Poltergeist is a 1982 American supernatural horror film directed by Tobe Hooper. Steven Spielberg wrote and produced, but had a clause in his contract to prevent him directing another movie while he made E.T. the ExtraTerrestrial. Therefore, Hooper was selected to direct based on his work on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It is the first and most successful entry in the Poltergeist film series. Set in a California suburb, the plot focuses on a family whose home is invaded by malevolent ghosts that abduct the familys younger daughter.
Steven and Diane Freeling Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams live a quiet life in an Orange County, California planned community called Cuesta Verde, where Steven is a successful real estate developer and Diane is a housewife who cares for their children Dana Dominique Dunne, Robbie Oliver Robins, and Carol Anne Heather ORourke. Carol Anne awakens one night and begins conversing with the familys television set, which is transmitting static following a signoff. The following night, while the Freelings sleep, Carol Anne fixates on the television set as it transmits static again. Suddenly, a hand of a white apparition blasts from the television screen and vanishes into the wall, triggering a violent earthquake in the process. As the shaking subsides, Carol Anne announces Theyre here.Bizarre events occur the following day a drinking glass of milk spontaneously breaks, silverware bends and furniture moves on its own accord. The phenomena seem benign at first, but quickly begin to intensify. That night, a gnarled backyard tree comes alive and grabs Robbie through the bedroom window. While Steven rescues Robbie before the tree swallows him, Carol Anne is sucked through a portal in her closet. The Freelings realize she has been taken when they hear her voice emanating from a television set that is tuned to an empty channel. ........
Source: Wikipedia