History Film / Poltergeist

[[redirect:Film/Poltergeist1982]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/poltergeist_350_0.jpg]]

->''They're here...''
-->-- '''Carol Anne'''

''Poltergeist'' (1982) is a horror movie directed by Creator/TobeHooper and co-written and produced by Creator/StevenSpielberg, chronicling the terrifying paranormal events that surround the Freelings, an ordinary suburban family, whose home is invaded by spirits that show a special interest in their five-year-old daughter, Carol Anne.

It was followed by two sequels and a reboot: ''Film/PoltergeistIITheOtherSide'' (1986), ''Film/PoltergeistIII'' (1988) and ''[[Film/Poltergeist2015 Poltergeist]]''.

The franchise is often said to be cursed, because several people associated with it, including stars Dominique Dunne and Creator/HeatherORourke, died prematurely. "The Poltergeist Curse" has been the focus of an E! True Hollywood Story. The first film is also known for persistent rumors that Spielberg directed most of the movie.

This film was ranked as #80 on Bravo's ''Series/OneHundredScariestMovieMoments'' and the Chicago Film Critics Association named it the 20th scariest film ever made.

''If you are looking for a trope about mischievous ghost vandals, you can see it under the "Main" tab.''
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!!The 1982 movie contains examples of:
* AllJustADream: One of the parapsychologists begins tearing his face off, only for reality to snap back, and everything's fine. He's the only one of the parapsychologists who does not return.
* AllThereInTheManual: Spielberg gave James Kahn free rein on the novelization, leading to it having ''tons'' of backstory (including Tangina's battles with demons on the spirit plane, a spectral SouthernBelle who protected Carol-Anne on the Other Side, an even ''more'' nightmarish sequence of Marty in the kitchen, and--perhaps most critically--a more thorough explanation of why the ghostly activity started ''now'' rather than when the family first moved into the house) that was never even hinted at in the film.
* AluminumChristmasTrees: The skeletons used in the film are real human skeletons. At the time of filming, it was a lot more affordable to use real ones than to fabricate them by hand. Science classes across the US also used actual human skeletons for the same reason. As costs of fabrication have drastically reduced in the decades since, modern audiences may find the use of real skeletons to be unwholesome or even taboo.
* AntagonistTitle: ''Poltergeist'' is not only the name of the work but also what the family battles against the whole time. It's also a OneWordTitle.
* BigWhy: Steve grabs his land-developer boss and screams at him for having relocated the headstones of the cemetery on which his haunted house was built, while ''leaving the bodies''. His rant of accusation ends with a furious double example of this trope.
* BloodyHorror:
** There's the scene where Marty hallucinates ripping his face off in the bathroom, and dripping blood into the sink.
** There's another scene nearing the end of the film, after rescuing the daughter the mother and the daughter come out of the ghost's world, and they're both coated with blood-tinted globs of mucus.
** Robbie has some blood on his face following Carol Anne's disappearance, which is alarmingly gruesome to see on a child.
* BystanderSyndrome: Diane's neighbors help pull her from her pool, but when she starts screaming hysterically for them to help her children inside, the wife instantly becomes emotionally adamant that her husband ''not'' help Diane. They just abandon her as she runs inside.
* CanaryInACoalMine: PlayedWith, the Freeling's pet canary dies as if to signify a harmful presence is coming over the house. From here, the situation goes downhill before the home becomes properly haunted.
* CollapsingLair: The ghosts fail to take any of the family back to the other side, so they settle for taking the house instead. The entire house collapses and disappears into the Other Dimension. [[note]]Steven later notes in the sequel that he has a very hard time explaining ''that'' to the insurance company.[[/note]]
* CoolGate: The entity, known as [[spoiler:the Beast]] creates one in Carol Anne's closet, with the exit in the living room ceiling.
* CreatorCameo: The hands that rip off Marty's face in the bathroom belong to Steven Spielberg. The effect was created with a wax-and-latex bust of the actor, but since there was only one model, the actor was reluctant to start ripping it apart, so Spielberg did it for him.
* CreepyChild: Carol Anne has her moments. Witness her sing-song "theeeeeeyyyyy're heeeeerrreee!" after some ghosts try to reach for her through the TV screen and her parents wake up to see her sitting in front of the TV.
* CreepyDoll: The clown doll was a bit unsettling ''before'' it started grabbing kids, too. Robbie already is scared of it before [[spoiler:it attacks him]], and tries to cover it with a jacket.
* CuttingCorners: The realtor had to move a cemetery to develop his neighborhood, and did so... or rather, because it was too expensive, just moved the headstones and kept the corpses right where they were, probably hoping someone didn't digged deep enough to run into one of them.
