The following is an introduction to the score as written by Steven Spielberg and presented on the back of the original LP cover.
“I have been an admirer of Jerry Goldsmith from the moment I heard his score for The Blue Max and A Patch of Blue. Along with John Williams, these two men have dominated the arena of great movie music for nearly 20 years. Jerry’s scores range from the unforgettable Patton to his Oscar-winning music for The Omen. In between, there came such rousing challenges as Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Great Train Robbery, Chinatown, Papillon, Alien, over 100 scores.
Now with Poltergeist, Jerry has met his greatest challenge- to scare us nearly to tears, and he has been remarkable in his efforts. Cleverly, the moments of greatest tension arise not from his brilliant off-rhythm ostinatos but more from a soothing tonal beauty.
Don’t trust his melodies. Something perfectly unworldly is due to occur the moment you let your guard drop and Goldsmith proceeds to feign and attack with no “apparent” rhyme or pattern. It’s to his great credit that he has plotted every blow and designed a score of such shattering intensity that nighttime is perhaps not the right time to hear this album if you have seen the film. If you haven’t seen Poltergeist, Jerry’s music conjures many classical impressions of ferocious drive and at the same time, cathedral beauty. So…. let the imagination wander. Pleasant dreams.
-Steven Spielberg”
