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just putting this here for future editors
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'''As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff as per policy.]] Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.'''
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* The white, spider-like... ''[[http://www.joblo.com/images_arrownews/poltergeist.jpg thing]]'' guarding the door to kids' room when the ghosts return. Somehow the bright light on it (as opposed to darkness and shadows) makes it worse.
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* The white, spider-like... ''[[http://www.joblo.com/images_arrownews/poltergeist.''[[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/21/b3/05/21b305a416631f8334dd52d971e59e2d.jpg thing]]'' guarding the door to kids' room when the ghosts return. Somehow the bright light on it (as opposed to darkness and shadows) makes it worse.
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Changed line(s) 13 (click to see context) from:
* The scene where Diane recieves incontrovertible proof of her house being haunted. She notices the kitchen tahle chairs have been moved away from the center and gets annoyed, since she's already told her kids to push them in when they're done. Carol Anne, denying she moved them, is sitting on the counter and Diane fixes the chairs and goes to take something out of the cabinet under the sink with the camera following her. When she rises up again a few seconds later, she screams as the camera tracks back to the background--the chairs she has just pushed back in are now stacked in tiers on top of the table. We know nobody could have done it so quickly and silently, and furthermore, Carol Anne hasn't moved an inch. This is the moment Diane reevaluates the "TV people" and realizes something horrible is happening, with the staging as an uncut single take selling the impossible event perfectly, particularly since it was achieved entirely practically.
to:
* The scene where Diane recieves receives incontrovertible proof of her house being haunted. She notices the kitchen tahle table chairs have been moved away from the center and gets annoyed, since she's already told her kids to push them in when they're done. Carol Anne, denying she moved them, is sitting on the counter and Diane fixes the chairs and goes to take something out of the cabinet under the sink with the camera following her. When she rises up again a few seconds later, she screams as the camera tracks back to the background--the chairs she has just pushed back in are now stacked in tiers on top of the table. We know nobody could have done it so quickly and silently, and furthermore, Carol Anne hasn't moved an inch. This is the moment Diane reevaluates the "TV people" and realizes something horrible is happening, with the happening. The staging as an uncut single take selling sells the impossible event perfectly, particularly since it was achieved entirely practically.practically[[note]]A crew ran in during the few seconds the table was offscreen, removing the chairs and placing the stack, which was affixed as one piece, on the table[[/note]].
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Changed line(s) 13 (click to see context) from:
* The scene where Diane recieves incontrovertible proof of her house being haunted. She notices the kitchen tahle chairs have been moved away from the center and gets annoyed, since she's already told her kids to push them in when they're done. Carol Anne is sitting on the counter and Diane goes to put away some dishes, with the camera following her. When she rises up again, she screams as the camera tracks back to the background--the chairs she has just pushed back in are now stacked in tiers on top of the table. We know nobody could have done it so quickly and silently, and furthermore, Carol Anne hasn't moved an inch. This is the moment Diane reevaluates the "TV people" and realizes something horrible is happening, with the staging as an uncut single take selling the impossible event perfectly.
to:
* The scene where Diane recieves incontrovertible proof of her house being haunted. She notices the kitchen tahle chairs have been moved away from the center and gets annoyed, since she's already told her kids to push them in when they're done. Carol Anne Anne, denying she moved them, is sitting on the counter and Diane fixes the chairs and goes to put away some dishes, take something out of the cabinet under the sink with the camera following her. When she rises up again, again a few seconds later, she screams as the camera tracks back to the background--the chairs she has just pushed back in are now stacked in tiers on top of the table. We know nobody could have done it so quickly and silently, and furthermore, Carol Anne hasn't moved an inch. This is the moment Diane reevaluates the "TV people" and realizes something horrible is happening, with the staging as an uncut single take selling the impossible event perfectly.perfectly, particularly since it was achieved entirely practically.
