History Main / PolterGeist

* ''Series/Charmed1998'' had an episode about a poltergeist haunting a place.

* In ''Literature/{{Nyctophobia}}'', the agency's Winchester office has a poltergeist for a caretaker. No one knows whose ghost it is, and they're even invisible to a [[ISeeDeadPeople medium]] like Selwyn. Mycroft explains messes started tidying themselves one day, so he named the entity "Porter" and let them be to save on hiring maintenance staff. [[BerserkButton Just don't disrespect Porter's system]]; Victor [[ThrowTheBookAtThem got assaulted by books]] for not alphabetizing them.
* The Insight version of ''Tobin's Spirit Guide'' shows Poltergeists' core manifest off a powerful emotion like love, sadness and anger and then evolve into a blind, violent rage which said rage causes them to violently torment the living and their descendants.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' had a cluster of these in "Where the Wild Things Are". They were born out of intense adolescent emotion of the orphans who were traumatized by sexually repressive fundamentalist Genevieve Holt and were awakened by Buffy and Riley having sex. [[AliensMadeThemDoIt Driving the pair to keep having sex]], they're using them as batteries, with the inevitable consequence of draining them completely if they aren't stopped.
* ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' had a episode about a poltergeist haunting a place.

** ''Literature/AHatFullOfSky'' features Oswald, Miss Level's resident ghost. Rather than make a ruckus, however, Oswald makes sure that everything is [[SuperOCD tidy]] (an easy way to keep him occupied for a day is to spill a bowl of sugar; he'll carefully put it back grain by grain), leading Miss Level to declare him an [[InvertedTrope ondageist]].

* In ''VisualNovel/KindredSpiritsOnTheRoof'', Sachi Enoki, a ghost who has haunted the protagonist's high school for 80 years, can make objects shake. She uses this ability to attract Seina Maki's attention and help her discover an area where she and her [[SempaiKohai sempai]] Miki Aihara can relax away from people who would make requests of the latter.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' has had several versions of poltergeists as monsters, including in the [=AD&D=] ''Fiend Folio'' and the Basic D&D Companion rules.

* In ''Film/{{Ghost}}'', most dead spirits can't touch things by default, but with enough practice, a sufficiently determined (or angry) spectre can beat the crap out of you with ordinary household objects.
* In ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}'', naturally the team's first cases are basically catching ghosts that act in a typical poltergeist manner.

* ''Literature/{{Mouse}}'': When [[FriendlyGhost Anna]] first died, she was desperately lonely. Unfortunately, no one could see her except babies and animals. She kept trying to get living people's attention, mostly by pushing things around, breaking things, and turning the TV off, but nobody realized a ghost was responsible. Finally she managed to pick up a pencil. Bliss walked in on her just as she was about to start writing and was horrified by the sight of a pencil apparently standing on its point. Anna realized that all her attempts at communication were only terrorizing people, and she gave up until she met [[ISeeDeadPeople Mouse]].

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': The Ghost-type move Poltergeist is a physical attack that manipulates the opponent's Held Item and hits them with it. It's surprisingly powerful, being the strongest Ghost-type move that isn't a signature or Z-Move.

* ''Literature/TheSocietyOfSylphs'': Because sylphs like Luranna are InvisibleToNormals, she delivers messages to humans by manipulating physical objects. For example, she sends a message of forgiveness from a dead soldier to the friend who blamed himself for not saving him by causing the dead man's dog tag to fall out of his friend's wallet.

* ''Film/{{Nightwish}}'': A professor and some graduate students go looking for poltergeists in a deserted mansion. During several sessions looking for paranormal activity, the ghosts knock on the doors, walls, or mess with the machinery.

For the movies of the same name, go to [[Film/{{Poltergeist}} the disambiguation page]].

* During [[SpookySeance the Seance]] in ''Pinball/TheAddamsFamily,'' The Power disrupts the movement of the ball.

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'''s Horror supplement features a Poltergeist template that can be applied to the Haunt meta-trait.
* In ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', the Crimson Slaughter are a warband of Chaos Space Marines who are haunted by disembodied voices. During battle these voices manifest as malevolent poltergeist activity amongst the enemy ranks, filling vox-channels with ominous whispers and causing inanimate objects to ooze blood or float around as if manipulated by invisible hands.
* ''TabletopGame/WraithTheOblivion'' gives us poltergeist powers in the form of the Outrage Arcanos, which allows a wraith to affect physical objects, often through brute force, and the Pandemonium Arcanos, which produces creepy reality-warping effects ranging from cold spots to blood on the walls to altered perception of time. The semi-sequel, ''TabletopGame/{{Orpheus}}'', gives us the Poltergeist, a Shade (or class of ghost/projector) with a talent for throwing about objects with telekinetic force and boosting the physical capacities of their ectoplasmic bodies. The spiritual successor gameline,''TabletopGame/GeistTheSinEaters'', has a number of ways for the Bound to do this as well, not to mention the actual ghosts the Sin-Eaters interact with.

