Poltergeist (1982)

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To this day, Poltergeist remains a staple of horror cinema. The visual effects were groundbreaking for their time, even if they haven’t aged particularly well. The first film stands above its sequels due to the idea of letting certain possibilities sink in. The actors are great in their roles, and give off the feeling of a genuine family that has no idea what is happening to them. Heather O’Rourke deserves the most praise here, which is incredibly rare for a child actor or actress to pull off. She feels like a natural little girl, and the creepiness doesn’t come off as forced. It helps that the movie was one of the ones that started several of the cliches that are seen today, so it feels a little more inspired and original than it would’ve had it come out ten years later. There’s an idea of the unknown here that few horror movies today grasp, but this one does it extremely well. The look and setting of the house works too. As opposed to the stereotypical look of the haunted house, this is an average looking house in a suburban area. If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor. 

10 / 10