* DissonantSerenity: After Carol Anne is taken, Steven becomes emotionally catatonic, speaking entirely in monotone, in a kind of HeroicBSOD.
* TheDollEpisode: A large clown doll figures prominently in one scare scene.
* DownTheRabbitHole: Although we don't follow her there, Carol Anne's sojourn on the Other Side may qualify, particularly as she doesn't seem to remember much of what happened to her. Plus, the way her closet tried to drag her back again matches the "rabbit hole" imagery...if it's a ''carnivorous'' rabbit with an extradimensional esophagus, that is.
* DrugsAreGood: Diane and Steven are shown smoking a marijuana cigarette together and having a great time.
* ElectromagneticGhosts: When Marty takes a picture of a flickering light, he said that it was electrical and tells the Freelings that they can smell the charge.
** In [[https://i0.wp.com/caps.pictures/198/2-poltergeist/full/poltergeist-movie-screencaps.com-7749.jpg?strip=all this picture]], orbs appear on camera screens, but a ghost of a woman couldn't.
** The ghostly orbs and the glowing ghost can be shown on three video screens with three different filters on three different television sets. When you take a closer look, [[https://i2.wp.com/caps.pictures/198/2-poltergeist/full/poltergeist-movie-screencaps.com-7927.jpg?strip=all it shows the ghosts' faces and bodies]].
** The parapsychologists use an EMF detector equipment to detect the paranormal activities in the house, but when it beeps, a ghostly glowing woman appears on top of the staircase.
* EndlessCorridor: Diane comes across one of these in their home supposedly caused by poltergeist activity warping the laws of physics or hallucination. Diane "dispells" it by breaking into a sprint. It's a VertigoEffect.
* EtherealWhiteDress: In the [[https://iv1.lisimg.com/image/21997804/314full-paula-paulson.jpg behind-the-scenes picture]], Paula Paulson can be shown wearing a white wig, a white gown and a white body suit to resemble a ghost while on wires.
* EvilIsVisceral: Carol Anne's closet turning into a [[WombLevel squidgy, pink, mucous throat-esophagus sort of thing]] with a tentacle reaching out to grab her and pull her in.
* EverybodyLives: [[spoiler:Despite being a horror/thriller film, there are no murders or fatalities depicted in the film]].
* ExtremeMeleeRevenge: The clown comes to life, sneaks up on Robbie and attempts to suffocate him. Robbie overcomes the clown, throws it on the bed, and tears it apart, screaming, "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** After the immortal statement of, "They're here!", we see a bulldozer tearing up ground for the pool. As it does, it digs up the cigar box Tweetie was buried in, [[spoiler:previewing the reveal of what the development is built on]].
** The cemetery Steve and Teague are talking in front of has a tree identical to the one that tried to eat Robbie; a subtle clue that the Freeling house was built over a cemetery.
* FriendlyGhost:
** The ghosts in the movie. While they went from exploding glass to bending utensils like forks and spoons to stacking chairs, they can be shown gliding down the staircase after Carol Anne's abduction.
** The ghostly-looking figure gliding down the staircase along with the orbs that represent the ghosts.
* GoIntoTheLight: Tangina tries to convince the ghosts to do this, while having Diane warn her daughter to stay away.
* HappilyMarried: Diane and Steven are a loving couple. Their relationship never comes into conflict.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Carol Anne has long golden hair and she is very kind and innocent with a pure heart (she's actually specifically targeted by the evil spirits because of her pureness).
* HauntedTechnology: A variation. The TV itself isn't haunted ''per se'', but it serves as a link between the world of the living and the world of the dead.
* HearingVoices: Carol Anne first hears the ghosts whispering to her through television static in the television set.
* HeliumSpeech: Tangina has a very high voice, to the point that it sounds artificial, all the time. It is the actress' normal voice though.
* ImaginaryFriend: The Freelings first think Carol Anne has imaginary friends when they notice her talking to "people" on a TV that's on a static channel. Subverted when it turns out the "TV people" really are ghosts, and real.
* IndianBurialGround: Early in the movie it's briefly mentioned that an Indian burial ground is nearby Cuesta Verde. Later it turns out [[spoiler:that's not related to the hauntings; the real source of that is that Steve's neighborhood was built on top of an improperly relocated Christian cemetery (the bodies are still there)]].
-->'''Steve:''' You son of a bitch! You moved the headstones but you ''left the bodies'', didn't you? You left the bodies and you only moved the headstones! ''YOU ONLY MOVED THE HEADSTONES!! '''WHY?! WHY??!!'''''
* InnocentBlueEyes: Carol Anne has blue eyes and, as explicitly stated in the movie, is especially pure and innocent.
* IronicNurseryTune: The opening theme is a sweet theme sounding like a nursery theme. Soon after the opening scene the movie turns to horror.
