Poltergeist

Steve and Diane Freeling live in the planned community of Cuesta Verde, California. Steve is a successful real-estate agent, and Diane looks after their three children: sixteen-year-old Dana, eight-year-old Robbie, and five-year-old Carol Anne. One night, Carol Anne inexplicably starts to converse with the television set while it displays post-broadcast static. As she talks to the TV the next night, a ghostly white hand emerges from the screen, followed by a violent earthquake. As the family is shaken awake by the quake, Carol Anne eerily intones, "They're here."

The following day is filled with bizarre events: a glass of milk spontaneously breaks, silverware bends, and furniture moves on its own. These phenomena initially seem benign, but soon grow sinister. During a severe thunderstorm, the gnarled backyard tree seemingly comes alive. A branch crashes through the children's bedroom window, grabs Robbie and pulls him outside into the pouring rain as the tree attempts to devour him. While the family rushes outside to help Robbie, Carol Anne is pulled into a portal inside the closet. After saving Robbie from the tree, which is sucked into a tornado, the family frantically search for Carol Anne and hear her voice calling out from the television.

Parapsychologist Martha Lesh arrives with team members Ryan and Marty to investigate. They determine there is a poltergeist intrusion involving multiple ghosts. Meanwhile, Steve learns from his boss Lewis Teague that the Cuesta Verde development was built on top of a former cemetery and the graves were moved to a nearby location.