A successful suburban family battles a powerful, shape-shifting supernatural force in Poltergeist. Everyone who loves Stranger Things owes a massive “thank you” to this movie; I’m betting the Duffer brothers watched this movie 311, maybe 420 times. While some of the trends depicted in this movie have gone out of style in a major way—smoking indoors, ornate gold-colored bed frames, etc.—the tropes we see in horror today began with Poltergeist. What Tobe Hooper does with the television in this film is genius. The girl, Carol Ann, smiling into the static, and saying “They’re here!” is still as frightening now as the first time. Sure, some of the effects are a bit outdated, and the ghouls look like props from an Iron Maiden concert, but this movie proves that good horror movies are timeless.