* The Dark Presence in ''VideoGame/{{Alan Wake}}'' sometimes uses possessed items against you that you must defend against with your flashlight. This can range from barrels or wheel to entire vehicles, the latter serving as a boss battle.
* In ''VideoGame/BeyondTwoSouls'', protagonist Jodie has been connected her entire life to an "entity" called Aiden. Aiden can [[MindOverMatter move objects]], [[WalkingTechBane short out electronics]], protect Jodie with a [[BarrierWarrior magical shield]], [[GrandTheftMe possess people]] and more. Jodie can [[KidWithTheLeash exercise some degree of control over him]] - thankfully - though doing this for too long will give her a PsychicNosebleed.

* Shino Misora is effectively a poltergeist during the events of ''[[WebAnimation/HololiveERROR]]: Escape from Aogami High'', with her appearances and disappearances alike causing various objects in the school to move around. Examples include making doors close and lock up, and seemingly causing an entire hallway to crumble as you progress through it. And this is all in ''[[LighterAndSofter the Modern version of the school]]''...

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' had a cluster of these in "Where the Wild Things Are". They were born out of intense adolescent emotion of the orphans who were traumatized by sexually repressive fundamentalist Genevieve Holt and were awakened by Buffy and Riley having sex. [[AliensMadeTheDoIt Driving the pair to keep having sex]], they're using them as batteries, with the inevitable consequence of draining them completely if they aren't stopped.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' had a cluster of these in "Where the Wild Things Are". They were born out of sexual energy and intense adolescent emotion of the orphans who were traumatized by Genevieve Holt and were unleashed when Buffy and Riley have sex. When they placed a battery on Buffy and Riley, the latter two die when it drains.

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* The ''Film/{{Poltergeist|1982}}'' movies feature (naturally) a manifestation of poltergeists that seem fixated on Carol Anne Freeling. 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.
* In ''Film/TheSixthSense'', Cole Sear is often the target of poltergeist-like activity from the ghosts who are trying to get his attention.

* ''Film/{{Ghostwatch}}'' follows a fictional reality program documenting poltergeist activity surrounding a woman's two daughters while the hosts debate the actual cause. At one point it appears that one of the girls is actually causing the banging and crashing because that's what people expect, but then the spirit gets mad...

%%* ''Film/ATaleOfTwoSisters''.
* "The Bell Witch" from ''Film/AnAmericanHaunting'' at first appears to be a poltergeist, though one violently obsessed with the teenage daughter of the house it's haunting. Turns out it was created from her innocence after she was raped, molested and sexually abused by her father and she and her mother repressed the memory of it.
* In ''Film/{{Ghost}}'', most dead spirits can't touch things by default, but with enough practice, a sufficiently determined (or angry) spectre can beat the crap out of you with ordinary household objects.
* In ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}'', naturally the team's first cases are basically catching ghosts that act in a typical poltergeist manner.
* ''Film/{{Nightwish}}'': A professor and some graduate students go looking for poltergeists in a deserted mansion. During several sessions looking for paranormal activity, the ghosts knock on the doors, walls, or mess with the machinery.
* The title creature in ''Film/TheBabadook'' likes to make its presence known with ominous rumbles and knocking sounds.
* The gothic drama ''Literature/TheLittleStranger'', based on the novel by the same name, centers on strange occurrences at a dilapidated mansion — doors slamming shut, bells ringing by themselves, scratches appearing on surfaces — all theorized to be the work of a poltergeist.

* In ''Literature/DragonBones'' castle Hurog is haunted by one of those ... or so it seems. When Ward encounters said entity he finds out that Oreg can take the form of a human being, but is the soul of all the castle. This is the result of dark magic that was done to him, and he is not too happy with the situation. It is hinted that, if he doesn't like someone, he can act like a regular poltergeist. However, if he does like someone, he's more the opposite, protecting Ward's younger sister from bullies and her abusive father by showing her secret doors and the like.
* In the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series, a poltergeist named Peeves inhabits Hogwarts Castle. Unlike the other ghosts, he's a spirit of chaos rather than the echo of a person -- it's AllThereInTheManual that he "came with the building". The CrustyCaretaker considers him a mortal enemy, while everyone else just thinks he's a bit of a nuisance. The only people who can control him to any extent are Dumbledore and the Bloody Baron (Slytherin House's ghost). Peeves is fairly unique among poltergeists in that he has a physical form. Rowling [[AllThereInTheManual states]] that Peeves is an extremely powerful and ancient poltergeist, since a poltergeist is born from adolescent angst and uncontrolled magic and Hogwarts is a thousand-year-old school containing young wizards.
* In the ''Literature/OddThomas'' series, a very few particularly strong ghosts have been observed to cause poltergeist activity when they get riled up enough. One notable example is Music/FrankSinatra.