* ISeeDeadPeople: Carol Anne can see and hear ghosts and communicate with them, initially through the TV set, later everywhere in the house.
* LastNoteNightmare: The ending theme starts out with children singing... And then, at the very end of the end credits, disturbing laughter is heard.
* LightIsNotGood: The light is good; it's just not good for things that don't need to go there, like the living.
* LockedIntoStrangeness: After rescuing Carol Anne from the Other Side, Diane develops a white streak of hair at each temple. She is reluctant to dye the streaks back, speculating to her older daughter that they look "punk".
* LongHairIsFeminine: Carol Anne's long blonde hair is iconic and she's definitely a girly girl.
* MamaBear: Diane is willing to go through absolute hell to keep her children safe.
-->'''Diane:''' '''''NO! NOT MY BABIES!!!'''''
* MoodWhiplash: From a horrific scene of exploding raw steak, maggoty chicken and Marty ''tearing his own face off'' ([[spoiler:he's hallucinating]]), we segue into a near-mystical manifestation of gracefully-glowing light. [[spoiler:Justified when it's revealed that there's an insanely-malign ghost sharing the house with a bunch of inoffensive/trapped ones.]]
* MonsterClown: A clown doll turns evil and attacks Robbie, [[spoiler:but this is just the ghosts' distraction in order to kidnap Carol Anne.]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The demon who is the main antagonist is first referred to as only "The Beast".
* NextSundayAD: ''Poltergeist'' was filmed in 1982 but a poster for the 1988 Superbowl hangs on the childrens' bedroom wall. Notable for being HarsherInHindsight as the movie's main child actress, Heather O’Rourke got sick and died on the day of the 1988 Superbowl.
* NoTellMotel: The motel the family heads to at the end of the film has a reputation for being used to fool around, seeing how Dana chuckles, saying "I know that place..." when Diane mentions it.
* {{Novelization}}: A novelization was written by James Kahn, adapted from the film's original screenplay. The copyright is 1982 by Amblin' Enterprises, Inc. It was printed in the United States through Warner Books, with the first printing in May 1982. While the film focuses mainly on the Freeling family, much of the book leans toward the relationship between Tangina and Dr. Lesh away from the family. The novel also expands upon many scenes that took place in the film, such as the Freelings' living room being visited by night by outer-dimensional entities of fire and shadows, and an extended version of the kitchen scene in which Marty watches the steak crawl across a countertop. In the book, Marty is frozen in place and is skeletonized by spiders and rats. There are also additional elements not in the film, such as Robbie's mysterious discovery of the clown doll in the yard during his birthday party, and a benevolent spirit, "The Waiting Woman", who protects Carol Anne in the spirit world.
* OffscreenRealityWarp: The spirits demonstrate their talent at chair stacking during a brief period when the camera is not on them.
* OneWordTitle: Also an AntagonistTitle.
* OrpheanRescue: Carol Anne is kidnapped by the ghosts and taken to the astral plane where they are trapped.
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: The "angry at the living" type.
* OurWormholesAreDifferent: The wormhole in Carol Anne's closet is like the nexus of the anomalies around the house. Near the end, the portal grows violent and sucks in the entire home.
* PeekABooCorpse: Diane is assaulted by corpses in the unfinished backyard pool. Later on, the entire family had to escape from a house where corpses in coffins were literally popping themselves up out of the floor and blocking their way. One even tossed itself onto the windshield of their departing car for good measure. And those skeletons were ''real''.
* {{Poltergeist}}: The film is haunting by the dead of an improperly relocated cemetery.
* RapunzelHair: Carol Anne's hair reaches at least down to her waist, sometimes it appears even longer.
* ReallyGetsAround: Dana talks on the phone late at night, knows all about the local NoTellMotel and exits the car of her boyfriend with hickeys on her neck.
* RedHerring: When characters tell there's an Indian burial ground near the Freelings' house, the viewer (and probably the characters themselves, In Universe) would think that that would be the source of the ghostly disturbances. Turns out it's not responsible, just an indicator of what the realtor company's attitude towards sacred ground.
* SayMyName: CAROL ANNE! Her name is very frequently called or shouted.
* ShooOutTheClowns: The first twenty minutes of this film are very light-hearted, like when Steve and his neighbor are dueling with their remotes. After Carol Ann utters "They're here..." the film becomes considerably darker. The neighbors later reappear in a scene where Steven and Diane go to ask them if they experience any "disturbances" too (to which the neighbors look at them like they're crazy, and which is played for laughs). Once the film turns really dark, the neighbors aren't shown or mentioned again. They actually reappear to [[spoiler:rescue Diane from the pool corpses]], but then it is very brief and they've completely lost their comedic tendencies.