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None
Changed line(s) 13 (click to see context) from:
* The chairs stacking themselves offscreen. So simple. ''So'' threatening. And done all in one shot, while the camera pans away for a few seconds. Impressive. Note that the chairs were positioned that way in ''complete silence''. Diane was a few steps away, and didn't hear a thing.
to:
* The scene where Diane recieves incontrovertible proof of her house being haunted. She notices the kitchen tahle chairs stacking themselves offscreen. So simple. ''So'' threatening. And done all have been moved away from the center and gets annoyed, since she's already told her kids to push them in one shot, while when they're done. Carol Anne is sitting on the counter and Diane goes to put away some dishes, with the camera pans away for a few seconds. Impressive. Note that following her. When she rises up again, she screams as the camera tracks back to the background--the chairs were positioned that way she has just pushed back in ''complete silence''. are now stacked in tiers on top of the table. We know nobody could have done it so quickly and silently, and furthermore, Carol Anne hasn't moved an inch. This is the moment Diane was a few steps away, reevaluates the "TV people" and didn't hear a thing.realizes something horrible is happening, with the staging as an uncut single take selling the impossible event perfectly.
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* The Beast's [[NothingIsScarier sound-only]] introduction: Carol-Anne is making contact with her family from the other side, but all of a sudden something scares her off and she "runs" off screaming. Then a low growling manifests all around the family and investigators, getting louder, before erupting in a ''loud'' breathy roar that unleashes a wave of force knocking everyone on their asses.
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cut trope
Changed line(s) 11 (click to see context) from:
* Critics initially blew off this movie as "not scary enough" because nobody gets killed messily. But seriously - ask any parent how they would feel [[AdultFear to see their five-year-old dragged off by malevolent spirits, unable to reach them or stop it]]. Bonus AdultFear: being able to hear your terrified child ''screaming'' for you to save her... with no way of knowing where she is.
to:
* Critics initially blew off this movie as "not scary enough" because nobody gets killed messily. But seriously - ask any parent how they would feel [[AdultFear to see their five-year-old dragged off by malevolent spirits, unable to reach them or stop it]]. Bonus AdultFear: it. Bonus: being able to hear your terrified child ''screaming'' for you to save her... with no way of knowing where she is.
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Changed line(s) 4,5 (click to see context) from:
* If you're a kid, the scenes with the evil [[MonsterClown clown]] [[PerversePuppet puppet]] and the [[ManEatingPlant carnivorous]] [[WhenTreesAttack tree]] are straight out of Hell. If you're a parent, the mother's struggles to reach her endangered children, as corpses pop up out of the pool and floors all around her, are even worse. And the bit where the researcher claws at his own disintegrating face in the mirror gets to everyone.\\\
The last one is even worse in the book, where that is just part of a greater manifestation. First, he sees his midnight snack sprout tumors and maggots, then he peels his face off, then he's paralyzed while trying to run away from the manifestation. Then, he's eaten alive by a spider swarm, feeling every detail. Then, he's eaten by rats, then worms, then he crumbles to sub-atomic dust. Again, he can feel ''everything'' as it happens.
The last one is even worse in the book, where that is just part of a greater manifestation. First, he sees his midnight snack sprout tumors and maggots, then he peels his face off, then he's paralyzed while trying to run away from the manifestation. Then, he's eaten alive by a spider swarm, feeling every detail. Then, he's eaten by rats, then worms, then he crumbles to sub-atomic dust. Again, he can feel ''everything'' as it happens.
to:
* If you're a kid, the scenes with the evil [[MonsterClown clown]] [[PerversePuppet puppet]] and the [[ManEatingPlant carnivorous]] [[WhenTreesAttack tree]] are straight out of Hell. If you're a parent, the mother's struggles to reach her endangered children, as corpses pop up out of the pool and floors all around her, are even worse. And the bit where the researcher claws at his own disintegrating face in the mirror gets to everyone.\\\
everyone.
