Poltergeist (2015 film)

{{Infobox film

| image = Poltergeist 2015 poster.png

| alt = A toy clown with dirt on its head sits in ominous lighting.

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Gil Kenan

| screenplay = David Lindsay-Abaire

| based_on = {{Based on|Poltergeist|Steven Spielberg|Michael Grais|Mark Victor}}

| producer = {{Plainlist|

}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| cinematography = Javier Aguirresarobe

| editing = {{Plainlist|

}}

| music = Marc Streitenfeld

| studio = {{Plainlist|

}}

| distributor = 20th Century Fox

| released = {{Film date|2015|05|22}}

| runtime = 93 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $35 million{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/news/tomorrowland-earns-725000-poltergeist-scares-up-1-4-million-on-thursday-night-1201503596/|title='Tomorrowland' vs. 'Poltergeist' at Thursday Box Office - Variety|author=Dave McNary|work=Variety|date=May 22, 2015 }}

| gross = $95.4 million{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl74155521/ |title=Poltergeist (2015) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=November 10, 2015}}

}}

Poltergeist is a 2015 American supernatural horror film directed by Gil Kenan, written by David Lindsay-Abaire, and produced by Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, and Roy Lee. It is a remake of the 1982 film of the same name and is the fourth installment overall in the Poltergeist franchise. The film stars Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jared Harris, and Jane Adams, and follows a family who arrive at their new home and begin experiencing paranormal occurrences.

The project was announced in 2008 with Vadim Perelman initially directing the project from a screenplay written by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White. It was delayed several times and entered into development hell. By 2012, a remake of the 1982 film was announced with Raimi producing the project alongside Lee, Tapert, and Nathan Kahane. Kenan was announced as the film's director in 2013 and principal photography took place in Toronto from September to December that same year.

Poltergeist was theatrically released on May 22, 2015, by 20th Century Fox. It was panned by critics and was deemed inferior to the original, though it was a moderate box office success, grossing $95 million worldwide against a budget of $35 million.

Plot

A man named Eric Bowen was recently laid off, but when shown a house that has recently come on the market that fits his family's price range, they purchase it and move in. Their house was built on an old cemetery, although the property developer was supposed to have relocated the human remains.

The first night, they hear eerie noises in the walls, and Griffin, Eric's 9-year-old son, finds a box containing clown dolls that were left at the house. In the middle of the night, lights and electronic devices start turning on and off, as an unseen force appears to move through the home. The commotion wakes Griffin, who goes downstairs and finds his 6-year-old sister Maddy talking to an unknown presence inside the television. She tells Griffin that someone is coming, and he attempts to unplug the TV, causing the lights to go out of control. Maddy later says "They're here" while touching their TV screen.

The following evening, Eric and his wife Amy go to dinner with friends, leaving their three children at home. Kendra, Griffin's 16-year-old sister, wakes up to an unusual sound in the laundry room. While investigating the noise, the floor cracks and a corpse's hand emerges. It begins pulling at her foot, but she pulls herself up. Meanwhile, Griffin notices that the dolls seem to be moving by themselves. One doll attacks him, but he manages to destroy it and runs from his bedroom. He finds Maddy in her room, scared, crouching in a corner, and tells her to stay while he goes to find Kendra. Maddy is then lured by the light from her lamp and her favorite toy into her closet, becoming lost in an unending void. As she turns to see her bedroom drifting away further, she is dragged into the darkness by ghosts. Griffin is grabbed through a window by the branches of the old tree outside their house, which pulls him outside. Amy and Eric arrive home to see Griffin being tossed around in the tree branches, which releases its grip when they come close, while Kendra hysterically tells them she cannot find Maddy.

The family hears Maddy's voice emanating from the television. Amy places her hand on the screen. Maddy's static then hand appears to be touching Amy's hand from the other side of the screen. Amy and Griffin visit the Paranormal Research department for help. The staff set up equipment in the house and install GPS devices on everyone in the house. During the setup, Boyd has a near-death experience in drilling a hole in the wall, yanked in by spirits by his arm. While trying to contact Maddy, Eric is ambushed in the closet by a ghost resembling her. Angered, he breaks down the closet wall, throwing a section of a broken table into the darkness inside the closet; the table segment falls back into the living room (nearly crushing Griffin), revealing a potential portal for Maddy to escape through. The haunting turns out to be caused by a poltergeist. The lead investigator, Dr. Brooke Powell, decides to call occult specialist and television personality Carrigan Burke (revealed, much later, to be Powell's ex).

