Poltergeist

"They know what scares you."

2015 1h 33m EN

😐

5.2

MID

★5.2TMDB · 2,446

Horror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A family's suburban home is invaded by angry spirits. When the terrifying apparitions escalate their attacks and take the youngest daughter, the family must come together to rescue her.

“They know what scares you.”

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Cast

Sam Rockwell
Eric Bowen
Rosemarie DeWitt
Amy Bowen
Saxon Sharbino
Kendra Bowen
Kyle Catlett
Griffin Bowen
Kennedi Clements
Madison Bowen
Jared Harris
Carrigan Burke
Nicholas Braun
Boyd
Jane Adams
Dr. Claire Powell

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gil Kenan
Writers: David Lindsay-Abaire, Kurt Van Der Basch, Simeon Wilkins
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 11 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Gil Kenan, shot by Javier Aguirresarobe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Marc Streitenfeld. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jeff Betancourt shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt and Saxon Sharbino carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They know what scares you.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1029360 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gil Kenan directs. Javier Aguirresarobe behind the camera. Marc Streitenfeld scores. Jeff Betancourt cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 11 years ago.
2Directed by Gil Kenan, shot by Javier Aguirresarobe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Marc Streitenfeld. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Jeff Betancourt shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt and Saxon Sharbino carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "They know what scares you.".
7IMDB entry: tt1029360 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Released under 22 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Javier Aguirresarobe
Original score: Marc Streitenfeld
Editing: Jeff Betancourt
Production design: Kalina Ivanov
Costume design: Delphine White
Makeup / hair: Krista Burbidge
VFX supervisor: Nicolas Hernandez
Sound: Marti D. Humphrey
Stunt coordinator: John Stoneham Jr.
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $35,000,000
Box office: $95,682,614
Return: 273% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Poltergeist (2015)

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Gil Kenan

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Zevi Wolmark2015-06-25
It’s not the worst remake of all time, but it’s just ordinary. It’s bland, lifeless, vanilla, and feels like what the Lifetime Channel in America would do to a remake of the Tobe Spielberg classic haunting film. I think the only reason Gil Kenan was hired for this movie was because the movie is based around a monster house and he depicted a monster so well in his last film that the job only seemed like a no brainer. The problem is Kenan forgets to produce likable characters and interesting scares during the process of producing an evil possessed house. - Zevi Wolmark
Reno2015-08-08
★ 5/10
Would have been a better film if it was an original. Unnecessary to compare this with the original and I tried, but impossible to avoid it since it's an official remake. Everything, from the house to frame by frame, all the scenes looked the same, except the cast and it's set in the present world with the daily life's modern gadgets. If you had not seen the 80s film, then there's a little chance you might like it. Though it was not a serious horror movie, or a scary movie to consider, still quite enjoyable like a dark comedy in parts. But I recommend the old one. Really? Sam Rockwell? He did not fit in the role, just okay though. And the kids, did not impress me as like the original movie. The only upgrade in this new version was the technology, CRT monitors to LED kind of stuffs. I expected a major, at least a bit alteration in the story or the screenplay that sets in a different circumstances and the location. That could have been a lot better. Disappoints for those who loved the first version. However, that movie deserved to be remade, and I did not think it would end like this. Hoping for a better sequel, but I'm already feeling that would end in the hands of the second string cast and crew which could be a cheap horror-thrill. 5/10
talisencrw2016-09-17
★ 7/10
I had huge reservations about watching this remake, which I felt was completely unnecessary. It wasn't as bad as I had anticipated, and that the bad reviews at the time gave me the impression I should fear or avoid watching it. The special effects were pretty good, and Sam Rockwell, Jared Harris and Jane Adams (how wonderful it was to see her again, after her exceptional work in 'Happiness'!) sold the film for me. I knew what to expect after liking, but not loving, director Gil Kenan's earlier animated 'Monster House', but I was intrigued how his energetic directing would transfer to live-action work. I think they could have made it more suspenseful and scary, but I'm not really sure that was their intention. I think they were going for a family experience with some thrills, chills and laughs...such as the recent 'Ghostbusters' remake was going for. If that was the case, then in that regard it was quite successful. I'm looking forward to re-watching this eventually with my 13-year-old son, horror-film aficionado, Julian, who like me adored the original. If I was to make the perfect 'Poltergeist' film, I would have taken the same exact Steven Spielberg script and simply updated the special effects. I think that would have been a more successful approach.