Poltergeist

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Poltergeist

PG-13

Released May 22, 2015

1h 33m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

29%

Tomatometer

133 Reviews

22%

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25,000+ Ratings

All seems well for Eric Bowen (Sam Rockwell), wife Amy (Rosemarie DeWitt) and their three children as they move into their new house in the suburbs of Illinois. Soon, youngest daughter Maddy (Kennedi Clements) begins talking to an imaginary friend, or so the family thinks. It's not long before sinister spirits wreak havoc in the home, holding Maddy captive and forcing the parents to consult a team of parapsychologists who engage the supernatural entities in a battle for the girl's freedom.

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Critics Consensus

Paying competent homage without adding anything of real value to the original Poltergeist, this remake proves just as ephemeral (but half as haunting) as its titular spirit.

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Jesse Hassenger

AV Club

Though Rockwell and DeWitt give the material their own likable spin, most of the story mechanics will be familiar to anyone who has seen the original Poltergeist.

Rated: C+

Sep 14, 2018

Full Review

Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

'Poltergeist' assembles a very gifted group of people to go through another movie's paces, a cover band you wish would just play their own songs.

May 28, 2016

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Drew Hunt

Chicago Reader

Director Gil Kenan ruins the pacing with too many half-baked, awkwardly staged horror set pieces, but the cast acquit themselves well enough.

May 28, 2015

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Why did we need a “Poltergeist” remake?

Rated: 2.5/5

Aug 24, 2022

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The main problem here is the filmmakers haven't done anything significantly new with the material, so there are few surprises worth noting—unless you count how this remake isn't terrible, just pointless.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 21, 2022

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Kip Mooney

Central Track

Just completely unnecessary.

Rated: C

Aug 10, 2021

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Alejandra C

cgi is bad but the movie is not as bad if you can appreciate a good idea for the story.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/05/25

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Riley V

I thought it was decent

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/09/25

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? ?

CGI? BAD. Scary? NO.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

05/03/25

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Kosh N

Surprisingly no bad ! no bad at all ! I watched the original ( 1982 ) Poltergeist in the theater, multiple times, when I knew of this re-make, never thought it would provide any "kick". I was wrong. Too bad those CG. ruined the final act. Love it !

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/16/24

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Audience Member

This movie was so bad and dumb it gave me a headache. So the guy is screaming in terror upstairs and everyone is calm and peaceful without hearing a thing just downstairs. The directing is just as awful as the script. Complete waste of Sam Rockwell's talent. Could not possibly care less about the rest. I need to see the original movie again now just to calm down.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/02/24

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Blu B

What would you expect from this? Well that's exactly what you get. ONLY good thing in this is Sam Rockwell. His cynicism and charm is the only thing that stands out and put a smile on my face every now and than. Besides that yeah nothing to see here. The cinematography and editing isn't good, and the music and pacing is terrible. The acting is ok though. The one preist dude reminds me of Richard Harris constantly. The kids aren't the best thing ever. And pretty much everyone in this is super forgettable including the spirits which you barely see. The CGI is terrible and the practical effects are good but just aren't used well. The direction is basic stuff and none of the scare scenes literally none of them are that particulary memorable. The music is just that Hans Zimmer "Bwhammm..." on repeat half the time. It's not immersive, evokes a sense of wonder, or creepy at all. It just feels like half the time stuff just happens with no real order except for hitting a few key points of the story the original did. The biggest sin here is not that it's convuluted or the worst remake ever made. The biggest problem here is it's just not scary at all. It's shot like a action movie half the time, none of the characters besides Rockwell are that likeable or memorable, and the direction isn't anything special. It also doesn't add ANYTHING new at all. It's the defnition of pointless. In fact it's 20 minutes shorter than the original and yet it feels just as long. Gone is the sense of wonder and childlike curiosity the original evoked about the great beyond and with special effects that really immersed you. Skip This.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/28/24

Full Review

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Gil Kenan

Director

Sam Rockwell

Eric Bowen

Rosemarie DeWitt

Amy Bowen

Kyle Catlett

Griffin Bowen

Jane Adams

Dr. Claire Powell

Jared Harris

Carrigan Burke

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Poltergeist: Trailer 2

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Synopsis

All seems well for Eric Bowen (Sam Rockwell), wife Amy (Rosemarie DeWitt) and their three children as they move into their new house in the suburbs of Illinois. Soon, youngest daughter Maddy (Kennedi Clements) begins talking to an imaginary friend, or so the family thinks. It's not long before sinister spirits wreak havoc in the home, holding Maddy captive and forcing the parents to consult a team of parapsychologists who engage the supernatural entities in a battle for the girl's freedom.

Director: Gil Kenan
Producer: Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, Roy Lee
Screenwriter: David Lindsay-Abaire
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Ghost House Pictures, Fox 2000 Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Intense/Frightening Sequences|Brief Suggestive Material|Some Language)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 22, 2015, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 4, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $47.3M
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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