--- title: "Poltergeist: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/poltergeist/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/poltergeist" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Poltergeist (1982): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 14 reviews: 12 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics like it, and they like it for the same reasons. The haunted house is moved to an ordinary American suburb, and the reviews return again and again to the family at its centre: warm, believable, worth caring about before anything starts rattling the cupboards. The effects and the craft of the scares draw steady praise, as does the film’s suspicion of television. Almost every review treats the question of authorship as unavoidable, and most conclude that, whatever the credit says, this plays as a Spielberg film with a nastier edge. The reservations gather around the script. Several critics find it loose, with the ghosts’ behaviour never explained and the ideas about children and television raised and then dropped; The New Yorker makes that case most fully. Variety goes further, calling the story foolish for all the talent involved. The spread is wide, but the harshest notices date from the original release, and the reviews written for later re-releases are warmer. ## Los Angeles Times — Joshua Rothkopf Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 October 2025. The critic calls the film one of the most subversive movies ever made by Hollywood, noting how it screams to turn off the TV as suburban comforts turn deadly. It highlights the 1982 timing amid Reagan-era blockbusters and credits Spielberg's hands-on influence over Hooper's onscreen credit. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/newsletter/2025-10-24/poltergeist-childs-play-john-carpenter-seymour-hersh-bugonia-hedda) ## Slant Magazine — Eric Henderson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2007. The film stands out for relocating the haunted house to mundane American suburbia and delivering a professionally mounted effects-driven scare show. The critic highlights the productive tension between Spielberg's and Hooper's sensibilities as a key strength. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/poltergeist/) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Rating A-. 25 October 2007. The review affirms that the film holds up beautifully as the malevolent flipside to Spielberg's suburban fantasies, with his stylistic fingerprints everywhere and playful visual wit throughout. It notes the assurance of a safe landing even amid scares, making it a family film that guarantees nightmares. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/poltergeist-25th-anniversary-edition-1798203255) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 June 1982. It is a marvelously spooky ghost story full of creepy effects and witty moments that manifests childhood fears and wishes. The film is like an enjoyable nightmare that ends harmlessly, with strong performances from the cast. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/04/movies/poltergeist-from-spielberg.html) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 21 October 2022. The re-release review calls it one of the great anti-TV movies and a suburban horror classic that highlights television as a danger to the family. It notes its iconic status and enduring appeal. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/poltergeist-1982-film-review-steven-spielberg-wrzjf82fv) ## Time Out — DP Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 October 2016. The critic calls it a barnstorming ghost story that is every inch a Spielberg film despite the Hooper credit. They single out the dazzling sense of craft and a structural surprise that rivals the opening of Psycho. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/poltergeist) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 October 2022. The critic praises Tobe Hooper’s 1982 film as a supernatural chiller and anti-gentrification satire with Spielberg’s fingerprints but its own disturbing edge. It singles out Heather O’Rourke’s eerie performance and the film’s ability to still deliver scares despite dated effects. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/oct/21/poltergeist-review-out-of-the-box-80s-scarer-can-still-knock-the-furniture-over) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic views it as a restrained but effective haunted-house chiller that holds attention through its succession of conjuring tricks and visual effects, despite a loose script. It singles out the family scenes and parapsychological phenomena for praise while noting it as perhaps the only successful horror film in which no one gets killed. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/poltergeist-review/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 June 1982. The film is an effective thriller because it views strange events through the eyes of a believable family rather than letting special effects overwhelm everything. It grounds the ridiculous premise in suburban routines and close observation of the characters. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/poltergeist-1982) ## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 7 June 1982. The critic describes the film as an entertaining summer spook show but ultimately an 'entertaining hash' lacking rationale for the ghosts' actions or follow-through on promising ideas about kids and television. She singles out the warmth of the suburban family for limited praise while noting Spielberg's dominant hand behind the credited director. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1982/06/14/the-pure-and-the-impure) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1981. Given the talents involved, the film is annoying because it could have been much better; the story is truly stupid despite solid acting. It focuses on flashy physical manifestations and sideshow horrors rather than the interesting parapsychological subject. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1981/film/reviews/poltergeist-1200425140/) ## Collider — Emma Kiely Rating A-. 20 September 2022. The film is a classic horror that balances shocks and fear with strong family dynamics and character relationships. It serves as a blueprint for modern haunted-house movies while marveling at the awe and terror of the unknown. [Read the review](https://collider.com/poltergeist-review-40th-anniversary/) ## Paste — Jim Vorel Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 16 October 2020. Poltergeist succeeds as the best of both Spielberg and Hooper, blending warm suburban family dynamics and populist appeal with grisly, intense horror sequences. It stands as the defining haunted-house film of its decade thanks to memorable performances and tonal balance. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/horror-movies/poltergeist-1982-review-tobe-hooper-steven-spielberg) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2007. The film remains remarkably effective 25 years on, with strong special effects and a focus on making audiences care about the characters. The reviewer singles out the way it invests viewers in the family's everyday life as key to its success over similar horror films. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/poltergeist-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/poltergeist.md