After a tragic car accident that kills his wife, a man discovers he can communicate with the dead to con people. However, when a demonic spirit appears, he may be the only one who can stop it from killing the living and the dead.
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!Written by
Anthony Pereyra <hypersonic91@yahoo.com>
Was originally planned as a Tales from the Crypt (1989) feature, but executive producer Robert Zemeckis liked the script so much, he decided it should stand on its own and not be part of a series. See more »
Goofs
There's no need for Frank and Lucy to go into the chapel in the abandoned hospital. They could've just gone into a church to get Johnny's ashes on sacred ground. The Chapel was the closest sacred ground to their location and they were desperate to dispose of the ashes quickly. See more »
Quotes
[an Elvis statuette flies around the room during a Poltergeist appearance]
Ray Lynskey:
He's alive!
See more »
Alternate Versions
SPOILER: USA Television edits out the scene where Patricia murders her mother. See more »
THE FRIGHTENERS has just the right blend of comedy and horror, and will please most audiences. Director Peter Jackson did a great job directing this film, and Michael J. Fox gives one of his most unusual performances as a "ghost buster" who has a rare gift that allows him to see the dead.
All in all, a unique film that is very different from its competition in the horror drama and really only falls apart towards the end, when it resorts to the typical slasher ending with plot twists. Apart from the end, it's sure to keep you entertained throughout!
4/5 stars
JOHN ULMER
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THE FRIGHTENERS has just the right blend of comedy and horror, and will please most audiences. Director Peter Jackson did a great job directing this film, and Michael J. Fox gives one of his most unusual performances as a "ghost buster" who has a rare gift that allows him to see the dead.
All in all, a unique film that is very different from its competition in the horror drama and really only falls apart towards the end, when it resorts to the typical slasher ending with plot twists. Apart from the end, it's sure to keep you entertained throughout!
4/5 stars
JOHN ULMER