Carrigan explains that Maddy is a possible psychic, able to communicate with spirits. The ghosts are trapped and are angry because only the headstones were moved to the new cemetery, but the bodies remain; they plan on using Maddy "to free them from their purgatory". To get Maddy back, Carrigan anchors a rope in Maddy's room and tosses it into the vortex. They attempt to use Griffin's toy drone to guide Maddy out, but it is destroyed by the ghosts when inside the portal. Griffin, guilt-ridden over leaving Maddy alone in the first place, goes through the portal. When he finds Maddy, the ghosts attempt to destroy the rope to trap them, but Griffin and Maddy manages to return through the portal into the house. Both children are unconscious and covered in grey matter; Carrigan instructs for them to be washed and they awake.

The family gets in their car and begins to leave, but the ghosts drag them back into the house and attempt to abduct Maddy again, flipping the car in the process. Maddy is abducted up the stairs. The family saves her from being sucked into the portal, and Carrigan decides that as the only other psychic, he must go into the vortex and lead the spirits into the light. Kendra stamps and destroys the television screen as ghosts' hands are seen, trying to communicate with Maddy. The Bowens flee the neighbourhood as the house is destroyed by the spirits soaring into the sky as a beacon of light. The investigative team run to their equipment, looking for a sign that Carrigan managed to get back.

As the Bowens look for a new house, the realtor shows them a house with much closet space and an old tree in the backyard, but the Bowens drive away laughing. During the end credits, it is revealed that Carrigan survived the incident and is back filming his ghost program, now hosting the show with Dr. Powell.

Cast

Sam Rockwell as Eric Bowen
Rosemarie DeWitt as Amy Bowen
Saxon Sharbino as Kendra Bowen
Kyle Catlett as Griffin "Griff" Bowen
Kennedi Clements as Madison "Maddy" Bowen
Jared Harris as Carrigan Burke
Jane Adams as Dr. Brooke Powell
Nicholas Braun as Boyd
Susan Heyward as Sophie
Soma Bhatia as Lauren
Karen Ivany as Mrs. Stoller

Production

= Development =

During the 1990s, Universal Studios briefly toyed with the idea of making a prequel film for the character of Reverend Kane.{{cite web|last=Squires|first=John|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3423380/almost-got-poltergeist-prequel-reverend-kane/|title=We Almost Got a 'Poltergeist' Prequel All About Reverend Kane?!|date=February 2, 2017|website=Bloody Disgusting|accessdate=December 30, 2022}} In 2003, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures began development on a fourth installment of the Poltergeist series. Under the title Poltergeist: Kayeri, Clint Morris was tapped to pen the script, which would have ignored the events of Poltergeist III.{{cite web|last=Squires|first=John|url=https://halloweenlove.com/poltergeist-the-sequels-that-never-came-to-be/|title=Poltergeist: The Sequels That Never Came to Be|date=May 26, 2015|website=Halloween Love|accessdate=December 30, 2022}} Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams were courted to reprise their roles, while the part of Carol Anne was to be recast due to the passing of Heather O'Rourke in 1988.{{cite web|last=Kennedy|first=Michael|url=https://screenrant.com/poltergeist-4-kayeri-carol-anne-recast-almost-why/|title=Poltergeist 4 Almost Recast Carol Anne - Why It Didn't Happen|date=December 5, 2021|website=Screen Rant|accessdate=December 30, 2022}} In November 2005, Nelson was officially on board and Hilary Duff was reportedly in the running for Carol.{{cite web|last=Gilbert|first=Ammon|url=https://www.joblo.com/duff-in-4th-poltergeist/|title=Duff in 4th Poltergeist?|date=November 2, 2005|website=JoBlo|accessdate=December 30, 2022}} By November 2006, rumors emerged that the studio was intending to "retool" Kayeri as a remake of the first film "frame for frame".{{cite web|last=Weinberg|first=Scott|url=https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/horror-remake-of-the-week-poltergeist/|title=Horror Remake of the Week: Poltergeist|date=November 29, 2006|website=Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate=December 30, 2022}} However, these reports were dispatched shortly after.{{cite web|last=Weinberg|first=Scott|url=https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/rumors-of-a-poltergeist-remake-are-false/|title=Rumors of the Poltergeist Remake Are False|date=December 5, 2006|website=Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate=December 30, 2022}} In 2007, the studio decided to move in a new direction for the sequel and turned to Michael Grais to write a new script, now titled Poltergeist: In The Shadows.{{cite web|last=Turek|first=Ryan|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/horror/news/706624-grais-on-fourth-poltergeist|title=Grais on Fourth Poltergeist?|date=May 7, 2007|website=Coming Soon|accessdate=December 30, 2022}}

