User reviews

What sets out to be a comedy movie with ghosts, (and anyone could be forgiven for thinking this is what it would be given that Michael J Fox has the lead) rapidly becomes a very dark supernatural thriller.

The special effects still look good even by todays standards, and the story is solidly written, good characters and good direction, there is not much to criticise in this movie.

The film itself is one that you should not miss, and certainly not because you think its something that it isn't.

8/10 A surprising film, that has probably been overlooked by too many movie lovers.

"The Frighteners" is really a good ghost story, not a horror movie. This is really a watchable 'popcorn' kind of fantasy movie, where the humor is raked up in dark devilish, sometimes stupid jokes. This combination of Robert Zemeckis and Peter Jackson is fantastic. This movie is an odd blend of outright comedy and supernatural thriller. Plot essential has Michael J. Fox as a psychic who really can see dead people, so much so in fact that he has befriended three ghosts and makes a living out of setting up hauntings and charging people to exorcise the spirits. However, things turn decidedly deadly when he encounters a grim reaper like spirit that is killing people and putting a number on their foreheads. It seems there is a serial killing spirit on the loose, played by Jake Busey. This movie has a terrific cast with an outstanding acting performance overall. It's also not surprising that "The Frighteners" has become a cult movie of some standing. The bonkers plot, the close to the knuckle humour and narrative make it a fascinating viewing experience. Find the time and watch this movie. You will not be disappointed.

This one has received mixed Reviews. It's hard to imagine that anyone could be critical of the imagination that went into this entertaining, if overblown, Movie. It has enough energy and creativity for three Films. But it doesn't know when to quit. It just goes on and on, almost, but not quite, draining the fresh flourishes from the Film.

There are Artistic touches that impress and it looks very much like the Cartoony Movies that Jackson had made up to this point. But this may have suffered from too much Zemeckis and too much Money. The Director never needed a lot of Money to make Cool, Off-Beat, and Artistically rewarding Stuff.

Just one example, in the opening Scene we see an Evil Entity haunting a Women and it is shown protruding from behind walls and carpets. It is different and diabolical. But it won't be the last time this effect is used. Suffice to say that repetition is the bane of this really good Film.

There are Plots on top of Plots and not just in the Cemetery. It could be just a bit too much for some, and yet it is so charming that others may say, give me more.

After the traumatic experience of losing his beloved wife Debra (Angela Bloomfield) in a car accident, the architect Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox) acquires the ability of seeing ghosts. He quits his profession; abandons the construction of his dream house to live with Debra and becomes a con man, using the ghosts Cyrus (Chi McBride), Stuart (Jim Fyfe) and The Judge (John Astin) to haunt houses and then charging the dwellers to exorcise their homes.

Dr. Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado) visits the reclusive Patricia Ann Bradley (Dee Wallace-Stone), who was a former delinquent and girlfriend of the serial–killer Johnny Bartlett (Jake Busey) that lives with her mother, she notes that Patricia has bruises. Lucy returns home and together with her husband Ray Lynskey (Peter Dobson), they are haunted by a poltergeist. She calls Frank and soon Ray has a heart attack. Lucy meets Frank in a restaurant and he realizes that Soul Collector is marking numbers in the forehead of his victims before killing them. Frank becomes prime suspect of the police due to his knowledge about the murders and he is arrested. Meanwhile the psychotic FBI agent Milton Dammers (Jeffrey Combs) comes to the city to investigate the murder cases. When Frank finds that Lucy will be the next victim of the Reaper, he takes the ultimate decision to fight the entity to save her.

"The Frighteners" is a weird, but entertaining and original film by Peter Jackson. The story is too violent for comedy and too silly for horror; therefore the genre is indeed a combination of comedy, romance, horror and fantasy. The special effects are excellent and state-of-art for a 1996 movie. Michael J. Fox shines in the role of the psychic Frank Bannister and Trini Alvarado is perfect in the role of his romantic pair Dr. Lucy Lynskey. All the characters are interesting and peculiar, and the cast has great performances independently of the special effects. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Os Espíritos" ("The Spirits")

The Frighteners is a textbook example of how to do a horror/comedy. Peter Jackson once again proves he can handle the genre masterfully. With Psychic Investigator Frank Bannister, Michael J. Fox adds another great character to his pantheon of heroes. The rest of the cast is top notch as well. Horror icon Dee Wallace Stone is great in this. John Astin is great in this. R. Lee Ermey is great in this. Even Jake Busey is great in this. Everyone is great in this. The actors and actresses do a wonderful job of handling the humor and the scares. But the actor that really shines here is genre veteran Jeffrey Combs. His portrayal of F.B.I. Special Agent Milton Dammers is one of his most memorable in long career of genre roles. Only the best went into this movie: Rick Baker was brought in to handle some of the visual effects and Danny Elfman composed the score. I don't know that it's my favorite, but this may be Jackson's best horror offering thus far in his career. That's a bold statement considering he's no stranger to horror.