* In ''Nyctophobia'', the agency's Winchester office has a poltergeist for a caretaker. No one knows whose ghost it is, and they're even invisible to a [[ISeeDeadPeople medium]] like Selwyn. Mycroft explains messes started tidying themselves one day, so he named the entity "Porter" and let them be to save on hiring maintenance staff. [[BerserkButton Just don't disrespect Porter's system]]; Victor [[ThrowTheBookAtThem got assaulted by books]] for not alphabetizing them.
* In Sarah Waters's ''Literature/TheLittleStranger'', a dilapidated mansion becomes the site of odd occurrences, such as bells ringing by themselves, doors slamming shut, etc. — possibly caused by a poltergeist.

* In one episode of ''Series/TheWaltons'', a poltergeist invades the family home, [[BizarroEpisode for no damn reason whatsoever]].
* In episode "Los espíritus chocarreros" of ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho'': Doña Clotilde blames the strange appearance and disappearance of objects in Vecindad to "Espíritus Chocarreros" (roughly translated as "mischievous spirits" i.e. Poltergeists). It was actually Don Ramon's during sleep walking, but no one knew that. The spiritualist session that follows in order to communicate with the spirits made this one of the funniest and fan-favorite episodes of the show.

* ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' had a episode about a poltergeist haunting a place.

* ''TabletopGame/WraithTheOblivion'' gives us poltergeist powers in the form of the Outrage Arcanos, which allows a wraith to affect physical objects, often through brute force, and the Pandemonium Arcanos, which produces creepy reality-warping effects ranging from cold spots to blood on the walls to altered perception of time. The semi-sequel, ''TabletopGame/{{Orpheus}}'', gives us the Poltergeist, a Shade (or class of ghost/projector) with a talent for throwing about objects with telekinetic force and boosting the physical capacities of their ectoplasmic bodies. The spiritual successor gameline,''TabletopGame/GeistTheSinEaters'', has a number of ways for the Bound to do this as well, not to mention the actual ghosts the Sin-Eaters interact with.

* In the first ''VideoGame/{{Splatterhouse}}'' game, a poltergeist boss attempts to drop a chandelier on your head.
* In ''VideoGame/MegamanBattleNetwork'', you can get a chip called "Poltergeist" that replicates a poltergeist's common traits by picking every item on the battlefield and flinging them at enemies. It's very deadly if you have enough items on field at once.
* The Prismriver sisters of ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' are poltergeists. Something of a cross between the 'ghost' and 'uncontrolled psychokinesis' theories; they're artificial ghosts created by an unstable girl, Layla, from memories of her passed away older sisters.
** From the [=PC=]-98 era, we have Kana Anaberal and, like the abovementioned Prismriver sisters, she was also created by a mentally unstable girl.

* Many of the early manifestations in ''VideoGame/{{Paranormal}}'' consist of poltergeist activity.
* The Dark Presence in VideoGame/{{Alan Wake}} sometimes uses possessed items against you that you must defend against with your flashlight. This can range from barrels or wheel to entire vehicles, the latter serving as a boss battle.
* ''[[{{VideoGame/Shiver}} Shiver: Poltergeist]]'' features a female poltergeist who uses pyrokinesis in addition to throwing stuff around.

* In ''VideoGame/EarthboundBeginnings'', one of these attacks Ninten's house at the very start of the game. [[spoiler:Except that it's actually Giegue's psychic influence that makes inanimate objects come to life, and making people and animals hostile.]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* What's seems to be a Poltergeist (and mentioned as such by name) affects the MIB headquarters in the HalloweenEpisode of ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlack''. As the show is sci-fi it turns out the Poltergeist was caused by an interdimensional alien life form.
* The Poltergasm from ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad!'''s own episode of the same name happens to be made manifest from Francine's powerful unsatisfied sex drive and sexual frustration.

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* ''[[http://armorgames.com/play/7195/haunt-the-house Haunt The House]]'' is an indie computer/mobile title which has the players take on the role of a cute little ghost, whose objective is to scare noisy partygoers out of his house so he can get some rest, which he does by possessing objects and making them move or perform a 'scary' action such as belching black ichor or popping skeletons out of drawers.