Development on In the Shadows quickly stalled out as well. In August 2008, the studio officially moved forward with a remake of the original film. Juliet Snowden and Stiles White of Boogeyman were hired as screenwriters.{{cite web|last=Fernandez|first=Jay|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/poltergeist-remake-grabs-two-scribes-117749/|title=Poltergeist Remake Grabs Two Scribes|date=August 19, 2008|website=The Hollywood Reporter|accessdate=December 30, 2022}} The next month, Vadim Perelman began talks to direct the film.{{cite web|last=Fernandez|first=Jay|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/perelman-house-poltergeist-118384/|title=Perelman in the House For Poltergeist|date=September 2, 2008|website=The Hollywood Reporter|accessdate=December 30, 2022}} The studio slotted a release date of November 24, 2010.{{cite web|last=Billington|first=Alex|url=https://www.firstshowing.net/2009/mgms-poltergeist-remake-gets-a-late-2010-release-date/|title=MGM's Poltergeist Remake Gets a Late 2010 Release Date|date=August 13, 2009|website=First Showing|accessdate=December 30, 2022}}{{cite web|last=Bishop|first=Jackson|url=https://collider.com/poltergeist-remake-to-hit-theatres-in-november-2010/|title=Poltergeist Remake to Hit Theatres in November 2010|date=August 13, 2009|website=Collider|accessdate=December 30, 2022}} Production was to commence in early 2010.{{cite web|last=Miska|first=Brad|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/17703/|title=UPDATE: MGM Puts Poltergeist Release Date on Hold|date=October 14, 2009|website=Bloody Disgusting|accessdate=December 30, 2022}} The film's tight deadline, as well as MGM's financial issues, would delay the film to an unspecified date in 2011.{{cite web|last=Miller|first=Ross|url=https://screenrant.com/poltergeist-remake-release-date-delayed/|title=Poltergeist Remake Delayed|date=October 15, 2009|website=Screen Rant|accessdate=December 30, 2022}}{{cite web|last=Barton|first=Steve|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/42085/director-finally-named-for-the-sam-raimi-produced-poltergeist-remake/|title=Director Finally Named for the Sam Raimi Produced Poltergeist Remake|date=March 7, 2013|website=Dread Central|accessdate=December 30, 2022}}

In April 2012, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Sam Raimi, Nathan Kahane, Roy Lee and Robert Tapert would produce. Raimi helped oversee the search for a helmer. David Lindsay-Abaire, who worked on Raimi's Oz: The Great and Powerful, was to write a new screenplay.{{cite web|last=Kit|first=Borys|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/sam-raimi-produce-mgm-poltergeist-317606/|title=Sam Raimi to Produce MGM's Poltergeist Remake (Exclusive)|date=April 27, 2012|website=The Hollywood Reporter|accessdate=December 30, 2022}} That August, Raimi affirmed the film was still on track.{{cite web|last=Radish|first=Christina|url=https://collider.com/sam-raimi-evil-dead-poltergeist-remake/|title=Sam Raimi Says The Evil Dead Remake Will Definitely Be R-Rated and is "So Bloody It Will Make Your Head Spin," Plus Update on Poltergeist Remake|date=August 21, 2012|website=Collider|accessdate=December 30, 2022}} By October, conflicting reports materialized that Raimi would direct the film after Lindsey-Abaire misspoke in an interview.{{cite web|last=Jagernauth|first=Kevin|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2012/10/sam-raimi-might-just-direct-that-poltergeist-remake-himself-250719/|title=Sam Raimi Might Just Direct That Poltergeist Remake Himself|date=October 17, 2012|website=IndieWire|accessdate=December 30, 2022}} In March 2013, Gil Kenan of Monster House was hired to direct the film, while Roy Lee would join Raimi and Tapert as producers.{{cite web|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|url=https://deadline.com/2013/03/monster-houses-gil-kenan-finds-new-haunt-hell-helm-mgm-poltergeist-remake-447405/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150104210422/http://deadline.com/2013/03/monster-houses-gil-kenan-finds-new-haunt-hell-helm-mgm-poltergeist-remake-447405/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 4, 2015|title=Monster House's Gil Kenan Finds New Haunt: He'll Helm MGM Poltergeist Remake|date=March 6, 2013|website=Deadline|accessdate=December 30, 2022}} In June, 20th Century Fox boarded the film to co-produce and distribute the film.{{cite news|title=Poltergeist Remake Shooting Now, First Set Details|url=http://www.horror-movies.ca/2013/09/exclusive-poltergeist-remake-shooting-now-first-set-details/|access-date=September 15, 2013|newspaper=horror-movies.ca|date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626123854/http://www.horror-movies.ca/2013/09/exclusive-poltergeist-remake-shooting-now-first-set-details/|archive-date=June 26, 2015|url-status=dead}} Production was gearing up to begin that fall.{{cite web|last=McNary|first=Dave|url=https://variety.com/2013/film/news/mgm-partners-with-fox-on-poltergeist-reboot-1200500013/|title=MGM Partners With Fox On Poltergeist Reboot|date=June 20, 2013|website=Variety|accessdate=December 30, 2022}}

