See below for the exact times and descriptions of the 21 jump scares in Poltergeist – Theatrical Cut, which has a jump scare rating of 4.0.
Jump Scare Rating: A large number of jump scares however most of them miss the mark in terms of being truly scary. The clown scene at 36:30 and a scene at 58:30 are probably the only truly scary parts.
Synopsis: A young family move into a new home in suburban Illinois where evil forces haunting the house take youngest daughter Maddie captive.
Contributor: Anthony Wilson contributed all the information on this page (Sign up now to become a contributor too! Learn more)
Director: Gil Kenan
Runtime: 93 minutes
Netflix (US): No
Tags: Haunted House / Building, Mystery, Possession, High Jump Scare
Jump Scare Times
00:06:26 – Griffin goes to open a cupboard door when Eric puts his hand on the other door-knob, startling Griffin.
00:13:23 – Griffin pulls at something in his wardrobe which causes a toy clown and assorted old junk to fall down.
00:16:25 – A squirrel crawls out of the wall in front of Griffin and Eric.
00:18:07 – A toy keyboard turns on by itself.
00:20:48 – A hand from the inside the TV touches Maddie’s hand.
00:26:44 – Griffin’s comic books have been mysteriously stacked up in a triangular shape.
00:33:07 – There is a loud thunder clap.
00:35:18 – A flash of lightning reveals a corpse standing in the room beside Kendra.
00:35:23 – A hand forms out of the mud and grabs Kendra.
00:35:48 – The clown suddenly moves onto the floor in front of Griffin.
00:35:54 – The squirrel jumps at the bars of the cage.
00:36:34 – Griffin moves the torch around the room and stops on the toy clown, which then proceeds to attacks Griffin. [Video].
00:37:44 – A tree branch grabs Griffin as he runs down the stairs.
00:40:01 – A hand appears and drags Madison away.
00:46:10 – A chair suddenly flies into the wall.
00:47:39 – Amy touches Eric on the shoulder.
00:51:32 – Boyd begins to drill a hole through the closet but his hand is suddenly pulled through the hole.
00:52:25 – Boyd’s hand is repeatedly pulled into the hole by an unseen force.
00:58:33 – Eric reaches towards a figure who appears to be Maddie, however when the figure turns around it is revealed to be a ghost. [Video].
01:13:08 – A spirit, standing behind Maddie, hits the camera.
01:20:52 – Maddie is suddenly pulled up the stairs.
(Major jump scares in bold)
Watch with subtitles that warn you about jump scares! Download the .srt file of the jump scares in Poltergeist – Theatrical Cut. [More info]
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As for my thoughts on the remake – I’m surprised it’s as low rated and disliked as it is. It’s certainly not as great as the original, but it’s one of the better horror remakes I’ve seen. I appreciate that it doesn’t try to make the original more gritty or serious, it’s still a fun and campy time as it should be. It’s a fun modernized take and I’m a bit sad it didn’t get a mention in the greatest remakes article. (Along with The Ring, one of my favorite movies!)
I remember reading a really silly complaint about this movie that they “made it a kids film” as if the original isn’t famously PG rated???