Rating: 
Summary: Great film - but where's the Director's Cut DVD?
Review: A lot of people don't really seem to know how to take this film, but then again it's generally acknowledged that comedy-horror is one of the most difficult genres in film-making... Ken Weiderhorn summed it up in his audio commentary to "Return of the Living Dead Part II" when he said that comedy and horror are opposites - people who like horror don't tend to like it mixed with comedy as this undermines the horror, and people who like comedies don't tend to like horror. Tough genre, then!
As a fan of Peter Jackson's early low-budget gross-out horror-comedies "Bad Taste" and "Brain Dead", I had no problems at all with this film and thoroughly enjoyed what he did with a big budget, courtesy of Robert Zemeckis and Hollywood - the kinetic style and imagination of Jackson's earlier films was still present, he just had a whole lot more money to spend on some great visuals! I'm also a fan of Jeffrey "Reanimator" Combs, and he's hilarious in this! The story has it that Jackson insisted on making this film in his homeland of New Zealand in order to avoid undue intrusion from the studio suits, and it shows - if this film had been made in Hollywood with the suits on-set every day then I think it would've turned out far tamer, blander, compromised ... and PG-13! As it is, Hollywood got a R-rated horror-comedy that's funny and gory in equal amounts - and they probably had no idea who to aim the marketing at! Such considerations matter less once a film has passed the theatrical release, and with Jackson's considerable success with the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, I hope this film gets reappraised and seen for what it is - one of the most imaginative big-budget horror-comedies you're ever likely to see.
One major gripe - a Signature Collection Laserdisc edition of "The Frighteners" was released, containing 12 minutes of additional footage and literally hours of bonus material. I've seen it, and the additional footage is great stuff - it's not just a load of padding, some of it is really funny stuff - and that makes this extras-free DVD of the theatrical cut look pretty half-hearted. After the success of the Lord of the Rings, I was sure this version of The Frighteners would get the multi-disc DVD release it deserves - but there's no sign of it. What's up with that, Universal?
Rating:
Summary: Peter Jackson's Ghost Cocktail
Review: This movie seemed like a mixture of Beetlejuice, Ghost, Ghostbusters, and Psycho. I still can't make up my mind if I shall consider this a parody or if Peter Jackson was being serious. But it was fun to watch anyway!
Rating: 
Summary: Underrated gem from Peter Jackson
Review: Practically bashed by critics everywhere when released in 1996, the Frighteners can be appreciated today as an underrated gem. After crafting a landmark gorefest with Dead Alive and scoring a hit among critics with Heavenly Creatures, future Lord of the Rings trilogy director Peter Jackson directed this wildly inventive and surprisingly innovative film starring Michael J. Fox as a psychic investigator who, with the help of three ghost pals, runs a phony ghost busting business. Soon enough, people are getting picked off by Death himself, and it's up to Fox to find out what's really going on. So much is going on in the Frighteners that it's easy for the film to become incoherent, but it's exciting visuals and special effects, along with the performance of Fox and the energetic direction of Jackson, make this film a surprise gem that should be (and very well may be) a cult classic. The rest of the cast includes R. Lee Ermy, Jake Busey, and genre stalwart Jeffrey "Re-Animator" Combs.
Rating:
Summary: Wicked fun
Review: Just before doing "Lord of the Rings," director Peter Jackson (who can be seen in a cameo as "Man with Piercings") made an off-kilter horror/comedy movie called "The Frighteners," the tale of the undead and the guy who makes a living off of them. Though "Frighteners" was barely in theaters at all, this cult flick is funny, creepy, well-acted and wonderfully directed.
Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox) has seen spirits and apparitions ever since the car crash that killed his wife. Now he operates an amateur "ghostbusting" operation that is supposed to exorcise ghosts from people's houses -- the underbelly of his business is that the ghosts who haunt those houses are in league with him (Chi McBride as the extremely opinioated afro-ed Cyrus, Jim Fyfe as the nerdy Stuart, and most of John Astin as what is left of The Judge).
Frank's business certainly isn't hurt by the fact that for years after a serial killer's murderous spree, people have died mysteriously of heart attacks. Then Frank starts seeing fiery numbers emblazoned on the foreheads of people who later die, including the husband of doctor Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado, who has an eerie resemblance to Andie MacDowell). As if trying to stop a specter of death weren't hard enough, crazed FBI agent Milton Dammers (Jeffrey Combs) believes that Frank is the one murdering people. But the evil specter is still killing -- and Lucy is the next victim.
Peter Jackson once said that he has a "moronic" sense of humor, and it shows up in all its glory here -- from bug spray dissolving a ghost's face to a piece of talking oily sludge to a drill sargeant ghost with submachine guns, this is weird and absolutely hilarious.
But he's also good during the more serious moments, such as Bannister's flashbacks to his wife's death, or a psychopath stroking her ghostly lover's face. One of the most effective shots is of a pair of murderous lovers giggling, dancing and holding a shotgun. It's stuff like that that got Jackson "Lord of the Rings." The opening shot is pure Jackson, with the camera swooping through a window, past fluttering curtains, and though a hole in the attic floor to a screaming woman below.