** The last one is even worse in the book, where that is just part of a greater manifestation. First, he sees his midnight snack sprout tumors and maggots, then he peels his face off, then he's paralyzed while trying to run away from the manifestation. Then, he's eaten alive by a spider swarm, feeling every detail. Then, he's eaten by rats, then worms, then he crumbles to sub-atomic dust. Again, he can feel ''everything'' as it happens.
** The last one is even worse in the book, where that is just part of a greater manifestation. First, he sees his midnight snack sprout tumors and maggots, then he peels his face off, then he's paralyzed while trying to run away from the manifestation. Then, he's eaten alive by a spider swarm, feeling every detail. Then, he's eaten by rats, then worms, then he crumbles to sub-atomic dust. Again, he can feel ''everything'' as it happens.
Changed line(s) 12,13 (click to see context) from:
* The chairs stacking themselves offscreen. So simple. ''So'' threatening. And done all in one shot, while the camera pans away for a few seconds. Impressive. Note that the chairs were positioned that way in ''complete silence''. Diane was a few steps away, and didn't hear a thing.\\\
Also, look at the bottom-left chair. Two of its legs are resting on air. The chairs are not just stacked, the weight of the chairs on top is all that's holding the ones on the ends in place. Which is nearly as creepy, because there's no way that ''one'' person could do that, even given several minutes in which to do it. Which implies, right from the beginning of the haunting, that there are ''multiple'' ghosts at work. It's worse when you remember that the silverware was bent out of shape while the family ''was still at the table''.
Also, look at the bottom-left chair. Two of its legs are resting on air. The chairs are not just stacked, the weight of the chairs on top is all that's holding the ones on the ends in place. Which is nearly as creepy, because there's no way that ''one'' person could do that, even given several minutes in which to do it. Which implies, right from the beginning of the haunting, that there are ''multiple'' ghosts at work. It's worse when you remember that the silverware was bent out of shape while the family ''was still at the table''.
to:
* The chairs stacking themselves offscreen. So simple. ''So'' threatening. And done all in one shot, while the camera pans away for a few seconds. Impressive. Note that the chairs were positioned that way in ''complete silence''. Diane was a few steps away, and didn't hear a thing.\\\
thing.
** Also, look at the bottom-left chair. Two of its legs are resting on air. The chairs are not just stacked, the weight of the chairs on top is all that's holding the ones on the ends in place. Which is nearly as creepy, because there's no way that ''one'' person could do that, even given several minutes in which to do it. Which implies, right from the beginning of the haunting, that there are ''multiple'' ghosts at work. It's worse when you remember that the silverware was bent out of shape while the family ''was still at the table''.
** Also, look at the bottom-left chair. Two of its legs are resting on air. The chairs are not just stacked, the weight of the chairs on top is all that's holding the ones on the ends in place. Which is nearly as creepy, because there's no way that ''one'' person could do that, even given several minutes in which to do it. Which implies, right from the beginning of the haunting, that there are ''multiple'' ghosts at work. It's worse when you remember that the silverware was bent out of shape while the family ''was still at the table''.
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Moving to disambiguated title.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/04775637_3581_4d81_914e_f5f1a54b99d6.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:There is a reason why some kids are terrified of clowns.]]
* If you're a kid, the scenes with the evil [[MonsterClown clown]] [[PerversePuppet puppet]] and the [[ManEatingPlant carnivorous]] [[WhenTreesAttack tree]] are straight out of Hell. If you're a parent, the mother's struggles to reach her endangered children, as corpses pop up out of the pool and floors all around her, are even worse. And the bit where the researcher claws at his own disintegrating face in the mirror gets to everyone.\\\
The last one is even worse in the book, where that is just part of a greater manifestation. First, he sees his midnight snack sprout tumors and maggots, then he peels his face off, then he's paralyzed while trying to run away from the manifestation. Then, he's eaten alive by a spider swarm, feeling every detail. Then, he's eaten by rats, then worms, then he crumbles to sub-atomic dust. Again, he can feel ''everything'' as it happens.
* The end of the movie, when the closet has a huge mouth sucking the kids into the portal. The fact that it's growling like a monster doesn't help either.
