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 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 | grim reaper | hell | fbi | black comedy | 

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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:

$5,565,000 (USA) (19 July 1996)

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

Was originally planned as a Tales from the Crypt (1989) feature, but producer Robert Zemeckis liked the script so much, he decided it should stand on its own and not be part of a series.

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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

Sergeant Hiles: Ho-lee Jesus! Frank Bannister!

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Connections

Spoofs Love Me Tonight (1932)

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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

* * * out of 4.

Con man (Michael J. Fox) uses the ghosts he sees and maintains friendships with in order to rip off people in order to make a living after losing his wife. However, there is a dead serial killer lurking about killing everyone and Fox has to stop this ghost before it can claim another victim. This film moves along at such fast pace you never have time to question what is going on on-screen. The film itself, is filled with many wonderful visual effects and proves to be a perfect vehicle for Fox's many talents. It is also brimming with many original thoughts and idea's. It is highly under rated and I highly recommanded this film. Just check your brain in at the door however.

Rated R; Violence and Profanity.