Movie connections for
Poltergeist (1982) More at IMDbPro »

Followed by

Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)
Poltergeist III (1988)

Remade as

Poltergeist (2011)

Edited into

"I Love the '80s" (2002)
"The 100 Scariest Movie Moments" (2004)

Spin off

"Poltergeist: The Legacy" (1996)

References

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
 -  When Tangina is first introduced, Steve says "So, what side of the rainbow are we working tonight?", which is a reference to both the Munchkins and the song "Over The Rainbow".
The Uninvited (1944)
"The Twilight Zone: Little Girl Lost (#3.26)" (1962)
 -  Blonde little girl disappears into an alternate dimension inside her house, parents hear her cries echoeing through the house, but from this alt dimension
"Hulk" (1966)
 -  figure seen
"60 Minutes" (1968)
The Exorcist (1973)
Jaws (1975)
Star Wars (1977)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Animal House (1978)
 -  Diane calls a pool worker stealing food "Bluto"
Alien (1979)
"That's Incredible!" (1980)
The Evil Dead (1981)
 -  posessed tree coming to life and attacking person through vines! (although released in 82, Evil Dead was finished in 1979)

Referenced in

"Saturday Night Live: Eddie Murphy/Lionel Richie (#8.9)" (1982)
 -  Mentioned during the monologue
Eddie Murphy Delirious (1983) (TV)
2010: The Odyssey Continues (1984)
Explorers (1985)
Joey (1985)
"Cheers: House of Horrors with Formal Training and Used Brick (#5.5)" (1986)
 -  Carla mentions, she saw Poltergeist
Drive-In Madness! (1987)
 -  A still photo is shown.
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987)
Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (1987)
 -  Ogre says, "they're heeeere" when the nerds arrive at the airport
"Perfect Strangers: The Horn Blows at Midnight (#3.7)" (1987)
 -  Balki says, "He's heere", in a way reminiscent of Heather O'Rourke's famous line in the movie.
"Full House: Our Very First Promo (#1.12)" (1987)
 -  Kimmy says that Stephanie looks like the girl from Poltergeist.
Non aver paura della zia Marta (1988)
"The Real Ghost Busters: Poultrygeist (#4.3)" (1988)
 -  Title Reference
My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988)
La chiesa (1989)
Transylvania Twist (1989)
 -  The film is quoted
Love or Money (1990)
 -  Chris says "they're here!" in the same manner as Carol Anne
Repossessed (1990)
"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Ain't No Business Like Show Business (#3.22)" (1993)
 -  Mentioned during the stand-up comedy routine
"The X Files: Shadows (#1.5)" (1993)
 -  Scully references the famous line "They're here." when Mulder speaks of poltergeists.
"The Nanny: Pinske Business (#2.8)" (1994)
 -  Fran mentions the movie title by name.
"The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror VI (#7.6)" (1995)
 -  Bart tries to save Homer trapped in the other world, by running into a door full of light with a rope tied around his waist
House of the Damned (1996)
 -  a missing daughter "trapped" inside the house and a seance used to talk to her
"Friends: The One with the Giant Poking Device (#3.8)" (1996)
 -  Phoebe mentions the film.
RocketMan (1997)
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer: I Only Have Eyes for You (#2.19)" (1998)
 -  They declare that the spirit is a poltergeist. Xander also says, "Fill me in then, 'cause I've read the book, seen the movie and I'm still fuzzy about what's going on."
Hinterholz 8 (1998)
Fallout 2: A Post-Nuclear Role-Playing Game (1998) (VG)
 -  Upon finishing the "ghost" quest in the den the player character will say "this house is clean"
Ghostbusters' SFX Team Featurette (1999) (V)
 -  Jon Bruno is introduced as art director on Poltergeist
Stir of Echoes (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Boondock Saints (1999)
 -  "This house is clean."
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Final Destination (2000)
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Where the Wild Things Are (#4.18)" (2000)
 -  Xander: "This house is clean"
Seven Days to Live (2000)
Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Shocking Truth (2000) (V)
 -  mentioned once
Donnie Darko (2001)
Wendigo (2001)
Shrek (2001)
Ruîgi manshon (2001) (VG)
The Omen Legacy (2001) (TV)
Cubbyhouse (2001)
Terror at Tate Manor (2002)
Creating A.I. (2002) (V)
 -  mentioned once
"Dark Angel: Exposure (#2.16)" (2002)
 -  Logan says one of the psychcic kids would have "went all Poltergeist"
WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos (2002) (VG)
Signs (2002)
Ritana (2002)
 -  During a flashback scene, when the aliens invade the lower sector of the base, a woman says, "They're here," in a tone similar to Heather O'Rourke's.
The Ring (2002)
"E! True Hollywood Story: Curse of Poltergeist" (2002)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: 20th Anniversary Celebration (2002) (V)
Ghost Ship (2002)
Final Destination 2 (2003)
Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)
 -  "Step into the light" line is repeated
Identity (2003)
Shredder (2003)
 -  Cole says "Don't go into the light" in mock-fashion.
Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy (2003) (V)
 -  mentioned once
The 100 Greatest Scary Moments (2003) (TV)
 -  Makes the countdown, is talked about.
"Los Serrano: Trigo limpio (#2.4)" (2003)
 -  Poltergeist is mentioned in this episode.
"Tripping the Rift: Ghost Ship (#2.4)" (2004)
 -  Quoted by Bob
Cairo (2004)
 -  with the chair-stacking scene
"Saturday Night Live: Drew Barrymore/Kelis (#29.12)" (2004)
 -  Mentioned during the monologue and in Spy Glass
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) (TV)
 -  "Z Channel" documentary references and features scores of movies that were seen on the "Z Channel."
Timesplitters: Future Perfect (2005) (VG)
 -  same TV and girl
"American Dad!: Homeland Insecurity (#1.6)" (2005)
 -  Stan refers to "the girl of Poltergeist that now should be 16".
The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
Over the Hedge (2006)
"Family Guy: Petergeist (#4.26)" (2006)
 -  title reference
"The Venture Bros.: Powerless in the Face of Death (#2.1)" (2006)
 -  Dr. Orpheus drops out of the ceiling, covered in pink goo, in much the same way as characters exit the "other side" in Poltergeist.
"Psych: Who Ya Gonna Call? (#1.7)" (2006)
 -  When Shawn is trying to remember where he got the idea of how to trick Gus when they were kids, he says he may have gotten it from Poltergeist.
"Veronica Mars: Charlie Don't Surf (#3.4)" (2006)
 -  Dick says "They're heeere" when the feminists show up at the frat house to protest them in the same way the little girl says it in Polstergeist
"South Park: With Apologies to Jesse Jackson (#11.1)" (2007)
 -  Cartman makes the little person say "Carol Anne, don't go into the light".
The Killing Floor (2007)
 -  Title of movie seen in videostore towards the end of the movie.
The Hills Have Eyes II (2007)
 -  In the beginning, when the man is talking on the radio, he says "what's he expecting to find down here? Ghosts of old miners?" Followed by "They're here!" which is reminiscent of Heather O'Rourke's infamous line.
"Blood Ties: Gifted (#1.4)" (2007)
 -  line: "Celeste thought it was poltergeists, you know, like the movie."
"Supernatural: Hollywood Babylon (#2.18)" (2007)
 -  Dean talks of how in poltergeist (1982) they used real bones on set
The Making of 'Stupid Teenagers Must Die!' (2007) (V)
 -  Mentioned by crew member as a favorite horror film.
"The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: Team Tipton (#3.13)" (2007)
 -  Zack lures a guest away from the St. Mark's with stories of "TV sets coming to life" and "trees eating children."
Death of a Ghost Hunter (2007)
 -  "Cross over children. Step into the light."
Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007) (V)
 -  Mentioned once.
Dying Breed (2008)
 -  "They're heeeere" said the same way
"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Mac & Charlie Die: Part 2 (#4.6)" (2008)
 -  Charlie mentions it in dialogue
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 5: 8-Bit Is Enough (2008) (VG)
 -  When he sees that his house is haunted, Strong Bad refuses to use his computer, saying that he might "get sucked into the screen or something"
"QI: Film (#6.11)" (2009)
 -  Listed as containing a Wilhelm Scream.
Drag Me to Hell (2009)
 -  The heroine of the movie is trapped in a muddy pool as a decomposing body bobs around her in the water, seemingly attacking her.
"The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Mosters vs Aliens/The Haunting in Connecticut/12 Rounds (#1.5)" (2009)
 -  Ellen says The Haunting In Connecticut (2009) takes a little bit of Poltergeist
"Eureka: Insane in the P-Brane (#3.11)" (2009)
 -  Poltergeist/ghost-type activity in the episode, Dreckmeier says the "They're here" line in a similar fashion to the movie quote
"Psych: Let's Get Hairy (#4.8)" (2009)
 -  Stewart says that he has not watched TV since he saw "Poltergeist."