* ShoutOut:
** While Diane and Steven are in bed, we see they are watching ''Film/AGuyNamedJoe''. This is a movie from 1943 where a dead Air Force pilot comes back to Earth as a ghost to pass his knowledge onto an up and coming rookie. Spielberg would go on to remake this film later in his career under the title ''Film/{{Always}}''.
** The children's room is littered with ''Franchise/StarWars'' toys, a [[Series/SesameStreet Bert and Ernie]] poster and, for some reason, an ''Film/{{Alien}}'' poster.
** The family's yellow canary was called Tweety, obviously after Tweety Bird of ''The Looney Tunes''.
* SkunkStripe: After [[spoiler:going to the Other Side to rescue Carol Anne]], Diane, who's naturally brown-haired, has a streak of white hair at her temples.
* SnowyScreenOfDeath: The spirits first communicate with Carol Anne through an untuned television set.
* TheSoulsaver: The psychic Tangina helps a group of [[spoiler:friendly yet lonely]] ghosts (lost souls) trapped in the astral plane go into the Light.
* SoundtrackDissonance: The film inexplicably begins with "The Star-Spangled Banner" playing over the credits; our confusion is resolved when we realize it's a TV station playing the national anthem before ending their broadcast for the evening.
* SuburbanGothic: A family living in a new planned community in California is terrorized by a poltergeist. It turns out that the neighborhood [[spoiler:was built on top of an old cemetery and only the headstones were moved prior to construction.]]
* TearOffYourFace: The psychic's assistant, Marty, hallucinates that he pulls off his own face.
* TemptingFate: After [[spoiler:getting back Carol Anne from the Other Side]], Tangina exclaims confidently "This house is clean," thinking that [[spoiler:with Carol Anne back on the physical plane]], the poltergeist's link to the house was severed. [[spoiler:Nope - it was regrouping... and it was ''pissed''...]]
* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: Carol Anne's very feminine frilly blue pajamas trimmed with satin ribbons.
* ThirdActStupidity: Steven and Diane Freeling act with reasonable intelligence throughout most of the movie--not perfectly, but then they didn't have an idea that it could be so dangerous. However, after managing to rescue Carol Anne from a demonic ghost, they decide that Diane, Robbie and Carol Anne will stay in the house overnight. Not only that, but they let Robbie and Carol Anne stay alone in the same room that Carol Anne was originally stolen from. Would you take that kind of risk with ''your'' kids? In fairness, Tangina HAD said that the house was "clean". Little did she know...
* TrueBlueFemininity: Carol Anne's pajamas are blue and very feminine.
* UnfinishedBusiness: The reason why ghosts are lonely.
-->'''Dr. Lesh:''' They're ''so'' alone. ''So'' alone.
* VertigoEffect: A notable version of this happens during the ghost's assault on the family at the end of the film. Diane gets thrown out of the house at one point and then battles her way back in to save her children. As she's running down the hallway to the children's bedroom, a Vertigo Effect begins which soon turns into a full-blown special effect in which the hallway itself starts becoming stretched and distorted. The more she runs, the longer the hallway becomes and the further away she gets from her children's bedroom door. She eventually catches up to it by running at full speed.
* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The inspiration for the story of the movie comes from an actual occurrence in Denver, Colorado. In the late 1800s, when Denver was expanding, there was a graveyard where the city government wanted to put in a grand city park like the one that New York city built and that cities across the country sought to emulate; Central Park. The city put out notices for bids to relocate the cemetery and decided to go with the lowest bidder. About a third of the way into the project the contractor realized that he had seriously underbid the job and, long story short, started moving just the headstones. He completed the job and the city started building the slated structure, and were actually getting close to finishing, when one of the contractor's employees spilled the beans. The contractor was arrested but the damage was done. The city, not being able to afford to tear down the building and dig up the cemetery again, left it as it was and just finished the project, leaving the unmarked graves as they were. The park is named Cheesman Park, and the graves sit under the Greek Pavilion on the east end of the park and extend south to 8th Avenue.
* WhenTreesAttack: The tree near the Freelings' house turns evil and its branches go through the kid's window to take and attack Robbie.
* WholePlotReference: To "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS3E91LittleGirlLost Little Girl Lost]]", an episode of ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959''.
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[[/folder]]

