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The Frighteners

The Frighteners

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Spooktacular Ghost Story of the First Scream AND Laugh!
Review: I love this movie. It ranks right up there with the classic 1944 "The Uninvited." I get those good scary feelings from the top of my head to my toes. It's ghostly elements are charmingly mixed to keep you going while giving you some delightfully hard laughbouts from Michael J.Fox's ghost cronies. All the actors playing the ghosts were great(--are they naturals?)The town where this was shot is absolutely to die for...I love the way this movie judiciously applied the time and effort to the ghostly F/X instead of spending it all on gory stuff. There's a little blood and guts but I didn't find it offensive or gratutious. I hope Hollywood can make more horror films like this one which blend love,mystery and some good old fashioned ghost story elements into charmingly delicious ghoul's brew.I watch this regularly and never get tired of it. I don't want to give away the plot for those who will watch for the first time. Trust me,you are in for a tremendous treat.Turn off the lights, check the doors and remember,there's no such thing as--

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Not frightening, but damn entertaining
Review: For the mainstream movie goers i would say that this is a 3 1/2 to 4 star movie, but i personally love it. THis movie is not a horror movie. It is more of a n action/thrillrer. Every now and then someone will pop up from behind a corner and cause a quick jump, but thats it. The story is what makes this movie great. THe whole thing moves along at a beautiful pace and never seems drawn out or slow. All the characters in this movie have there own strange personalities that add to the overall strange yet, fun feel of the film. You may want to rent it before you buy it, because there are some moments of gore as well and the movie is kinda strange. THe dvd looks and sounds great. The picture is clear and crisp, and every sound from bullets to the reapers scithe opening can be heard. Buy this one on dvd.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fear the Reaper
Review: The Frighteners is a must see movie, especially if you are partial to Horror. Michael J. Fox plays Frank Bannister, a psychic investigator in cahoots with the very ghosts he is paid to exorcise! But when one of his clients dies a most mysterious death all suspicion falls on him. And then more people start to die. A dark shrouded figure, carrying a scythe is to blame, something from beyond the grave. With the aid of several spectral friends (watch out for John Astin as the Judge!) and a little human detective work all his own Frank comes across a most dark and disturbing episode in his town's history. And more than once crosses pathes with the true culprit, putting himself at the scene of the crime.

Relying more on comedy than anything else the scares are few and far between, but when the come they pack a wallop! The special effects (especially those involving the Reaper) are awesome, the story is unique and entertaining. And the acting is above and beyond what is expected in a Horror movie. The Frighteners is one hell of a ride, from beginning to end. A must have for any Horror fan, especially if you fear the Reaper.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Extremely cool stuff from New Zealand!
Review: In one sentence, "The Frighteners" is like "Dead Alive" without gore. Instead of zombies, we've got the ghosts of the deceased (mostly friendly) and Michael J Fox as their ghostbuster. Peter Jackson again lets his very special kind of humour run loose, and this is what makes this flick so wonderful. Fox and some cool ghosts make a team - the supernatural guys haunt a house, Fox is called on and "exterminates" them. Then he encounters sweet Andie-MacDowell-lookalike Alvarado whose husband has deceased recently (and now finds himself in a new existence) and a murderous eerie scythe-wielding ghost who, in fact, once was a maniacal killer who wrought slaughter in a hospital several years ago and now is back for more bloodbath. Well, Fox feels it's his duty to stop this guy... I don't want to tell too much about the story as it holds many surprises you should discover yourself. The performances are very good, and there are lots of supporting actors like Jeffrey Combs (nearly hadn't recognized the former "Re-Animator"), Gary Busey (who fought against murderous giant bugs in "Starship Troopers") or Dee Wallace Stone (once the mother of "E.T."'s best friend Elliot)... This film's a must for everyone in fancy of a good horror comedy - not to mention everyone worshipping Jackson and his works!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Another masterpiece from Peter Jackson
Review: Note:the following review may contain spoilers,so read at your own risk.

