This series contains adult language and depictions of graphic violence.

Listener discretion is advised. They're here. In June of 1982, the summer movie season kicked off with a terrifying horror film called

Poltergeist. Produced and co-written by Stephen Spielberg and directed by Toby

Hooper, the story involved a middle-class California family of five that found themselves

dealing with an insane supernatural force that threatened to destroy them all.

The movie was a massive hit and became another feather in the cap of

Spielberg who was the Wunderkind of American cinema at the time. Over the previous

handful of years Spielberg had become a household name as a director, with hits like Jaws and close encounters of the third kind.

So he figured, why not produce a movie that will redefine the supernatural thriller.

Oh, and he'll find time in between directing Raiders of the Lost Arc in 1981

and E.T. the Extraterrestrial in 1982.

Two of the greatest movies, not only of the 80s, but of all time.

And just for the hell of it, he would produce the Goonies just a few years later.

Spielberg came up with a story for Poltergeist,

and given his recent string of movies that dealt with supernatural phenomena and aliens,

he was clearly exploring some specific ideas at this point in his career.

And mostly during this period, all the otherworldly forces in these films were, well, they were all kind of the good guys.

In Raiders the awesome power of the arc killed a bunch of Nazis but spared Indian Marion.

In close encounters, the aliens were super cool.

They returned those lost pilots at the end.

They invited Richard Dreyfus to go with him, holding his hand and everything?

And E.T?

...