Poltergeist (1982) Poltergeist is the original film in the trilogy, directed by
Tobe Hooper, co-written by
Steven Spielberg and released on June 4, 1982. The story focuses on the Freeling family, which consists of parents Steve (
Craig T. Nelson) and Diane (
JoBeth Williams); teenage daughter Dana (
Dominique Dunne); eight-year-old Robbie (
Oliver Robins); and five-year-old Carol Anne (
Heather O'Rourke), who live in Cuesta Verde, a California
housing development which comes to be
haunted by ghosts. The apparitions, under the control of a
demon known as the "Beast", communicate through the family's
television set and can only be heard by Carol Anne. Attracted to her
life force and believing she will help lead them into the "
Light", the specters abduct Carol Anne through her bedroom closet, which acts as a portal to their dimension. Much of the film involves the family's efforts to rescue their daughter, aided by a group of
parapsychologists (
Beatrice Straight, Martin Casella,
Richard Lawson) and spiritual
medium Tangina Barrons (
Zelda Rubinstein). Carol Anne is eventually rescued from the other side and, following a second attack by the Beast that reveals the ghosts had originated from an improperly relocated cemetery beneath the neighborhood, the Freelings flee Cuesta Verde just before the house implodes and disappears into another dimension.
Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) The first sequel,
Poltergeist II: The Other Side, directed by
Brian Gibson and released on May 23, 1986, takes place one year after the events in
Poltergeist and offers an alternate explanation of the ghosts' origin. The film also develops the identity and
backstory of the Beast, who lived during the 19th century as a religious
zealot named Reverend Henry Kane (
Julian Beck). Kane was the leader of a
utopian
cult, who in anticipation of the
end of the world, sealed themselves in a cavern located directly below what later became the Freeling property. Kane is anxious to possess Carol Anne to continue manipulating his followers after death. The ghosts follow and attack the Freelings at their current household. Aided by an
American Indian shaman named Taylor (
Will Sampson), the Freelings manage to escape from Kane and his followers a second time.
Poltergeist III (1988) The final film in the original trilogy,
Poltergeist III, directed and co-written by
Gary Sherman, was released on June 10, 1988. To protect Carol Anne, the Freelings have sent her to live temporarily in a Chicago skyscraper with skeptical relatives Pat and Bruce Gardner (
Nancy Allen and
Tom Skerritt) and their daughter Donna (
Lara Flynn Boyle). However, during
psychiatric sessions, Carol Anne's recollection of her experiences enables Kane and his followers to locate her and make contact through the building's ubiquitous
mirrors. The ghosts abduct Carol Anne and then Donna, prompting Pat, Bruce, and Donna's boyfriend Scott (Kipley Wentz) to enlist the help of Tangina, who eventually escorts Kane into the spectral Light, thereby sacrificing herself to save the family.
Poltergeist (2015) A reboot of the original film,
Poltergeist was directed by
Gil Kenan and released on May 22, 2015. It centers on a family struggling to make ends meet who relocate to a suburban home. As in the original, the youngest daughter is kidnapped by spirits that inhabit the house.
Sam Rockwell and
Rosemarie DeWitt star as the married couple,
Kennedi Clements plays the daughter, and
Jared Harris plays the host of a paranormal-themed TV show who comes to the aid of the family. ==Television==