Editing Poltergeist (franchise) (section)

== Films ==
=== ''Poltergeist'' (1982) ===
{{main|Poltergeist (1982 film)}}
''[[Poltergeist (1982 film)|Poltergeist]]'' is the original film in the trilogy, directed by [[Tobe Hooper]], co-written by [[Steven Spielberg]] and released on June 4, 1982. The story focuses on the Freeling family, which consists of parents Steve ([[Craig T. Nelson]]) and Diane ([[JoBeth Williams]]); teenage daughter Dana ([[Dominique Dunne]]); eight-year-old Robbie ([[Oliver Robins]]); and five-year-old Carol Anne ([[Heather O'Rourke]]), who live in Cuesta Verde, a California [[housing development]] which comes to be [[Haunted house|haunted by ghosts]]. The apparitions, under the control of a [[demon]] known as the "Beast", communicate through the family's [[television set]] and can only be heard by Carol Anne. Attracted to her [[Energy (esotericism)|life force]] and believing she will help lead them into the "[[afterlife|Light]]", the specters abduct Carol Anne through her bedroom closet, which acts as a portal to their dimension. Much of the film involves the family's efforts to rescue their daughter, aided by a group of [[parapsychology|parapsychologist]]s ([[Beatrice Straight]], Martin Casella, [[Richard Lawson (actor)|Richard Lawson]]) and spiritual [[mediumship|medium]] Tangina Barrons ([[Zelda Rubinstein]]). Carol Anne is eventually rescued from the other side and, following a second attack by the Beast that reveals the ghosts had originated from an improperly relocated cemetery beneath the neighborhood, the Freelings flee Cuesta Verde just before the house implodes and disappears into another dimension.<ref name = "411mania">{{cite web |url=https://411mania.com/movies/columns/84476/A-Bloody-Good-Time-9.04.08:-Poltergeist-Franchise-Breakdown.htm |title=A Bloody Good Time 9.04.08: Poltergeist Franchise Breakdown |last=Lee |first= Joseph |publisher=411mania.com |date = September 4, 2008 |access-date=February 26, 2011}}</ref>

=== ''Poltergeist II: The Other Side'' (1986) ===
{{main|Poltergeist II: The Other Side}}
The first sequel, ''[[Poltergeist II: The Other Side]]'', directed by [[Brian Gibson (director)|Brian Gibson]] and released on May 23, 1986, takes place one year after the events in ''Poltergeist'' and offers an alternate explanation of the ghosts' origin. The film also develops the identity and [[backstory]] of the Beast, who lived during the 19th century as a religious [[zealot]] named Reverend Henry Kane ([[Julian Beck]]). Kane was the leader of a [[utopia]]n [[cult]], who in anticipation of the [[Eschatology|end of the world]], sealed themselves in a cavern located directly below what later became the Freeling property. Kane is anxious to possess Carol Anne to continue manipulating his followers after death. The ghosts follow and attack the Freelings at their current household. Aided by an [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] [[shaman]] named Taylor ([[Will Sampson]]), the Freelings manage to escape from Kane and his followers a second time.<ref name = "411mania"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://poltergeistonline.com/theyre-back-the-story-of-the-inevitable-sequel/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715102504/http://poltergeistonline.com/theyre-back-the-story-of-the-inevitable-sequel/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=July 15, 2011 |title=They're Back: The Story of the Inevitable Sequel |last= Kelhoffrr |first = Josh |work=Poltergeist Online |date=June 23, 2010}}</ref>

=== ''Poltergeist III'' (1988) ===
{{main|Poltergeist III}}
The final film in the original trilogy, ''[[Poltergeist III]]'', directed and co-written by [[Gary Sherman (director)|Gary Sherman]], was released on June 10, 1988. To protect Carol Anne, the Freelings have sent her to live temporarily in a Chicago skyscraper with skeptical relatives Pat and Bruce Gardner ([[Nancy Allen (actress)|Nancy Allen]] and [[Tom Skerritt]]) and their daughter Donna ([[Lara Flynn Boyle]]). However, during [[psychiatric]] sessions, Carol Anne's recollection of her experiences enables Kane and his followers to locate her and make contact through the building's ubiquitous [[mirror]]s.<ref name="411mania"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://poltergeistonline.com/spirits-in-the-city-the-third-and-final-sequel/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715102510/http://poltergeistonline.com/spirits-in-the-city-the-third-and-final-sequel/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=July 15, 2011|title=Spirits in the City: The Third and Final Sequel|last=Kelhoffrr|first=Josh|work=Poltergeist Online|date=June 23, 2010}}</ref> The ghosts abduct Carol Anne and then Donna, prompting Pat, Bruce, and Donna's boyfriend Scott (Kipley Wentz) to enlist the help of Tangina, who eventually escorts Kane into the spectral Light, thereby sacrificing herself to save the family.

=== ''Poltergeist'' (2015) ===
{{main|Poltergeist (2015 film)}}
A reboot of the original film, ''[[Poltergeist (2015 film)|Poltergeist]]'' was directed by [[Gil Kenan]] and released on May 22, 2015. It centers on a family struggling to make ends meet who relocate to a suburban home. As in the original, the youngest daughter is kidnapped by spirits that inhabit the house. [[Sam Rockwell]] and [[Rosemarie DeWitt]] star as the married couple, [[Kennedi Clements]] plays the daughter, and [[Jared Harris]] plays the host of a paranormal-themed TV show who comes to the aid of the family.

=== Future ===
In October 2023, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' reported that a television series is in early development by [[Amazon MGM Studios]].  It is set to be executive produced by Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey of [[Amblin Television]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Otterson |first=Joe |date=2023-10-30 |title=''Poltergeist'' TV Series in Early Development at Amazon MGM Studios (Exclusive) |url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/poltergeist-tv-series-amazon-mgm-studios-1235772948/ |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>