* When the ''giant flaming skull'' pops out of the portal in the closet - and far more what it represents. Steven was told ''not to pull on the rope'' by Tangina. He did it anyway, and what came out attached to the rope wasn't his wife -- it was '''the beast'''.
* The white, spider-like... ''[[http://www.joblo.com/images_arrownews/poltergeist.jpg thing]]'' guarding the door to kids' room when the ghosts return. Somehow the bright light on it (as opposed to darkness and shadows) makes it worse.
* [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/endless_hallway.png The endless hallway scene.]] Diane is pushing to reach her children's room before spirits can recapture Carol Anne with the aforementioned mouth portal in their room. When she reaches the second floor, the hallways starts stretching well beyond the limits of the house like the laws of physics are starting to break down from the spirits taking over the house. No disturbing images or gore involved, just a practical camera zoom-out effect.
* The simple fact that it all unfolds in somebody's tract home in a seemingly ordinary suburban neighborhood, not out in the woods or whatever, is pretty creepy. How many people who watch this for the first time can avoid looking suspiciously at their closet doors for several nights?
* Critics initially blew off this movie as "not scary enough" because nobody gets killed messily. But seriously - ask any parent how they would feel [[AdultFear to see their five-year-old dragged off by malevolent spirits, unable to reach them or stop it]]. Bonus AdultFear: being able to hear your terrified child ''screaming'' for you to save her... with no way of knowing where she is.
* The chairs stacking themselves offscreen. So simple. ''So'' threatening. And done all in one shot, while the camera pans away for a few seconds. Impressive. Note that the chairs were positioned that way in ''complete silence''. Diane was a few steps away, and didn't hear a thing.\\\
Also, look at the bottom-left chair. Two of its legs are resting on air. The chairs are not just stacked, the weight of the chairs on top is all that's holding the ones on the ends in place. Which is nearly as creepy, because there's no way that ''one'' person could do that, even given several minutes in which to do it. Which implies, right from the beginning of the haunting, that there are ''multiple'' ghosts at work. It's worse when you remember that the silverware was bent out of shape while the family ''was still at the table''.
* The movie has an uncanny tendency to have long scenes of relative calm and normalcy (even after the poltergeists have made their presence known), only for the HSQ to suddenly turn up out of nowhere as things start bursting out the closet, toys start moving around on their own, and bright lights start shining. It has a thoroughly unnerving effect.
* The film has several quiet scenes that give the audience plenty of time to anticipate something horrible happening. Diane knocking on the bedroom door. Robby hearing the clown hit the floor while Diane is taking a bath. The [[FantasticScience meter recording spirit activity]] activates and goes [[ReadingsAreOffTheScale off the scale]] while the technician is listening to music and drawing in a sketchpad.
* A bit of EnforcedMethodActing, said to have been Creator/StevenSpielberg's idea. The corpses in the final scene were ''real'', as using real skeletons was cheaper than getting plastic ones.
* The very, very end of the film, where the theme music stops and turns into creepy children's laughter, which continues even after the title fades. Not horrifying, but it's definitely unsettling.
* Tangina's expository monologue, detailing exactly what's going on in the house and what they're up against.
* The scene with the meat on the counter moving by itself and imploding blood. Marty sees it and drops the chicken out of his mouth, maggots crawling all over it. Marty can only react in horror as he stumbles over to the sink in the closet where comes another famous moment where he begins to suddenly start peeling the skin right off his face! Only to see it was some kind of hallucination made by the spirits.
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[[caption-width-right:350:There is a reason why some kids are terrified of clowns.]]
* If you're a kid, the scenes with the evil [[MonsterClown clown]] [[PerversePuppet puppet]] and the [[ManEatingPlant carnivorous]] [[WhenTreesAttack tree]] are straight out of Hell. If you're a parent, the mother's struggles to reach her endangered children, as corpses pop up out of the pool and floors all around her, are even worse. And the bit where the researcher claws at his own disintegrating face in the mirror gets to everyone.\\\
The last one is even worse in the book, where that is just part of a greater manifestation. First, he sees his midnight snack sprout tumors and maggots, then he peels his face off, then he's paralyzed while trying to run away from the manifestation. Then, he's eaten alive by a spider swarm, feeling every detail. Then, he's eaten by rats, then worms, then he crumbles to sub-atomic dust. Again, he can feel ''everything'' as it happens.