* SayMyName: CAROL ANNE! CAROL ANNE! [[RuleOfThree CAROL ANNE!]] Her name is very frequently called or shouted.

%%ZCE * DeadpanSnarker: Steven has his moments.

* ForgottenTrope:
** In the '80s, analog television sets would produce a screen of static when not tuned to a specific channel. Nowadays, not so much. (Although many younger people are likely familiar with static [[PopCulturalOsmosis purely because of shows and movies continuing to show static on nonfunctioning televisions long after they stopped working that way]].)
** In the '80s and earlier, networks would stop broadcasting late at night. Younger generations have grown up with 24 hour television, so they won't catch the significance of the television turning to static, then commonly known as [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything "dead air"]]...
** Nowadays, hotel televisions are typically tied in place with cables to prevent theft, so the final shot of the father evicting a TV from their hotel room is also dated.
* FriendlyGhost: The ghosts in the movie. While they went from exploding glass to bending utensils like forks and spoons to stacking chairs, they can be shown gliding down the staircase after Carol Anne's abduction.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: There are some hints during the film, stronger during the second half, that Dana is fooling around with someone without her parents knowing: just the day after they [[spoiler:recover Carol Anne from the other side of the closet]], Diane mentions that they're going to stay in a Holiday Inn and Dana says "oh, yes" and chuckles. At the very end of the film when she finally comes home, just in time to see the destruction, she has visible hickeys on both sides of her neck.

