Thanks to a Universal contract that prevented him from directing POLTERGEIST while he was also making E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, Steven Spielberg had to find someone to assist in directing a film that he had recently written and desperately wanted to make: POLTERGEIST. Being an admitted fan of the first TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE film, Spielberg selected Tobe Hooper, and out of their partnership came (arguably) one of the most effectively frightening horror movies ever made.
The Freeling family live in a sunny California suburb, headed by father Steven (Craig T. Nelson) and mother Diane (JoBeth Williams), and enjoy what is seemingly a quiet, idyllic life. That is, until their daughter Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke) begins conversing with a malevolent force on the other side of the TV, and sets a progressively more and more chilling series of set pieces in motion, as the family tries to fight off the evil spirits and survive the night against evil clowns, tree people, and other various curiosities.
Released during a time when horror films were struggling for a new identity after the initial slasher boom, POLTERGEIST shows the very best tenants of the genre in a refreshingly tasteful way and has well-deservedly received nothing but praise over the years. If horror films aren't really "your thing," then this might be the one film that could potentially change your mind.