Note for genre buffs: Peter Jackson cameos as the pierced passerby.

I hadn't heard of this film before I got more involved in reading and writing about films. I became interested in the work that Peter Jackson did before he embarked on the 'Lord of the Rings' epic trilogy. So, when I can, I'm slowly going through his back catalogue. This is quite an interesting film with some nice ideas and some really great effects (for its day) but it does suffer from a slightly over-complicated plot and being a little too long. But more of my thoughts later, here's a brief summary first.

Frank Bannister makes a living as a Psychic Investigator. After an accident five years ago, he can see and speak to ghosts. One of his clients is Ray Lynskey, who he had had a run-in with recently. Just before he leaves, after removing some troublesome spirits, he notices a mystical number on Ray's forehead but thinks nothing of it. The next day Ray is dead. His wife, Dr. Lucy Lynskey, asks Frank to communicate with Ray and from this they form a friendship. More people die and it begins to look like Frank is the culprit, but he claims he's innocent. The FBI even get involved in the shape of, the very strange, Milton Dammers. Eventually Frank and Lucy link it back to a serial killer, Johnny Charles Bartlett, who went to the electric chair many years before. Will Frank be able to stop Bartlett before he claims Lucy as his next victim? Well, you can probably guess, but you didn't hear it from me right.

As I said at the beginning, this film does suffer from a rather over-complicated plot. The first-rate special effects go some way to making up for this, but not quite. Having said that, it's still quite watchable with some decent performances; chiefly from Michael J. Fox as Frank Bannister and Trini Alvarado as Dr. Lucy Lynskey. Also worthy of note are Peter Dobson as Ray Lynskey, John Astin as The Judge, Jeffrey Combs, who was really off the wall, as Milton Dammers, Dee Wallace as Patricia Ann Bradley and Jake Busey as Johnny Charles Bartlett. Oh, and worthy a special mention, it was nice to see a small cameo from R. Lee Ermey as Sgt, Hiles.

I must admit I did quite enjoy this film, there were many sight gags that I found amusing and the musical score was pretty good too. A very well made film with some decent cinematography and, as I've already mentioned, some excellent effects, both CGI and animatronic. It does suffer though from the very complicated plot and it does seem to drag a bit towards the end, probably because it's too long. Having said that though, it's worth a viewing for some very interesting ideas that you might recognise from Jackson's later works… Recommended.

My Score: 7.1/10

In a small quiet coastal town of Fairwater, residents are dying in very strange circumstances and Frank Banister makes a living by scamming people of Fairwater with his psychic abilities to rid poltergeists out of their homes. Which, unknowingly for the occupants the trio of spirits that are causing the havoc happen to be part of Frank's scam. Frank manages to communicate and see the dead because of a scarring trauma he had. While, his set-up might be going to plan, the strange deaths keep on rising and Frank starts seeing numbers engraved on peoples' foreheads and one night he encounters a malevolent spirit shaped as the grim reaper who's performing these killings. The town believes Frank has something to do with the murders and a FBI agent is brought on the case and tries at every opportunity to pin the deaths on Frank.

Well, Peter Jackson has made a name for himself with his last four blockbusters, but just before those epic films he made this odd ,comedy-horror caper that was aimed for a mainstream audience, but it sadly went by unnoticed, because it just didn't appeal to everyone's tastes. I've seen it a couple of times and I don't mind it, even if the film's all over the shop. The distinctively, novel film is brimming with creative images, oddball bunch of characters, masterfully constructed CGI effects, deliciously, quirky black humour and spontaneous jolts. So, whats not like!

Well, despite these great aspects the film feels overly convoluted with many ideas and back-stories that makes the tone shift back and forth in such a unsteady rate. You just don't know what it really wants to be and it just feels like the film feels the same way too. The comical humour and ghoulish horror doesn't always gel, with the first half of the flick being more humorous, then suddenly it shifts gear with the second half going for some fast-paced thrills and shocks, but here Jackson never manages connect the two that successfully. That's not to say I didn't find it amusing, because it is. Its an entertaining caper and an ingenious thought, but it throws around so many paths the film could've taken instead of just fleshing one out and going for it. The meaty script is an complete muddle with many scenarios that only scratch the top of the surface and it seems to just go on for too long.