%%ZCE * HappilyMarried: Diane and Steven.

* NoTellMotel: The motel the family heads to at the end of the film has a reputation for being used to fool around, seeing how Dana chuckles saying "I know that place..." when Diane mentions it.

It was followed by two sequels: ''Film/PoltergeistIITheOtherSide'' (1986) and ''Film/PoltergeistIII'' (1988).

A remake, co-financed between [[Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer MGM]] and Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox, was released May 22 2015, with Creator/SamRaimi as producer and [[WesternAnimation/MonsterHouse Gil Kenan]] as director.

''The sequels have their own pages at ''Film/PoltergeistIITheOtherSide'' and ''Film/PoltergeistIII.

!!The 1982 movie and the 2015 reboot/remake contain examples of:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:General]]
* AllJustADream: A recurring experience throughout the series: A character appears to become drawn into a terrifying, life-threatening experience only for the experience to abruptly end, showing that nothing permanent happened.

* OneWordTitle: Also an AntagonistTitle.
* {{Poltergeist}}: The first movie posited that the haunting was caused by an improperly relocated cemetery, while the second suggested that a dark ritual opened a gateway between the afterlife and the living world.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:''Poltergeist'' (1982)]]
* AllThereInTheManual: Spielberg gave James Kahn free rein on the novelization, leading to it having ''tons'' of backstory (including Tangina's battles with demons on the spirit plane, a spectral SouthernBelle who protected Carol-Anne on the Other Side, an even ''more'' nightmarish sequence of Marty in the kitchen, and--perhaps most critically--a more thorough explanation of why the ghostly activity started ''now'' rather than when the family first moved into the house) that was never even hinted at in the film.
* AluminumChristmasTrees: The skeletons used in the film are real human skeletons. At the time of filming, it was a lot more affordable to use real ones than to fabricate them by hand. Science classes across the US also used actual human skeletons for the same reason. As costs of fabrication have drastically reduced in the decades since, modern audiences may find the use of real skeletons to be unwholesome or even taboo.

* SayMyName: CAROL ANNE! CAROL ANNE! [[RuleOfThree CAROL ANNE!]] Her name is very frequently called or shouted. Probably justifiable because she's missing ''in her own house'' during most of the movie, and her parents want her to come back.

* ShoutOut: While Diane and Steven are in bed, we see they are watching ''Film/AGuyNamedJoe''. This is a movie from 1943 where a dead Air Force pilot comes back to Earth as a ghost to pass his knowledge onto an up and coming rookie. Spielberg would go on to remake this film later in his career under the title ''Film/{{Always}}''.
* SkunkStripe: After [[spoiler:going to the Other Side to rescue Carol Anne]], Diane, who's naturally brown-haired, has a streak of white hair at her temple.