= Casting =

In September 2013, Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jared Harris and Jane Adams were cast in the film. Tom Cruise and Richard Armitage were considered for the role of Eric Bowen. Saxon Sharbino, Kyle Catlett and Kennedi Clements were cast in the film.

= Filming =

Principal photography began on September 23 and ended on December 13, 2013. The crew shot interior scenes for the film in an old residence in Toronto. Exterior shots were filmed on the West Mountain of Hamilton.{{cite news|url=https://www.thespec.com//entertainment/2013/09/07/remake-of-horror-movie-being-shot-on-hamilton-s-west-mountain.html|title=Remake of horror movie being shot on Hamilton's west Mountain|last=Rockingham|first=Graham|newspaper=The Hamilton Spectator|date=September 7, 2013|access-date=September 25, 2013}}

Release

On August 6, 2014, the film's release date was shifted from February 13, 2015 to July 24, 2015.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2014/08/poltergeist-release-date-kingsman-the-secret-service-815391/ |title=Fox Shifts 'Poltergeist' Dates |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=2014-06-20 |access-date=2014-08-06}} On March 4, 2015, the date was shifted again to when it was previously set for release alongside Spy.{{cite news|last1=Lesnick|first1=Silas|title=20th Century Fox Shifts Dates for Spy, Poltergeist and Paper Towns|url=https://comingsoon.net/movies/news/416235-20th-century-fox-swaps-shifts-dates-for-spy-poltergeist-and-paper-towns|access-date=March 9, 2015|publisher=comingsoon.net|date=March 4, 2015}} It was released in 3D.{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3334808/poltergeist-haunting-theaters-may/ |title=Poltergeist is set for 22 May 2015 and is to be released in Real D 3D|publisher=BD|date=2014-06-20 |access-date=2014-08-06}}

= Marketing =

The film's first trailer was released on February 5, 2015.{{cite web|last=Nemiroff|first=Perri|url=https://collider.com/poltergeist-remake-trailer/|title=First POLTERGEIST Remake Trailer: Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt Fight a Ghost Invasion|date=February 5, 2015|publisher=Collider|access-date=February 6, 2015}} Forrest Wickman of Slate Magazine{{'}}s opinion was that the trailer made the film appear to be too similar to the original film.{{cite news|last1=Wickman|first1=Forrest|title=The Poltergeist Remake Looks Like No "Kids' Movie"|url=https://slate.com/culture/2015/02/poltergeist-remake-trailer-sam-raimi-s-2015-version-starring-sam-rockwell-looks-like-no-kids-movie.html|access-date=February 6, 2015|work=Slant Magazine|date=February 5, 2015}} James Hibberd of Entertainment Weekly said that the trailer "retains and amplifies several elements from the original", and praised that "the modernizing doesn’t result in, say, the family’s daughter being kidnapped by ghosts in Snapchat".{{cite magazine|last1=Hibberd|first1=James|title='Poltergeist' reboot first trailer: 3d masking done also in India, Chennai, Pixstone Images There is a clown|url=https://ew.com/article/2015/02/05/poltergeist-reboot-first-trailer-there-clown|access-date=February 6, 2015|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=February 5, 2015}} Brad Miska of Bloody Disgusting stated that "while every fiber of my being wants to reject it, [the film] actually looks pretty insane", and praised the trailer's final shot.{{cite web|last1=Miska|first1=Brad|title='Poltergeist' Trailer Looks Absolutely Bonkers!|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/videos/3331071/poltergeist-trailer-possesses-web/|publisher=Bloody Disgusting|access-date=February 6, 2015|date=February 5, 2015}} Ben Kuchera of Polygon also opined that the trailer appeared to be similar to the original film, but that it "looks great, as a horror movie".{{cite web|last1=Kuchera|first1=Ben|title=The first Poltergeist trailer provides the scares, but few updates to original formula|url=https://www.polygon.com/2015/2/6/7992375/poltergeist-trailer|website=Polygon|access-date=February 7, 2015|date=February 6, 2015}}