While, the material might have been incoherent, it's Jackson's sharp visual eye that screams at you with the film's stark, Gothic fairytale style. Jackson always makes great use of the scenery and here is no exception with a murky colour palette that has a tonne of atmosphere about it. The twitchy camera-work is always on the move and Danny Elfman's score beats out a spaced out vibe that goes highly strung when the pace picks up. Jackson succeeds in creating around these kinetic aspects, slices of unexpected turns, pumping action and firmly, constructed suspense. But the film's big show stopper is the FX bonanza with it's extravagantly slick effects that shows Jackson demonstrates supreme control in his vision. The glaring getup of the Grim Reaper is the most artistic and forcible of the lot. Though, if you're looking for some gross-out, make-up effects there's none of that to be found and that's the same for any kind of campy nature. This project does seem more colder and distant than that of his previous efforts with the humour side of the things feeding more off the black misery than the goofiness.

The film has a great cast on show with Michael J Fox who fits well as the sympathetic lead Frank. Trini Alvarado as Dr. Lucy Lynskey is good too. Dee Wallace Stone is great as the on edge Patricia. Jake Busey is equally good as her evil-minded boyfriend who's back from the grave committing murders. Chi McBride, John Astin and Jim Fyfe play the ghosts that teamed up with Frank and they add to the humour and so does Peter Dobson as the self-assured Ray. But when in frame its Jeffery Combs who steals the show as the eccentric FBI agent Dammers, who's one real nut! Also there's a amusing cameo from R.Lee Ermey mimicking his performance from "Full Metal Jacket" as a Sgt. Hiles a spirit of a graveyard.

A flawed, but enjoyably agreeable dark comedy-supernatural flick.

p.s. This review is on the theatrical release.

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

I used to love The Frighteners and I was one of the few people who actually saw it in cinemas back in the day. Peter Jackson used to be so full of imagination and potential. He started off doing raw, gory horror films (actually broad comedies) like Bad Taste, Braindead, and Meet the Feebles. The Frighteners was his first Hollywood film, and for better or worse, the first film in which his love affair with CGI seized control of his vision.

Michael J. Fox (in his last live-action lead role) is Frank Bannister a psychic investigator/con man with a tragic past who uses his ghost pals to scare people and run a fake ghostbusting racket. His hometown of Clearwater is in the midst of an epidemic in which seemingly healthy people are dying of heart attacks but Frank soon discovers that there is a much more sinister reason behind it and tackles the dark forces before they claim the life of his new love interest.

The mystery and plot twists in The Frighteners are all well-written and keep it alive (pun intended) for the entire running time without the slightest lull. I honestly do mean it when I say that this will probably remain the best film in Jackson's career. Yes, even better than those tedious, overdone LOTR movies, better than King Kong, better than...etc.

So why the 6/10 review? Believe me, back when I was a teenager I would have given this 8/10 without hesitation, but I just cannot stand Jackson as a filmmaker anymore. For a director who began making gritty, in-your-face horror with practical make-up and special effects he come along way/fallen far from his roots. Nothing this guy does these days is 'real'. Nothing is genuinely there, tangible, in front of the camera. It's all a CGI and fake, and The Frighteners was the tipping point for that particular trajectory. Even the Lovely Bones, terrible as it was, had CGI enhancements all over, even outside of the 'Heaven' scenes. Nothing is REAL with this guy, not anymore! He needs to go back to making movies with a camera, some 16mm film, and a boom mike if he wants to get any respect from me or scrape back any shred of credibility. The generic Danny Elfman score, which sounds like absolutely everything else he's ever done, didn't help either.

Universal took a gamble with releasing The Frighteners in the summer season of 1996 (it didn't reach the UK until February 1997, and even then only for about a week) and it was a gamble that they would come to regret. Summer 1996 was an effects filled season with movies like Independence Day, Twister, and Eraser doing huge business. The Frighteners (much more suited to a Halloween release) had a truly terrible trailer, to the tune of Alan Silvestri's annoying Death Becomes Her score, that made it look like a light-hearted comedy. The R-rating was also joke, and a stupid decision. Jackson cut 14 minutes from the movie to lessen the tone but the MPAA still slapped the movie with an R despite the fact that there really, really isn't anything, even in the 124-minute director's cut that warrants such a rating. Plus, the fact that Jackson shot this in rainy New Zealand (doubling as the Pacific Northwest, I assume) meant that a dreary, drizzly, depressing-looking movie fought for box office takings against happy, upbeat, sunny summer movies, and in a year when America was hosting the Olympics too.