Jackson also takes the opportunity to poke a bit of fun at more conventional ghost movies, with the big Gothic house, the ghost in '70s clothes, and Fox's hilarious turn as a ghostbuster. (One scene in particular seems to be spoofing "Ghostbusters") Big problem? Probably that would be that the opening scene doesn't seem to make much sense later on in the movie. It's effective, but it doesn't seem to mesh. But aside from that, there aren't many, especially since the conclusion makes a lot more logical sense than the average horror flick.
Michael J. Fox does an excellent job as Frank, giving the right combination of cockiness and pathos to a guy who isn't perfect, but is good at heart. Trini Alvarado is excellent as a smart, kind woman who is a bit on the gullible side, but definitely not a damsel-in-distress. McBride, Fyfe and Astin are great as the big annoyed guy, the nerd, and the dirty old cowboy. Jake Busey's freaky eyes and toothy grin are perfect for serial-killer Johnny Bartlett, Dee Wallace-Stone gives off freaky vibes as his old girlfriend, and Jeffrey Combs is great as the twitchy, crazed FBI agent who will do anything to hunt down Frank.
"Frighteners" is a fantastic horror flick, with good acting and great direction. Don't walk, run to go pick this up and watch it. (And you will never see a bathroom mirror the same way again)
Rating:
Summary: A very funny look at spirits and the afterworld!
Review: I saw this movie in the theater years ago and I have always loved it! It is quite a thriller....fasten your seatbelt! I was laughing, crying, and screaming all at the same time. A must for any collection
Rating:
Summary: A well thought out horror/comedy
Review: This is one of those well done movies that balances several genres into a single story. On the one hand, you have Bannister's (Fox) tragic character who never fully got over the death of his wife. And his grief has made him pretty self destructive, so he's fallen from a successful and wealthy architect to a con-man living in his own, half-finished masterpiece. On the flipside of this are his partners in crime, the ghosts who scare Bannister's potential clients into hiring him in the first place. The humor gets pretty bizarre at times, but actually balances very well with the other story elements. Things go from grim, to funny, and back again just when they should. The third angle is the almost gothic and equally bizarre horror element to the story, where the ghost of a dead serial killer shows up as the bad guy. Bannister, the broken down wreck who can barely keep himself together is the only one who can see the killer. Yet even he's powerless to stop his enemy. Even worse, the wonderfully played FBI agent (Jeffrey Combs) has pegged Bannister as the "wacko" killer, though it's clear that the agent is the most deranged of all. Trini Alvarado does an excellent job as his potential love interest. She's a little naive, but strong willed.If you like well thought out, thinking man's horror (instead of just the slash'em up variety) and have a dark (or even twisted) sense of humor, you'll like this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Creepy Good Fun!
Review: Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox) had pretty much given up on life since his wife died in a freak car accident. He was an up and coming architect before the wreak, but ever since he watched his wife die before his eyes, whispers have followed him around town that he murdered her in cold blood. Frank's erratic behavior since the car accident don't help matters any and its not like most people believe that he can really see ghosts, even though he can. Something about being so close to death opened his eyes and Frank found himself a new line of work as a kind of ghost buster. Frank supposedly gets rid of poltergeists and haunting ghosts, but he really sends his three friends, The Judge (John Astin), the afro sporting, disco wearing Cyrus (Chi McBride) and the nerdy Stuart (Jim Fyfe), all of whom happen to be dead, into homes to terrorize innocent people until they pay his outrageous fees. Frank made a pretty good living from it, too, except people have starting dying from freak heart attacks all over town - and Frank can see numbers engraved in their foreheads. Numbers that show Frank who will be taken next... As Frank struggles to save the people marked for death, he finds himself falling in love with Dr. Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado), a very recent widow whose husband was killed by whatever thing is stalking the town. But Lucy has her own problems to deal with as she tries to help the reclusive Patricia Ann Bradley (Dee Wallace-Stone), who lives in an old Gothic mansion on the edge of town with her crazy mother (Julianna McCarthy). Lucy is convinced that Patricia is being abused and wants to help her, but she doesn't quite know how. What Frank and Lucy don't know is that all of their problems stem from one event - serial killer Johnny Bartlett's (Jake Busey) killing spree at a local mental hospital. It was never proved that Patricia was involved in the deaths of so many people, but it was never disproved either. She was Johnny's girlfriend and has never been what you would call normal. Johnny was caught, condemned and executed shortly after his killing spree, but his spirit has come back to haunt everyone and he was determined to kill more people than any other serial killer in American history... The Frighteners was one of those rare movies that made you laugh as it scared the heck out of you. With great special effects and a wonderful score, you never know what may pop out at you and I found myself jumping often. The cast was marvelous with Michael J. Fox leading the way as a smarmy con-man who is out to make a quick buck. Amazingly, you find yourself really caring for him and rooting him on in his weird romance with Trini Alvardo (who could be Andie McDowell's twin, I swear), a sweet, but not shy woman who makes Michael's character work for her. The trio of ghosts were hilarious, as was FBI Agent Milton Dammers (Jeffrey Combs), who is convinced that Frank killed all of those people. Agent Dammers had some serious issues to work with, which made him relatively easy to manipulate, which was a joy to watch. Jake Busey and Dee Wallace-Stone were perfectly cast and really creeped me out. I could definitely believe that they were serial killers who were completely insane. Once again we see Peter Jackson's directing brilliance in this very entertaining film. As always, he has creative camera views, eye-popping effects and little surprises around every corner. Try it - you'll like it!
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