= Home media =

Poltergeist was released on DVD, Blu-ray Disc and Blu-ray 3D on September 29, 2015. The Blu-ray editions included an extended cut of the film.{{cite web | url=https://dvdactive.com/news/releases/poltergeist-2015.html | title=News: Poltergeist (2015) (US - DVD R1 / BD RA) | work=DVDActive | access-date=July 21, 2015}}

Reception

= Box office =

Poltergeist grossed $47.4 million in the United States and Canada and $48.2 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $95.6 million against a budget of an estimated $35 million.{{r|BOM}}

In the United States and Canada, Poltergeist made $1.4 million during its Thursday night showings from 2,500 theaters,{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2015/05/tomorrowland-poltergeist-1-4m-box-office-thursday-1201431354/|title='Tomorrowland' Limited Release While 'Poltergeist' Grabs Strong $1.4M – Box Office Thursday|author=Anita Busch|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=(Penske Media Corporation)|date=May 22, 2015|access-date=May 22, 2015}} and an estimated $9.4 million on its opening day.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-tomorrowland-pitch-perfect-797779|title=Box Office: 'Tomorrowland,' 'Pitch Perfect 2' in Close Memorial Day Battle|author=Rebecca Ford, Pamela McClintock|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|publisher=(Prometheus Global Media)|date=May 23, 2015|access-date=May 23, 2015}} Through its first three-day opening, it grossed $22.6 million from 3,240 theaters, debuting at fourth place at the box office behind Tomorrowland, Pitch Perfect 2 and Mad Max: Fury Road.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2015/05/tomorrowland-poltergeist-memorial-day-box-office-weekend-1201431715/|title=No Heat At Memorial Day B.O.: 'Tomorrowland's Rocket Runs Outta Gas With $41.7M Bow – Monday Update|author=Anita Busch|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=(Penske Media Corporation)|date=May 24, 2015|access-date=May 25, 2015}} In comparison to prior horror film reboots, its opening is well below the openings of 2009's Friday the 13th ($40.6 million), 2010's A Nightmare on Elm Street ($32.9 million), 2003's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ($28.1 million), and right below 2005's The Amityville Horror ($23.5 million).

Outside the United States and Canada, it grossed $8.3 million on its opening weekend from 3,750 screens in 36 countries, finishing in sixth place at the international box office, including $2.2 million in the United Kingdom, where it opened in third place, and $2 million in Brazil.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2015/05/international-box-office-tomorrowland-pitch-perfect-2-mad-max-fury-road-poltergeist-spy-1201432281/|title='Tomorrowland's $74.7M Global Bow; 'Pitch Perfect 2′ Singing $190.4M Cume; 'Mad Max' Smokin' $227.7M – Wwide B.O. Update|author=Nancy Tartaglione|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=(Penske Media Corporation)|date=May 26, 2015|access-date=May 27, 2015}}

= Critical response =

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 29% based on 138 reviews and an average rating of 4.81/10. The site's consensus reads: "Paying competent homage without adding anything of real value to the original Poltergeist, this remake proves just as ephemeral (but half as haunting) as its titular spirit."{{cite web|url=https://rottentomatoes.com/m/poltergeist-2009/|title=Poltergeist|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=May 6, 2022}} On Metacritic, the film has a score of 47 out of 100 based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".{{cite web|url=https://metacritic.com/movie/poltergeist|title=Poltergeist Reviews|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=May 28, 2015}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.

