Poltergeist: 10 Big Differences Between Original And Remake

In the original movie, the family initially calls a team of paranormal investigators to check out the house, and then they call in a spiritual medium, Tangina Barrons. In this version, the paranormal investigators call in a new character, Carrigan Burke, a TV personality who has a Ghost Hunters type show where he "cleans" houses with spirits in them.

This one is kind of a superficial change, although what’s more significant is the role of these characters in the film. In the original, Tangina is really just there to explain things, but here, Carrigan takes a more active role in the plot. 

SPOILER ALERT! At the end of the film, when it’s clear the spirits aren’t going to let the Bowen family leave, he realises he’s the only one who can stop things, and so he goes through the portal himself.

In the original, the family rescues Carol Anne, thinks they’re safe, but then things spiral out of control again, so they leave the house just before it implodes. In this version, they think they’re safe, things start going out of control again, so Carrigan takes action that allows them to leave.