Poltergeist (1982 film score)

E119310

film score soundtrack album

Poltergeist (1982 film score) is a renowned horror film soundtrack composed by Jerry Goldsmith, celebrated for its haunting orchestral themes and innovative use of sound to heighten supernatural terror.

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All labels observed (5)

Label	Occurrences
Poltergeist (film score)	2
Poltergeist (1982 film score) canonical	1
Poltergeist (original motion picture score)	1
Poltergeist III (film score)	1
Poltergeist: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T1018742 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Poltergeist (1982 film score)
Context triple: [Jerry Goldsmith, notableWork, Poltergeist (1982 film score)]

A. Close Encounters of the Third Kind film score
The "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" film score is John Williams’s landmark, thematically rich orchestral soundtrack renowned for its innovative use of a five-note motif to communicate with extraterrestrials.
B. Superman (1978) film score
The "Superman" (1978) film score is John Williams's iconic orchestral soundtrack that helped define the musical sound of modern superhero cinema through its heroic main theme and sweeping, romantic motifs.
C. The Abyss (film score)
The Abyss (film score) is a science-fiction film soundtrack composed by Alan Silvestri, noted for its atmospheric orchestration and blend of suspenseful and ethereal themes.
D. Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande is a record label renowned for releasing film and television soundtracks and scores.
E. Volcano (film score)
Volcano (film score) is the orchestral soundtrack composed by Alan Silvestri for the 1997 disaster film "Volcano," featuring tense, dramatic themes that underscore the movie’s volcanic catastrophe.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Poltergeist (1982 film score)
Target entity description: Poltergeist (1982 film score) is a renowned horror film soundtrack composed by Jerry Goldsmith, celebrated for its haunting orchestral themes and innovative use of sound to heighten supernatural terror.

A. Close Encounters of the Third Kind film score
The "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" film score is John Williams’s landmark, thematically rich orchestral soundtrack renowned for its innovative use of a five-note motif to communicate with extraterrestrials.
B. Superman (1978) film score
The "Superman" (1978) film score is John Williams's iconic orchestral soundtrack that helped define the musical sound of modern superhero cinema through its heroic main theme and sweeping, romantic motifs.
C. The Abyss (film score)
The Abyss (film score) is a science-fiction film soundtrack composed by Alan Silvestri, noted for its atmospheric orchestration and blend of suspenseful and ethereal themes.
D. Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande is a record label renowned for releasing film and television soundtracks and scores.
E. Volcano (film score)
Volcano (film score) is the orchestral soundtrack composed by Alan Silvestri for the 1997 disaster film "Volcano," featuring tense, dramatic themes that underscore the movie’s volcanic catastrophe.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (45)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	film score ⓘ soundtrack album ⓘ
associatedWithGenre	supernatural horror ⓘ
awardRecognition	nominated for film music awards (various critics and genre outlets) ⓘ
basedOn	Poltergeist (1982 film) ⓘ linked to: Poltergeist
composer	Jerry Goldsmith ⓘ
composerStyle	avant-garde orchestral textures ⓘ late-romantic orchestral writing ⓘ
countryOfOrigin	United States ⓘ linked to: United States of America
criticalReputation	considered influential in horror film music ⓘ widely regarded as one of Jerry Goldsmith's classic horror scores ⓘ
genre	film score ⓘ horror film score ⓘ orchestral music ⓘ
hasComposerRole	Jerry Goldsmith: composer and conductor ⓘ
hasFormat	compact disc release ⓘ digital release ⓘ vinyl release ⓘ
hasMainTheme	Carol Anne's Theme ⓘ
hasPeriod	20th-century film music ⓘ
hasSubgenre	Hollywood studio horror score ⓘ
hasTargetAudience	viewers of the film Poltergeist (1982) ⓘ
inFilmMusicHistory	often cited in discussions of landmark 1980s horror scores ⓘ
influenced	later supernatural horror film scores ⓘ
label	various soundtrack labels (multiple releases) ⓘ
language	instrumental ⓘ
medium	music for motion picture ⓘ
notableFor	combination of lyrical themes and dissonant horror writing ⓘ haunting orchestral themes ⓘ innovative use of sound design elements ⓘ
originallyComposedFor	Poltergeist (1982 film) ⓘ linked to: Poltergeist
partOfFranchise	Poltergeist franchise ⓘ linked to: Poltergeist
purpose	to heighten supernatural terror in the film ⓘ
recordingType	studio recording ⓘ
relatedWork	Poltergeist II: The Other Side (film score) ⓘ Poltergeist III (film score) ⓘ linked to: Poltergeist (1982 film score)
releaseYear	1982 ⓘ
styleCharacteristic	alternation between tonal and atonal passages ⓘ layered choral writing to evoke the supernatural ⓘ use of sudden orchestral outbursts for jump scares ⓘ
theme	childlike lullaby contrasted with horror elements ⓘ
usedFor	original motion picture soundtrack of Poltergeist (1982 film) ⓘ
usesInstrumentation	chorus ⓘ full symphony orchestra ⓘ synthesizers ⓘ

How these facts were elicited