In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter promoting THE CONJURING 2, James Wan listed his Top 5 favorite horror films of all time. One of them… well, it won't surprise you. The second flick on the list is none other than the 1982 Tobe Hooper classic POLTERGEIST. Says Wan:
It’s the movie that scarred me as a child and sent me down my obsessive path toward all things evil-doll/puppet-related. It has terrific sound design, too.
You heard it here, folks! You have POLTERGEIST to blame for ANNABELLE and DEAD SILENCE. Hauntings and especially haunted dolls permeate Wan's work (even Jigsaw used a puppet, and that was Wan's debut feature), but it's interesting to see the exact inception point for his puppet mania. I'll definitely watch POLTERGEIST with new eyes next time I pop it in the ol' Blu-Ray player.
Check out his full list RIGHT HERE!