[[folder:''Poltergeist'' (2015)]]
* AmicableExes: Brooke and Carrigan.
* AscendedExtra: He's not really an extra, but Griffin, the counterpart of Robbie from the original film series, is essentially the reboot's main protagonist and [[TheHero hero]]. He has the most focus of the Bowens, and is actually the one who [[spoiler:saves Maddie from the other dimension]], as opposed to the original's Diane (the counterpart of the reboot's Amy).
* BigBrotherInstinct: Griffin to Maddie, especially after [[MyGreatestFailure leaving her to guard herself]] [[spoiler:which causes her to be taken to the other dimension.]] While the others are busy offering themselves to [[spoiler:go to the other dimension and become Maddie's guide]], Griffin wastes no time to do it himself. His mom is apparently very supportive of him to have this instinct, too.
--> '''Amy''': Be brave. If you're scared, Maddie's going to be scared too. You're her big brother. You have to be an example to her.
* BigSisterBully: Kendra is initially this to Griffin and Maddie (or at least just Griffin). [[CharacterDevelopment She softens up throughout the film due to all they go through]].
* BlackSpeech: The poltergeists have this effect when communicating through electronics through Maddie is able intuit their actual communications.
* BodyMotifs: Lots and lots of "hand" imagery.
* CassandraTruth: Griffin's pleas about the poltergeists are denied all the time. At least until [[spoiler:Kendra experiences it first-hand and Maddie goes missing.]]
* ChekhovsGun:
** The previous owner of the family's new home installed a sound system all over the house. This ends up coming into play during the paranormal investigation after Maddie is abducted into the Other Dimension.
** Two of the gifts the dad buys (the cell phone and the camera drone) play a role detecting the ghosts and then Maddie, respectively.
* ChekhovsGunman: Kendra is a fan of Carrigan Burke, an occultist and the host of a paranormal investigation reality show. Carrigan himself is later called by Brooke to help rescue [[spoiler:Maddie]].
* CreepyDoll: In all its terrifying glory. And there's a ''closet full of them''.
* DarkWorld: [[spoiler: The other side, presented as a decayed mirror image of the real world.]] This world is close enough to world of the living to allow interaction, but out of phase.
* DetectEvil: The home's burglar alarm is able to fulfill this role, as the poltergeist invasion trips said alarm.
* DysfunctionJunction: The Bowens are almost heading to this territory at the start, due to Eric losing his job while continuously preventing Amy from seeking job so she can write a novel. Losing a job means that the family have to move in to a lower-class neighborhood that their children dislike. Ironically, the problem that should have been the worst influence on the relationship, the poltergeists, actually ends up making them reconcile and team up to repel it, though [[spoiler:Maddie's disappearance]] might have something to do with it, too.
* EldritchLocation: [[spoiler:The other dimension again.]]
* EverybodyLives: Should be no surprise, since the series is known for this trope despite being a high-end horror fiction.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Knowing that the Bowens will always be hunted by the spirits because of their attraction to Maddie, Carrigan ends up deciding to enter the other dimension to guide them to the light instead. However, the ending implies that he survives, which TheStinger outright confirms.]]
* HereWeGoAgain: The house the Bowens are looking into at the end gives off the same vibe as their previous haunted house, complete with ominous tree. [[spoiler:They respond by driving off before the realtor has a chance to finish her sales pitch.]]
* IncompetenceInc: PlayedForLaughs, the driver for the moving company isn't doing their company's image any favors when they reverse their moving truck into the new home's mailbox. One might wonder where they hired ''that'' driver who says sorry with little enthusiasm and couldn't bother backing into the driveway correctly.
* ImYourBiggestFan: Kendra and Boyd say some variation of this while meeting with their favorite idol, Carrigan. He just brushes it off.
* IfWeGetThroughThis: Surprisingly subverted. Carrigan promises Griffin to reveal how he got the scar on his forehead once Maddie is rescued and if Griffin survive. Since all of them make it through the night, ''Poltergeist'' style, Griffin does indeed reveal how he got that: [[spoiler:it's completely mundane and not related to the supernatural at all.]]