Bad move, Universal, very, very bad move.

Years before the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "King Kong", Peter Jackson made this very quirky flick with Michael J. Fox. Fox plays Frank Bannister, a sort of ghost-buster: he has several ghost friends, who pretend to haunt houses, and he comes to the rescue to get them out. This has basically turned him into an outcast in the town, until he starts seeing numbers on peoples' heads. These numbers turn out to relate to...

OK, I don't know how much more I can tell you without giving everything away, but I will say that "The Frighteners" is one of the most interesting movies that I've ever seen. Aside from the original story, there are some clever scenes. For example, R. Lee Ermey plays a ghost seemingly based on his character in "Full Metal Jacket", and one of Frank's ghost friends decides to get slinky with...a mummy! You read that right. Plus, there's Jeffrey Combs's loony detective; I don't know how such a person would ever get to be a detective! Obviously, this movie isn't any kind of masterpiece, but it doesn't pretend to be. This is all about being far out, and they do just that. This may be Michael J. Fox's coolest movie ever. If it has any problem, it's probably what a previous reviewer identified: it's a little bit formulaic what happens to Frank at the end. But other than that, you're sure to like the movie. Also starring Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, John Astin, Dee Wallace (that's right: Elliott's mom in "ET"!), Jake Busey and Chi McBride.

I loved Robert Zemeckis films like back to the future, Peter jackson for directing "rings", danny elfman for his great musical scores like batman and who doesn't like Michael J Fox. But as much as I tried, I just couldn't like this film,it tries too hard to be a jack of all trades rather than to be a master of one.Its not funny enough to be a sci-fi comedy-hit like Ghostbusters was and its not scary enough to be even labeled suspenseful, let alone a horror. And because of its forced comedic element and uneven story,it can't be called a drama. I know I'm disagreeing with the majority on here but it was a mess for me, I couldn't get into it,I didn't know whether I should be taking it seriously or viewing it as a fantasy,either way it didn't work for me.

Before Peter Jackson took us to the Shire,, he directed this fun, mid-90s horror comedy. I seriously thought this one was done by Tim Burton back when I saw the trailer in 1996, but that might've just been hearing Danny Elfman's score, lol. If you're a 90s child, like me,, you can't pass this one up. If you're not a 90s child,, it's still a great viewing! 👌

Accused of murder, a small-town psychic charlatan learns that his skills in dealing with the deceased are put to the test for real when the murder spree continues despite everything he can do to stop it and must keep the spirit from harming his friends.

This here turned out to be quite an infuriating and quite troubling if somewhat interesting effort. Most of this is due to the fact that the film is far more of a fantasy effort that a straight-forward horror effort which is strange considering the subject matter at hand. This is mainly found in the finale at the hospital about the subject being sent into a heavenly arena and all the different after-effects on the body being adjusted to life back on Earth, all this just makes for a rather confusing time being that the main purpose is to stop the rampage of the ghostly figure throughout the town that only he can see and believe, so the sudden influx of mystical elements that this does at the very end makes for a confusing time. As well, the fact that these scenes force the film along far longer than it really should as the lengthy running time here really kills this one in that last section, not only with the sudden influx of fantasy but the mindless need to pay off far more plot- threads than it needed. Overall, this really could've used a few minutes shaved off here by deciding to abandon a few of these plots. That said, there's a lot to like here especially the scenes of the hooded ghostly menace in action, most notably the kinetic sequence in the holding cell where the good ghosts go fight the hooded ghost and take the fight between the walls and they good barreling through the different sections of the room as the humans watch and wait for them to appear and disappear, as well as a couple stellar attacks on a moving car that look absolutely amazing, an ambush in a graveyard and finally the hospital confrontation that makes for a lot of fun, so as an action film and horror film it definitely works wonders. As well, the CGI used is actually well-done and doesn't look cheap or fake at all, and gives the ghosts a fluidity that actually comes off nicely and makes up for some of the other flaws.