Writing for Variety, Andrew Barker called it "generally entertaining yet fundamentally unnecessary" and concluded: "Even when one is inclined to admire the cleverness with which the remake revisits and reincorporates Poltergeist{{'}}s themes, it’s hard to pinpoint a single moment where it improves on them, and the aura of inessentiality hangs thick over the proceedings".{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/film-review-poltergeist-1201500469/#|title='Poltergeist' Review: An Unnecessary Update of a Horror Classic - Variety|author=Andrew Barker|work=Variety|date=May 19, 2015 }} Neil Genzlinger gave the film a mostly positive review in The New York Times, writing: "The new Poltergeist might well be the scariest movie 13-or-unders have yet seen, just as the original was for their parents back in 1982. Those parents might find it an enjoyable trip down memory lane, even if they do now recognize it as largely a well-served collection of horror-movie tropes".{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/23/movies/review-in-poltergeist-theyre-baaack-with-gps-and-flat-screens.html|title=Review: In 'Poltergeist,' They're Baaack, With GPS and Flat Screens|first=Neil|last=Genzlinger|newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 22, 2015}} Eddie Goldberger echoed that sentiment in The New York Daily News, writing: "It doesn't approach the original--really, how could it? But the new Poltergeist is a fun, worthy horror entry."{{Cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/poltergeist-suprisingly-effective-chiller-review-article-1.2231876|title='Poltergeist' is a surprisingly effective chiller: review|first=Eddie|last=Goldberger|website=nydailynews.com|date=May 22, 2015 }} Tirdad Derakhshani wrote in The Philadelphia Inquirer: "It's not exactly a scary film, but it does provide an enjoyable ride. It's good fun. But it left me befuddled", adding: "Why would anyone want to remake Poltergeist in the first place?".{{cite web|url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/20150523__Poltergeist___A_splendid_remake_without_depth_of_original.html|title='Poltergeist': A splendid remake without depth of original|date=May 23, 2015|work=Philly.com}} Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mike McCahill called the film "an efficient scare-machine".{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/poltergeist-2015/review/|title=Poltergeist review: 'an efficient scare-machine'|website=The Telegraph|date=April 25, 2016 }} Bilge Ebiri wrote in New York: "This new Poltergeist isn't anything special... But it's not a travesty, and that feels like cause for brief celebration".{{cite web|url=https://vulture.com/2015/05/poltergeist-not-a-travesty-not-scary-either.html|title=Poltergeist: Not a Travesty; Not Scary, Either -- Vulture|work=Vulture|date=May 22, 2015 }}

Other critics took a more skeptical view of the film. Writing a review for The Village Voice, Alan Scherstuhl stated: "Poltergeist 2015 is to Poltergeist '82 what today's shipped-frozen-to-the-store Pizza Hut dough is to the kneaded-on-site pies the chain's stoned cooks tossed in the Reagan era. It's the same kind of thing, with the same shape and some shared ingredients, but the texture's gone limp, and there's no sense of occasion about it, and there's some unpalatable goop stuffed in the crust. In a pinch, it beats pizzalessness — but just barely."{{Cite web|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2015/05/22/poltergeist-2015-this-house-is-meh/|title=Poltergeist, 2015: This House is Meh|date=May 22, 2015|website=The Village Voice}} Linda Cook wrote in The Quad City Times: "The Poltergeist remake is OK, but won't stay with you."{{cite web|url=https://qctimes.com/entertainment/columnists/linda-cook/poltergeist-remake-ok-but-won-t-stay-with-you/article_8eed7cec-46f5-5c9e-9c9d-48deae136a02.html|title='Poltergeist' remake OK, but won't stay with you|first=Linda|last=Cook|date=May 23, 2015 }} Randy Cordova in The Arizona Republic wrote: "Ultimately, the whole affair is forgettable."[https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/movies/2015/05/22/review-poltergeist-remake-lacks-menace/27779801/ Review: 'Poltergeist' remake lacks menace], azcentral.com, 22 May 2015

Future

In April 2019, it was announced that the Russo brothers would helm a new reboot of the franchise.{{Cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3555052/poltergeist-getting-remade-captain-america-avengers-directors/|title='Poltergeist' Getting Remade *Again* with 'Captain America' and 'Avengers' Directors?!|first=Brad|last=Miska|date=April 10, 2019}}