Poltergeist Quotes
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Source: Poltergeist
Speaker: Carol Anne Freeling
They're here.
Context
This line is spoken by Carol Anne, played by Heather O'Rourke, in the movie Poltergeist, directed by Tobe Hooper (1982).
Still rating pretty high on the creepy scale, this quote is spoken by young Carol Anne Freeling in the flickering light of a seriously scary TV set. Why is the TV so scary? Because some evil ghost-mist has just poured out of it and zapped into the wall above Carol Anne's sleeping parents' heads. As it turns out, a pack of ticked-off spirits are the "they" in "they're here."
Things get rolling in the movie after this, as the poltergeists soon suck Carol Anne into another dimension through a portal in her closet. It takes a pack of parapsychologists including the diminutive Zelda Rubenstein to get the little girl back. Yikes—this is why we're hiring Zelda the next time we want to reorganize our clothes.
You can watch the scariness here.
Where you've heard it
How about Family Guy? Unless you live under a rock, you've watched at least a couple episodes of that show, right? Well, in the episode "Petergeist," Peter builds a multiplex in the backyard, disturbing an Indian burial ground. Later, when the Indian spirits start causing trouble, baby Stewie says "They're here" in front of a TV set just like Carol Anne.
And if you've had the good sense to stream The X-Files, you also might've heard the quote in the episode "Shadows" when Mulder theorizes that his and Scully's latest paranormal mystery might've been caused by poltergeists.
Finally, let us not forget the controversial 2008 Direct TV commercial that recreated the scene (controversial because Heather O'Rourke, who played Carol Anne, died at age 12). Wow, Direct TV. Wow.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Pretentious this quote is not, but you're only going to sound hip using it if you build a time machine and crash a party in the '80s. Good luck with that, Shmoopers.