← Apex Mountain

Poltergeist

1982 · directed by Tobe Hooper · 114 min
26,000 feet · Prominence
247th of 15,261 films scored
The Rewatchables‘Poltergeist’ With Bill Simmons and Van Lathan

How this film scores

Draw68

$122m worldwide in 1982 — $416m in today's money.

As released$122mIn 2026 money$416mRank769 of 8,589In 19826 of 82

How Draw works

Inflation-adjusted worldwide box office, on one global curve, and nothing else. It does not know whether a film was good.

Praise85

Critics 84, awards 14. Half each, so Praise lands at 85.

Critics84 → 42Awards14 → 7

Oscars3 nominated Visual Effects, Original Score, Sound Editing
How Praise works

Half critics, half a tiered award record where Picture and Directing carry most of the weight. Praise is the verdict at the time; Legacy is the verdict since.

Legacy70

Judged directly: They're heeere, the clown, the curse legend.

Verdict70 of 100IMDb7.3 from 194kWikipedia51k views a monthAge44 years

Scored beside it · 277 of 3,430 films judged

If it does not belong in this company, the number is wrong.

How Legacy works

Legacy is a judgment, not a formula. A film can be adored by critics and culturally quiet, or lightly reviewed and permanently lodged in the culture, and no arithmetic over IMDb numbers tells the difference. Every signal behind it keeps updating.

draw 68 praise 85 legacy 70averages 74, which places it at26,000 ft
How the three become one number

Added, not multiplied, so a film transcendent on one pillar and weak on another is not zeroed out. A compression curve then squeezes the top, because the seven greatest films ever made should not be four thousand feet apart.

In these careers — elevation for this film

No scored career runs through this film yet. The people-side engine currently covers 108careers, and this film’s cast sits outside them. Top billing: JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight, Dominique Dunne.