Rated R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

I absolutely love this movie! It's a funny story with Michael Fox as the main character who can see ghosts. Three funny friendly ghosts talk to him regularly, hang out in his house & ride with him in his car. He's good friends with them & they help him drum up business. You see Michael advertises that he can rid a house of ghosts. When someone calls him thinking their house might be haunted he brings his ghosts with him on the first visit. The ghosts help Michael J. Fox by haunting the house while he's checking it out & writing an estimate. By the time he's done the owner is begging him to come back at any cost! It's really funny. The DVD is better. When I streamed it I noticed some scenes were cut out or shortened. I highly recommend.

I just saw this movie today for the first time and it was better than i expected i think it was because its one of a kind no one has really done the whole killer/ghost/comedy thing. What makes this work is Michael J Fox. who plays Frank Bannister somewhat of a con man who makes a living claiming he can see ghosts which he really can. He plays this character really well and gives it a lot of depth, he is a likable character you can just automatically like. This movie takes a bit of brain power to guess what is going to happen. Of course this movie has all your elements and comedy and that's what adds to me liking this movie its got witty one liners in it that will make you laugh for about 2 seconds but that is the good thing about this movie you are never bored.

I would recommend seeing this movie it was a good movie and i enjoyed it thats why i have given it a 7.

Frank Bannister (Micheal J. Fox) is been seeing Ghosts after he was in a car accident with his wife (Angela Bloomfield), who died in the accident. Frank for years is been conning people as a Ghostbuster with the help of two wise cracking ghosts (Chi McBride & Jim Fyfe). When a mysterious ghost disguise himself as the Grim Reaper is been killing humans for pleasure. With the help of a local doctor (Trini Alvarado), she willing to help Frank stop this menacing ghost but stopping them in a way is a Freaked Out FBI Agent (Jeffery Combs).

Directed by Three Time Oscar-Winner:Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Brain Dead, King Kong-2005). Jackson made an very entertaining film that mixes it with Supernatural, Comedy, Thriller and Horror very well. This was a Box Office Disappointment in the Summer of 1996. The film plays better on Video and Television. But it was a must see in the theater, for it's amazing Digital Effects. Fox gives one of his best roles, Combs steals the show in the film. The movie's supporting cast are:Peter Dobson, John Astin, Dee Wallace Stone, Jake Busey, Troy Evens and R.Lee Ermey.

This Review is the Director's Cut for new DVD. Which the film is now 14 minutes longer than the theatrical cut. DVD has an sharp anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) transfer and an strong-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD has an entertaining commentary track from the director from the original 1998 Director's Cut Laserdisc. This new DVD has the same features from the Laserdisc, including the original 4 and ½ hours documentary. Which the documentary also has deleted scenes, outtakes, interviews with the cast and more. The problem with this DVD is a flip-side disc, which one side is the film and other side of the disc is the documentary.

The documentary is been trimmed down for the DVD but side A does have the 45 minute long storyboard scenes with commentary by the director. Which is not on side B on the documentary of the DVD. Although be careful with this DVD, since it's a flip-side disc and it could get scratches easily. This Director's Cut adds some funny moments and some character development (especially from Combs character). This is a one of a kind film from the increasingly talented filmmaker-Peter Jackson. Don't miss it. Executive Produced by Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future Trilogy). Written by Fran Walsh and the Director. Nice music score by Danny Elfman (Batman, Nightbreed, Red Dragon). Watch for Jackson in a Cameo. Super 35. (**** ½/*****).

Enjoyed this film starring Michael J. Fox as Frank Bannister, who is involved in a car accident and his wife Debra is killed. Frank is a changed man after his wife's death and he begins to have psychic abilities involving the spirit world of the dead and is able to communicate with them. Frank decides to use his abilities to turn it into a great business for himself and uses the ghosts in his life to perform haunting activities in various peoples homes and then charges a fee to free them from these annoying ghosts. All of a sudden many people begin to have heart attacks and the police begin to become suspicious about Frank Bannister's behavior. Dr. Lucy Lynskey, (Trini Alvardo) gets involved with Frank and they develop a close relationship which turns out to be a romantic encounter. There is lots of comedy in this film and Michael J. Fox gave an outstanding performance.

I cannot stress the extent to which I was shocked that this film was the work of Peter Jackson, who gave us before such ridiculously funny films as Dead Alive and Meet the Feebles, and also Heavenly Creatures, which is one of the most innovative and powerful movies I have ever seen. The Frighteners was, to quote a friend of mine, extraordinary only in its mediocrity; a film totally bereft of Jackson's usual spark and wicked sense of humor.

Though I have faith that he will redeem himself somewhere down the line, I find it difficult to let him slide so easily with this film: in all of its many facets it is unentertaining and uninvolving, and gives him a bad name.