The 1982 movie Poltergeist is widely considered a horror classic whose influence still reverberates today. Indeed, if nobody wants to live anywhere near an ancient burial ground to this day, it is because of that movie.
While there have been tons of horror movies released in the past decades, Poltergeist stands out from the crowd. It is certainly one of those movies people seem to remember more vividly than others. Why is that?
For one, Poltergeist is not your typical horror flick with a dark atmosphere and adult theme. It was written and co-directed by Steven Spielberg who was simultaneously working on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial at that time. In fact, the summer of 1982 was dubbed “The Spielberg Summer” because E.T. and Poltergeist were released one week apart.
At first glance,...