Short on money after losing his job, Eric moves with his wife Amy and their three children to a modest house in the middle of an ordinary subdivision. But they soon realize something is wrong as they are beset by odd electrical phenomena, strange noises and possessed objects. A mysterious presence is taking over the house, and then Madison, the youngest in the family, disappears without explanation. When Amy and Eric manage to communicate with her through the TV, they call in a specialist for paranormal activities in hopes of getting back their daughter, who has been kidnapped by evil poltergeists and is now stuck in another dimension…

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The 2015 version of Poltergeist seems to ignore that fact that there have been many remakes of the 1982 cult film, which was directed by Tobe Hooper and written by Steven Spielberg. None of them were official, but all unscrupulously recycled the haunted house theme, and some were well done, such as James Wan’s Insidious. Which leaves the impression that Gil Kenan’s movie has arrived long after the party was over without realizing it. His version lacks imagination and subtlety, instead relying on obvious jump scares, evil clowns and B-movie ghost hunters. Though helped along by the talents of Rosemarie DeWitt and Sam Rockwell, as well as some new ideas, the result is sadly mundane, a lost opportunity stuffed with special effects but lacking in rhythm, clarity and – ironically – spirit.