just the headstones. He completed the job and the city started building the slated structure, and were actually getting close to finishing, when one of the contractor's employees spilled the beans. The contractor was arrested but the damage was done. The city, not being able to afford to tear down the building and dig up the cemetery again, left it as it was and just finished the project, leaving the unmarked graves as they were. The park is named Cheesman Park, and the graves sit under the Greek Pavilion on the east end of the park and extend south to 8th Avenue.
* WhenTreesAttack: The tree near the Freelings' house turns evil and its branches go through the kid's window to take and attack Robbie.
* WholePlotReference: To "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS3E91LittleGirlLost Little Girl Lost]]", an episode of ''Series/{{The Twilight Zone|1959}}''.
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