* The end of the movie, when the closet has a huge mouth sucking the kids into the portal. The fact that it's growling like a monster doesn't help either.
* When the ''giant flaming skull'' pops out of the portal in the closet - and far more what it represents. Steven was told ''not to pull on the rope'' by Tangina. He did it anyway, and what came out attached to the rope wasn't his wife -- it was '''the beast'''.
* The white, spider-like... ''[[http://www.joblo.com/images_arrownews/poltergeist.jpg thing]]'' guarding the door to kids' room when the ghosts return. Somehow the bright light on it (as opposed to darkness and shadows) makes it worse.
* [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/endless_hallway.png The endless hallway scene.]] Diane is pushing to reach her children's room before spirits can recapture Carol Anne with the aforementioned mouth portal in their room. When she reaches the second floor, the hallways starts stretching well beyond the limits of the house like the laws of physics are starting to break down from the spirits taking over the house. No disturbing images or gore involved, just a practical camera zoom-out effect.
* The simple fact that it all unfolds in somebody's tract home in a seemingly ordinary suburban neighborhood, not out in the woods or whatever, is pretty creepy. How many people who watch this for the first time can avoid looking suspiciously at their closet doors for several nights?
* Critics initially blew off this movie as "not scary enough" because nobody gets killed messily. But seriously - ask any parent how they would feel [[AdultFear to see their five-year-old dragged off by malevolent spirits, unable to reach them or stop it]]. Bonus AdultFear: being able to hear your terrified child ''screaming'' for you to save her... with no way of knowing where she is.
* The chairs stacking themselves offscreen. So simple. ''So'' threatening. And done all in one shot, while the camera pans away for a few seconds. Impressive. Note that the chairs were positioned that way in ''complete silence''. Diane was a few steps away, and didn't hear a thing.\\\
Also, look at the bottom-left chair. Two of its legs are resting on air. The chairs are not just stacked, the weight of the chairs on top is all that's holding the ones on the ends in place. Which is nearly as creepy, because there's no way that ''one'' person could do that, even given several minutes in which to do it. Which implies, right from the beginning of the haunting, that there are ''multiple'' ghosts at work. It's worse when you remember that the silverware was bent out of shape while the family ''was still at the table''.
* The movie has an uncanny tendency to have long scenes of relative calm and normalcy (even after the poltergeists have made their presence known), only for the HSQ to suddenly turn up out of nowhere as things start bursting out the closet, toys start moving around on their own, and bright lights start shining. It has a thoroughly unnerving effect.
* The film has several quiet scenes that give the audience plenty of time to anticipate something horrible happening. Diane knocking on the bedroom door. Robby hearing the clown hit the floor while Diane is taking a bath. The [[FantasticScience meter recording spirit activity]] activates and goes [[ReadingsAreOffTheScale off the scale]] while the technician is listening to music and drawing in a sketchpad.
* A bit of EnforcedMethodActing, said to have been Creator/StevenSpielberg's idea. The corpses in the final scene were ''real'', as using real skeletons was cheaper than getting plastic ones.
* The very, very end of the film, where the theme music stops and turns into creepy children's laughter, which continues even after the title fades. Not horrifying, but it's definitely unsettling.
* Tangina's expository monologue, detailing exactly what's going on in the house and what they're up against.
* The scene with the meat on the counter moving by itself and imploding blood. Marty sees it and drops the chicken out of his mouth, maggots crawling all over it. Marty can only react in horror as he stumbles over to the sink in the closet where comes another famous moment where he begins to suddenly start peeling the skin right off his face! Only to see it was some kind of hallucination made by the spirits.
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