Top 10 Horror Movie Countdown! #3 - Poltergeist

Can you FEEL the tension?! ... Is it Hurricane Sandy/Frankenstorm breathing down your neck?! ... Nope! We're closing in on the finale for the Top 10 Horror Movies of All-Time countdown!! The bad news is theres only 3 to go. The GOOD news is that everything left? - MASTERPIECES.


#3 - Poltergeist

Directed by Tobe Hooper (who also brought us yesterday's Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and written by Steven Spielberg (that is QUITE a parentage for a film), 1982's Poltergeist is easy to be overlooked as a horror film. Why? Perhaps cuz a "PG" rated 'Spielberg' movie seldom falls into that genre? Well don't let that fool you. Poltergeist is the definition of horror. The story? A normal California family notices strange things happening around their home and its not long before monstrous spirits bridge a connection through the youngest child and begin a terrifying rampage over the entire household.

How does it make the top 10?

Sure, we've seen this story before - Creepy kid? Check. (although Carol Anne is cuter than she is creepy) Annoying brother? Check. Spooky ghosts? Check. One parent that refuses to believe? Check and double check. Its the textbook that every single 'ghost' and 'haunting' horror movie has studied since then, but NEVER has it been done better and more scary than with Poltergeist. The movie was powerful cuz it was just so relatable. The trials and tribulations of the "average family", but then not SO banally average that we just didn't give a shit.

Great performances from every single character, particularly the children. Heather O'Rourke's (R.I.P.) legendary cinematic catchphrase - "They're heeere ..." Zelda Rubinstein as the psychic Tangina? Epic. She was like the 'Yoda' to The Empire Strikes Back, and remains today as one of the most iconic and unlikely horror movie heroines ever.

It forever changed the way we looked at our television sets, and anticipated a coming storm - "1-1,000 ... 2-1,000 ... 3-1,000 ... " ...

Poltergeist was one of the revolutionary proponents of change for Motion Picture Association ratings, as at the time a movie was either rated "PG" or "R". Being family centered, with no nudity or swearing, Poltergeist got a "PG", although as horrific as it was, it probably deserved the "R". Poltergeist and movies like it were instrumental in the creation of "PG-13".

Lastly, at the end of the day, Poltergeist was just frighteningly unforgettable. The clown doll? The tree? The ants? The face in the bathroom mirror? ... That creepy-ass movie anthem?! I don't want to spoil any of it, but if you've SEEN this film, you know what I'm talking about. And if you haven't yet? Then you are in for one of best and and most shocking movie watching experiences of your life. You'll definitely go and hug your family when you are done.

Tomorrow? #2! We're almost there!!!!!

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