Poltergeist (1982)

Beatrice Straight: Dr. Lesh

Photos 

Quotes 

• Dr. Lesh : Would your family welcome a serious investigation of these disturbances by someone who can make firsthand observations?

  Steve Freeling : Look, Dr. Lesh. We don't care about the disturbances, the pounding and the flashing, the screaming, the music. We just want you to find our little girl.

• Dr. Lesh : Some people believe that when you die there is a wonderful light. As bright as the sun but it doesn't hurt to look into it. All the answers to all the questions you want to know are inside that light. And when you walk to it... you become a part of it forever. Now, some people die, but they don't know they're gone.

• Tangina : [offscreen upstairs]  Why is this door locked, Mr. Freeling?

  [Steve Freeling closes his eyes, clasps his hands, and appears to be concentrating for several seconds] 

  Diane Freeling : [quietly]  Answer her, Steven!

  Steve Freeling : [sotto voce]  I *am*.

  Tangina : [steps out to the top of the stairs]  I am addressin' the living!

  Steve Freeling : I'm sorry. Sorry. That's the room my son and daughter used to occupy.

  Dr. Lesh : We believe it's the heart of the house.

  Tangina : This house has many hearts.

  [Tangina steps away from the stairtop. Diane approaches Steven] 

  Diane Freeling : [quietly]  What is the matter?

  Steve Freeling : [with laughter]  "What's the matter"?

  Steve Freeling : [he composes himself, whispers]  I was trying to answer her with my mind and she couldn't hear me.

  Steve Freeling : [to Dr. Lesh, whispering even softer]  Now, I thought you said this Tangina Barrons was an *extraordinary*...

  Tangina : I *am*!

  Steve Freeling : ...clairvoy...

  Tangina : [steps out again]  I just don't like trick answers.

• Diane Freeling : You were saying about poltergeists.

  Dr. Lesh : Poltergeists are usually associated with an individual. Hauntings seem to be connected with an area. A house usually.

  Marty : Poltergeist disturbances are of a fairly short duration. Perhaps a couple of months. Hauntings can go on for years.

  Diane Freeling : Are you telling me that all of this could just suddenly end at any time?

  Dr. Lesh : Yes, it could. Unless it's a haunting. But hauntings don't usually revolve around living people.

  Diane Freeling : Then we don't have much time, Dr. Lesh, because my daughter is alive somewhere inside this house.

• Dr. Lesh : Some people believe that when people die, there's a wonderful light, As bright as the sun. But it doesn't hurt to look into it. All the answers to all the questions that you ever want to know are inside that light. And when you walk to it, you become a part of it forever. And then, some people die but they don't know that they've gone.

  Robbie Freeling : They think they're still alive?

  Dr. Lesh : Yes. Maybe they didn't want to die. Maybe they weren't ready. Maybe they hadn't lived fully yet or they'd lived a long, long time and they still wanted more life. They resist going into that light, however hard the light wants them. They just... hang around. Watch TV, watch their friends grow up feeling unhappy and jealous and those feelings are bad. They hurt. And then, some people just get lost on the way to the light, and they need someone to guide them to it.

  Robbie Freeling : So some people get angry and throw things around - like in my bedroom?

  Dr. Lesh : Yes. Just like in school. Like some kids are nice to you, some kids are mean.

  Robbie Freeling : I got beat up once by three kids. They took my lunch money. Maybe they got hit by a truck and they're upstairs right now!

• Dr. Lesh : The determination as to whether your home is haunted is - is not very easy. I - what I meant to say was it might very well be a poltergeist intrusion instead of a classic haunting.

  Steve Freeling : There's a difference?

• Dr. Lesh : Well, I'm off. I'm taking these back to the lab along with the tapes. I'm going to have to display these, you know.

  Steve Freeling : Please, not on "60 Minutes".

  Diane Freeling : Or "That's Incredible!".

• Marty : There's been some ionization flux. I'd like to make sure it's not caused by humidity coming from structural leakage, but I'm not goin' up there to find out.

  Ryan : We have got much more than the paranormal episode taking place here.

  Marty : There's measurable physical science in this house that goes far beyond any of the creaking doors or cold spots I've ever experienced.

  Dr. Lesh : The voice source on television, where is it coming from?

  Ryan : The absence of a signal on the channel that is not receiving a broadcast means that it is free to receive a lot of noise from all sorts of things, like short waves.

  Marty : Solar disturbances, car ignition sparkings...

  Ryan : Outer space... or inner space. Yes, what if these people had an area of bi-location in their own living room? No, I mean: if that is the way out then maybe somewhere in this house, there's a way in.

• Dr. Lesh : Well, I'm off. I'm taking these back to the lab along with the tapes. I'm going to have to display these, you know.

  Steve Freeling : Please, not on "60 Minutes".

  Diane Freeling : Or "That's Incredible!"

• Dr. Lesh : I'm leaving Ryan here with you. Marty won't be coming back. I... I'm coming back. And I'll bring some help. Try not to worry.

• Dr. Lesh : I feel like the proto-human coming out of the forest primeval and seeing the moon for the first time and throwing rocks at it.

• Dr. Lesh : Hmm! Think we'll spend the night downstairs.

• Diane Freeling : Look at all of them.

  Robbie Freeling : Is that our house? Who are all those people?

  Dr. Lesh : They're so lonely. So alone.