The Frighteners (1996)

Director:

Peter Jackson

Writers (WGA):

Fran Walsh (written by) &
Peter Jackson (written by)

Release Date:

19 July 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

No Rest for the Wicked.

Plot:

After a car accident in which his wife, Debra, was killed and he was injured, Frank Bannister develops psychic abilities allowing him to see...

Plot Keywords:

Supernatural | Box Office Flop | Hell | Widow | Architect

Awards:

1 win & 10 nominations

Cast

Michael J. Fox	...	Frank Bannister
Trini Alvarado	...	Dr. Lucy Lynskey
Peter Dobson	...	Ray Lynskey
John Astin	...	The Judge
Jeffrey Combs	...	Milton Dammers
Dee Wallace	...	Patricia Ann Bradley (as Dee Wallace-Stone)
Jake Busey	...	Johnny Charles Bartlett
Chi McBride	...	Cyrus
Jim Fyfe	...	Stuart, Bannister's Ghostly Assistant
Troy Evans	...	Sheriff Walt Perry
Julianna McCarthy	...	Old Lady Bradley
R. Lee Ermey	...	Sgt. Hiles
Elizabeth Hawthorne	...	Magda Rees-Jones
Angela Bloomfield	...	Debra Bannister
Desmond Kelly	...	Harry Sinclair

Also Known As:

Robert Zemeckis Presents: The Frighteners (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated R for terror/violence.

Runtime:

110 min | USA:122 min (director's cut)

Country:

New Zealand | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-16 (2000) (DVD) (cut) | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | Germany:18 (nf) | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Finland:K-15 (2005) (uncut) (DVD) (director's cut) | New Zealand:M | UK:15 (re-rating) (2005) (uncut) | Finland:K-16 (1997) (video) (uncut) | Germany:16 (director's cut) | UK:15 (uncut director's edition) | USA:R (certificate #34656) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Italy:VM14 | Norway:11 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (cut)

Filming Locations:

Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

One of the floating babies in the scene where Stuart and Cyrus are haunting a house is played by Billy Jackson, Peter Jackson's then-three month old son.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the scene in the museum the two guards fire at least 45 shots from their automatic pistols without reloading.

Quotes:

Dammers: My body is a roadmap of pain.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Movie Magic: Ghost Effects: Ghost Stories (#4.13)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Don't Fear The Reaper

Intermittently enjoyable comedy-horror.

Before his name became synonymous with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson made his name directing wacky, bloodthirsty horror movies, the most vile and notorious of which is probably Braindead. With The Frighteners, Jackson began to move into the mainstream with such luxuries as a big budget, big stars, and well publicised international release dates (though he did still insist on filming the action in his native New Zealand). Sometimes directors fail to make the transition from quirky independent movies to glossy Hollywood productions (look at John Woo and Michaelangelo Antonioni) but Jackson's film manages to retain some of his trademark touches amidst all its polished trappings.

Michael J. Fox plays a psychic investigator in a small American town. Since a car accident gave him one almighty bump on the head, he has been able to communicate with spirits and has made a less-than-honorable living by ridding houses of ghosts which, in actual fact, are his friends! However, he occasionally envisages strange numbers glowing on peoples' heads, and soon after these people seem to die violently. Slowly but surely, he realises that the numbers represent a numerical death list and he gradually discovers that the victims are chosen by a long-since executed serial killer who is continuing his murderous spree from beyond the grave.

So, what's good about the film? The plot is certainly inventive, and Jackson has limitless fun engineering amusing episodes. In one super scene, three of Fox's deceased buddies cause havoc in a museum by fooling around with some skeletal remains. In another, a ghost gets his face gruesomely diced in a car engine. The pace of the film is reminiscent of a rollercoaster ride. Jeffrey Coombs delivers one of the most outlandish and hysterical performances ever witnessed as an unhinged secret agent.

The bad points? The climax settles for a disappointingly conventional chase sequence, with predictable twists and plot contrivances, not to mention three or four over-used "rescue-just-in-the-nick-of-time" moments. The best character - John Astin as "The Judge" - gets removed from the story far too early. And worst of all, there's a really lame moment right near the end where the film cops out completely (I won't spoil it for you, but let's just say that the hero dies-but-doesn't-die, if that makes sense).

All in all, The Frighteners is quite good, but the final quarter lacks invention and costs the film a merit or two.