Poltergeist

Steven Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the most revolutionary filmmakers of all time, so when he decided to dip his toes in the supernatural horror genre by providing the screenplay for Poltergeist, chances are nobody was expecting something quite so chilling from the man who introduced the world to a rubbery chicken wire alien with a glowing finger. The best way to watch Poltergeist, like a number of films, is to go in blind and not know what's coming.

In a time when many cookie cutter horror films have exhausted the jump scares and shrieking violin chords to frighten people, it's refreshing to see something older that, despite it's dated effects and now-overdone story, can still manage to provide a fair number of scares for both young and old. For one thing, the movie takes adult fear to a whole new level. Little Carol Anne is drawn in by seemingly friendly voices of strangers from the T.V. and is then taken into their realm once their sacred ground has been disturbed. And then suddenly the whole house starts to experience disturbances, from chairs stacking themselves to an unholy abomination of a clown doll.

In addition to the aforementioned parental concerns, what makes Poltergeist scarier than most films is that the antagonistic force seems to have no weakness. It cannot be defeated and it forces the family to flee at the last minute, taking everything they hold near and dear into oblivion. While most serial killers in slasher films are taken out via gunshots, stabbings, and decapitations (y'know, before they're brought back for the sequel), the poltergeist here is all powerful and could have taken Carol Anne into their realm permanently.

Poltergeist lives up to its reputation as a landmark horror film, benefiting from it's eerie aura and build-up to its spot-on execution.