A horror classic and probably the best haunted house movie after “The Haunting” (1960), “Poltergeist” is a hair-raising roller-coaster of a ride. A suburban couple struggles to find their youngest daughter who has gone missing inside a home rampant with supernatural activity. This movie took the haunted from the traditional crumbling mansion to everyday modern suburbia.  It’s more of a freaky supernatural adventure than a creepfest, but it does have its share of scary moments. “Poltergeist” offers everything a great movie should have—great story, characters, direction (apparently co-directed by Steven Spielberg). Even the music by the extraordinary composer Jerry Goldsmith has become classic—melodious and sometimes eerie, it provides the atmosphere that might otherwise have been lacking in the movie. I’ve seen this film several times over the years and have enjoyed it every time. The fun in a great horror movie like this one is not the suspense of wondering what’s going to happen next, but the knowledge of what’s going to happen and dreading it. Made over 30 years ago, it feels like it had been made yesterday, and nearly all of the special effects are as convincing today as they were then.

Extras:

• At the end of all programming, TV stations used to play a little patriotic montage with the national anthem, and then you would see just static. This signoff usually occurred around 1 or 2 in the morning (TV wasn’t 24 hours a day). This practice is referenced several times in the movie; I explain it here so that you understand what’s going on when it occurs.
• Once you finish watching the movie, look up information online about the “Poltergeist Curse.” Something was done that shouldn’t have been done as part of the filming, and several of the cast members met with untimely and ugly deaths within a few years. Coincidence? Probably so, but it’s still fun to read about; make sure you see the movie first, though.
• The movie definitely pulled some ideas from “Little Girl Lost,” an episode of the original “Twilight Zone” TV series.