The Frighteners (1996)

After a tragic car accident that killed his wife, a man discovers he can communicate with the dead to con people but when a demonic spirit appears, he may be the only one who can stop it from killing the living and the dead.

Director:

Peter Jackson

Writers:

Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson

Stars:

Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson

1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

After a car accident in which his wife, Debra, was killed and he was injured, Frank Bannister develops psychic abilities allowing him to see, hear, and communicate with ghosts. After losing his wife, he then gave up his job as an architect, letting his unfinished "dream house" sit incomplete for years, and put these skills to use by befriending a few ghosts and getting them to haunt houses in the area to drum up work for his ghostbusting business; Then Frank proceeds to "exorcise" the houses for a fee. But when he discovers that an entity resembling the Grim Reaper is killing people, marking numbers on their forehead beforehand, Frank tries to help the people whom the Reaper is after!

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Plot Keywords:

ghost | hell | architect | fbi | grim reaper | 

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Taglines:

Something has put the fear of death in the living and sent the dead running for their lives.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for terror/violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

New Zealand USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 July 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Robert Zemeckis Presents: The Frighteners

Filming Locations:

Camperdown Studios, Camperdown Road, Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

DEM 26,052 (Germany) (2 January 1998)

Gross:

DEM 26,052 (Germany) (2 January 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, WingNut Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min 123 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS DTS-Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Billy Jackson:  3-month-old son of director as a levitated baby.

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Goofs

When Milton Dammers screams, "I'm wearing a lead breastplate!" and rips open his shirt, his tie is hanging nearly straight down. When we cut back to him, his tie is tossed over his shoulder, while both of his hands are still holding his shirt open.

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Quotes

Dr. Lucy Lynskey: What's happening in the cell? I felt something crushin my heart!
Frank Bannister: I cannot fight it Luce, I cannot protect you! So only one way to be with extinct. I can have an out-of-body-experiment.
Dr. Lucy Lynskey: What?
Frank Bannister: and I can have RIGHT NOW!
Dr. Lucy Lynskey: No, No!
Frank Bannister: Go along Lucy, swap in the WAY!
Dr. Lucy Lynskey: WAIT! WAIT!

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Connections

Referenced in Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Superstar"
Written by Bonnie Bramlett, Leon Russell
Performed by Sonic Youth
Courtesy of DCG Records
By Arrangement with MCA Special Markets and Products

User Reviews

The definition of an overlooked film

I don't know what it is with horror movies, and horror/comedies in particular. Either they are huge, blockbuster hits (GHOSTBUSTERS, SCREAM) or they are virtually ignored by theatergoers and critics (everything except for GHOSTBUSTERS and SCREAM). Unfortunately THE FRIGHTENERS falls into the last category, which is a shame because it's a great, original film.

Others like M.A. Rogers have described the plot in detail here, so I won't go into it. Suffice it to say that Michael J. Fox gives a terrific, believable performance here as the ghostbusting conman who gets more than he bargained for. The supporting cast is a hoot (especially the insane FBI agent). Peter Jackson, a man who has proven he can even make a good movie on a camcorder, was given a decent budget here and it really shows. The special effects are noteworthy and are actually put to good use rather than being eye candy. While the violence/gore factor in THE FRIGHTENERS is toned down in comparison to Jackson's earlier films, the comedy is still spot-on. Jackson can do no wrong it seems.

Even if you're not a total horror fan, there should still be something here for you to latch on to and enjoy. Heck, there's almost nothing missing from this movie--romance, comedy, scares, action... it's all there. What's not to like? But don't take my word for it, go rent it and see for yourself.

9/10