Features

A Guy Named Joe (1943)
Go for Broke! (1951)
 -  It is being played on TV when Carol Anne is asked to change the channel
"Today" (1952)
 -  On TV during breakfast
"MisteRogers' Neighborhood" (1968)

Featured in

The Making of 'Poltergeist' (1982) (TV)
Terror in the Aisles (1984)
Precious Images (1986)
Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)
"Movie Magic: Ghost Effects: Ghost Stories (#4.13)" (1996)
 -  Footage from the movie is shown in conjunction with "making of" footage.
"E! True Hollywood Story: Dominique Dunne: An American Tragedy" (1997)
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills: America's Most Heart-Pounding Movies (2001) (TV)
 -  This film is #84 on the list.
"I Love the '80s" (2002)
The 100 Greatest Scary Moments (2003) (TV)
 -  Clips are shown.
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes: America's Greatest Quips, Comebacks and Catchphrases (2005) (TV)
 -  The quote "They're here!" is #69 on the list.
"20 to 1: 50 to 01: Great Movie One Liners (#4.10)" (2007)
 -  Some clips from this movie are shown in a segment on the line "They're heeere."
"The O'Reilly Factor: (2008-02-15)" (2008)
 -  A scene from this film is featured duing the interview with Craig T. Nelson.

Spoofs

The Exorcist (1973)

Spoofed in

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Evil Dead II (1987)
Curse of the Queerwolf (1988)
Repossessed (1990)
Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992) (V)
 -  Towards the end of the movie, we see Babs, Buster and Banjo the Woodpile Possum descending towards Acme Acres. Babs says "Head towards the light".
Army of Darkness (1992)
"Goof Troop: Pistolgeist (#2.6)" (1993)
 -  Title and plot spoof
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
Casper (1995)
Wui wan yeh (1995)
 -  ghost/kid in tv
Discworld II: Missing Presumed...!? (1996) (VG)
Hard Core Logo (1996)
The Frighteners (1996)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Scary Movie 2 (2001)
 -  The scenes where the guys are spending their first night in Hell House there are a few Parodies of Poltergeist like Ray getting attacked by the clown doll, Shorty Getting attacked by the herb plant, and when Tori's Character is riding all over the ceiling and walls.
"South Park: Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes (#8.9)" (2004)
 -  a Wall-Mart greeter says "all are welcome" like Tangina in this movie, also the way the Wall-Mart disappears is the same
Daisy Does... (2006)
 -  Daisy Dog recreates scene with television shash and whispers
"My Gym Partner's a Monkey: The Sheds/Shiny Thing (#1.4)" (2006)
 -  In 'Shiny Thing', Jake says the famous line "All are Welcome" while speaking to Adam.
"Family Guy: Petergeist (#4.26)" (2006)
 -  large portions of movie are re-enacted/spoofed
"South Park: Dead Celebrities (#13.8)" (2009)
 -  Doctor Phillips, who specializes in spooky things, is a parody of the Tangina character from Poltergeist.

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