Jump Scares in Poltergeist (1982)

Poltergeist (1982) screenshot
Poltergeist (1982) screenshot
Poltergeist (1982) screenshot
Poltergeist (1982) screenshot

See below for the exact times and descriptions of the 9 jump scares in Poltergeist, which has a jump scare rating of 1.0.

Jump Scare Rating: Not a particularly “jumpy” movie however the toy clown scene just before the 100 minute mark is quite an effective scare.

Synopsis: The Freeling family move into a new house where they are terrorized by numerous ghosts who kidnap Carol, the youngest daughter.

Contributor: Anthony Wilson contributed all the information on this page (Sign up now to become a contributor too! Learn more)

Jump Scares: 9 (1 major, 8 minor)

Reviews: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes

Rating: PG

Director: Tobe Hooper

Runtime: 114 minutes

Netflix (US): Yes

Tags: Creepy Children, Haunted House / Building

WARNING: The jump scare descriptions listed below may contain minor spoilers

Jump Scare Times

00:23:51 – A ghostly hand reaches out of the TV to meet Carol’s hand.

00:29:18 – Carol’s hand comes up from the bottom of the screen to pull at her mother.

00:36:55 – A giant tree smashes through the window of the children’s bedroom.

01:11:07 – The mother opens the bathroom door to a loud noise.

01:31:01 – A giant skull comes out of the doorway.

01:39:39 – The clown toy appears suddenly and drags Robbie under the bed.

01:40:13 – The scene abruptly cuts back to Robbie under the bed with the clown toy.

01:42:40 – A skull comes out of the water behind the wife.

01:47:36 – A skeleton lands on the wind-shield of the family car.

(Major jump scares in bold)

Watch with subtitles that warn you about jump scares! Download the .srt file of the jump scares in Poltergeist. [More info]

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