* IWillFindYou: All of the Bowens [[spoiler:after Maddie's gone]] will do everything to have [[spoiler:her]] back. Exemplified best with Griffin when he denies Boyd's suggestion to use the paranormal activity for profit.
--> '''Griffin:''' I just want to have [[spoiler:my sister]] back.
* LaymansTerms: Not stated outright, but Brooke's TechnoBabble explanation about the other dimension definitely doesn't suit Kendra and Griffin well. Sophie ends up having to explain it through papers.
* ManlyTears: "I don't care about that whole supernatural thing. I just want to have my daughter back." Well said, Eric, well said.
* MiddleChildSyndrome: Griffin thinks he has this complex. He's not old enough to be given responsibilites like Kendra, and he's not young enough to warrant extra attention like Maddie. Plus, [[OutnumberedSibling he's the only son of the trio]].
* MommasBoy: A positive example. It's obvious that out of all her children, Amy adores Griffin the most, probably because he's the only boy.
* NeverGotToSayGoodbye: Specifically averted. Because he's unsure whether he will [[spoiler:survive going to the other dimension]], Carrigan says this to Brooke beforehand. [[spoiler:Fortunately, he survives.]]
* PleaseDontLeaveMe: Said ''ad verbatim'' by Maddie to Griffin. He regrets it later, since that's [[spoiler:the last words he heard before Maddie goes to the other dimension.]]
* PlotHole: Maddie is very apprehensive when the poltergeists start invading her room and begs Griffin to stay with her before he flees. However, in the next scene, she calmly approaches the closet-portal in curiosity which apparently ignores Maddie's abject terror over the situation and the scene feels like a NonSequitur.
* PrimalScene: Griffin walks in while his mom is lying half-dressed on bed and his dad undoing his trousers (but not underwear, thankfully).
* TheRemake: With some refreshing change in details.
* SatelliteCharacter: Out of the three members of the Department of Paranormal Research, Sophie stands out the least, since she barely gets lines other than those related to explaining the paranormal thing. Brooke gets the distinction as leader and ex-wife of Carrigan, and Boyd is Carrigan's fan and even has a certain independent opinion that establishes his money-hungry nature, but Sophie's defining trait is being an investigator and nothing more. It is particularly significant since she's also the TokenMinority of the film.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Rather than tempt fate and spend the night in their "cleaned" house, the Bowens pack up what they can [[spoiler:after they retrieve Maddie from the other side]] and get the hell out of Dodge [[spoiler:only to find the ghosts haven't been exorcised and really want their guide back.]]
* SpoonBending: When the family discovers that all of their cutlery has been distorted at the beginning of the movie, that is their (and the viewer's) first clue that the house is being haunted. Of course, everything gets downhill from there.
* {{Squee}}: Kendra ''and'' Boyd, but especially Kendra, when Brooke calls in Carrigan. If you look closely in some scenes where Kendra is not the focus, [[FunnyBackgroundEvent you can see that she's locked in a perpetual smile while looking at Carrigan]].
* StayInTheKitchen: Not quite, but Eric disapproves of Amy seeking a job so she can pursue her dream: writing a novel.
* TheStinger: Confirms that [[spoiler:Carrigan does indeed survive after having entered the other dimension.]]
* SupernaturalProofFather: It takes some time to convince Eric that ''nothing'' makes sense in the house, and the poltergeists are real.
* TokenMinority: The only non-white person in the film who has a major role is Sophie, a member of Brooke's Department of Paranormal Research, who is black. There's also Kendra's TokenBlackFriend, Lauren, but she has a very minor role and only appears in webcam video.
* TwoFacedAside: Eric assures his wife that Carrigan's plan will work. As soon as she's left the room, he asks "Are you sure this will work?"
* VertigoEffect: A nod to the EndlessCorridor from the original film: Maddie is lured into the closet portal and when she turns around, she is in a pitch black void and the view of her bedroom is moving away in the opposite direction.
* WhamLine: After they flee their house, Kendra gets Carrigan to say his CatchPhrase that the house is clean. Then...
--> '''Kendra:''' I can't believe he said it. "This house is clean."\\
[[spoiler:'''Maddie:''' But it's not.]]
* WorkingWithTheEx: Brooke and Carrigan were formerly married, but separated because Brooke wanted to pursue formal education. They remain on good professional terms, though.
[[/folder]]