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1982 · Movie · PG · your starting pointIf Poltergeist is the itch, these scratch it — some louder, some quieter. Free ones first.
Movies like Poltergeist, ranked
1. Poltergeist Activity (2015)
This film channels the same escalating dread of domestic spaces invaded by unseen forces, building from subtle disturbances to terrifying manifestations that threaten the family unit at its core.
2. The Poltergeist Diaries (2021)
Director Tobe Hooper's mastery of suburban dread translates here through found-footage documentation of inexplicable disappearances, where a family's desperate search for their vanished loved one mirrors the helpless terror of forces beyond rational explanation.
3. Paranormal Evil (2017)
Tobe Hooper's mastery of domestic spaces as sites of escalating supernatural dread transforms an ordinary home into a character itself, making the family's vulnerability to unseen forces feel devastatingly intimate and inescapable.
4. Paranormal Activity (2007)
This found-footage haunting trades Poltergeist's family ensemble for intimate couple dynamics, but maintains the same escalating dread of ordinary suburban spaces becoming actively hostile through increasingly undeniable nocturnal disturbances.
5. The Conjuring (2013)
The same meticulous buildup of dread through household hauntings and a climactic battle to reclaim a family member from a malevolent supernatural force drives this modern investigation into the terrifying.
6. Insidious (2010)
James Wan channels Tobe Hooper's suburban horror formula by trapping a family in their home while an otherworldly force holds their child hostage, requiring paranormal investigators to breach the veil between worlds.
7. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)
The Poltergeist franchise's signature blend of domestic horror and child-centered supernatural peril finds a modern equivalent in this multigenerational ghost-hunting adventure that balances genuine scares with family dynamics at its core.
8. Dark Skies (2013)
The methodical escalation of home invasion through unexplained supernatural phenomena mirrors Poltergeist's formula of mounting dread, as a family's sanctuary transforms into a battleground against an incomprehensible force threatening their children.
Tell me what kind of night it is — I'll pick the one for you.