The Frighteners is a very cool and unique film from director and co-writer Peter Jackson (creator and director of the ultra-violent cult films Dead-Alive and Bad Taste.)Although Frighteners somewhat lacks gore,it has it's moments.It's quite scary in places and also effectively uses humor and never overdoes it like other horror comedies usually do.The special F/X are excellent.The Frighteners (the ghosts) are very well animated and the Reaper (the bad ghost) is incredibly freaky looking.The script is above- average and the acting is superb.Fox is perfect at the role of Frank Bannister and Jeffery Combs' performance as Milton Dammers is really awesome. He's a real hoot to watch.The Reaper however, really steals the show.Although he wasn't "played" by an actor,he's still a hoot.As I said,the film balances comedy and horror effectively. One moment your laughing really hard when a ghost is vomiting through his cheeks and the next moment your screaming out loud when The Reaper appears brandishing his razor-sharp sickle. Jackson once again,doesn't disappoint.As I said earlier,the special F/X are excellent.The Frighteners are brilliantly animated,The Reaper is incredibly freaky looking and one Frightener (a dead army Major) can transform into a machine gun wielding warrior.The ending is fair and the "Heaven And Hell" sequence is absolutely incredible.Although the film is fairly gore- lacking,it's still got some rather gruesome scenes.Dammers gets his head blown off with a shotgun near the finale (very messy!) one Frightener (a decomposing zombie cowboy) gets sickled in half.Overall,The Frighteners is an excellent comedy/horror that balances the two genres extremely well and never overdoes either. Jackson has created another masterpiece. Brilliant special F/X,excellent acting,great music,a kick a$$ villan and loads of scares and laughs make this a hell of a load of fun.Buy it! Rated R for some violence and language.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Like A Rollercoaster
Review: The Frighteners is wonderful. It is the best film Tim Burton never made. What a ride! Can you honestly think of a film that is more of a headtrip? Not even Being John Malkovitch can match the visual flare and out of control meyhem that The Frighteners offers, and Spike Jonze is one of my favorite directors! The effects and visual flair are amazing, and the performances are well suited (Jeffery Combs steals the film, my god, he is incredible.) For fans of dark comedy and true visual feasts, this is a must. Buy now.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Joyful and Uplifting
Review: I loved the movie but I found that it wasn't as heartwarming and funny as the first Lion King movie. I felt like some of the characters in the second movie didn't coincide with the original characters. It was a joyful moment to see a female lioness making her way into the new world order of lions.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very funny, in places scary
Review: This is the ultimate supernatural comedy. It has a similar feeling to Ghostbusters, but Frightners is scary in places as well.

The ultimate funny line is where all the ghosts are rising from the graves, and a man shouts "What are you doing? Get back in your graves!" and the ghosts obey him.

Rent or buy this movie. It's excellent.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Lord of The Flies original version
Review: I would highly reccomend this film. Although it may take some persuasion to get younger viewers to give the film a chance,since it is in black and white.The vintage newsreel type footage and still pictures at the beginning is imformative and sets the stage for what is to come. The film portrays human nature at its best and worst. At times it is difficult to watch the blood lust and savagery. Although its about a group of British schoolboys and the breakdown of society within a small group,it does reflect what happens to society at large when there is a breakdown in the infrastucture. When parents,police and other authority figures are not around to uphold societal norms what would happen if we were left to our own devices? Excellent film!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great film, stellar picture and sound, but...
Review: ...why are the extra features so limited? All we DVD owners get is the trailer, production notes, and cast & crew bios. Laserdisc owners, on the other hand, can get a hold of the collector's edition disc with 4 1/2 HOURS of behind-the-scenes material, as well as Peter Jackson commentary. I'm not dissatisfied with the current DVD, as it has a terrific picture and amazing 5.1 Surround, but if Universal simply keeps the current transfer and slaps the laserdisc extras on to a dual-layer (or if need be, dual disc) edition, I'll happily fork over however much money they want. As for the film itself, Peter Jackson shows that he is better than anyone else (even the great Sam Raimi) at blending comedy with horror. And it's great to see Jeffrey Combs (the closest thing we have to a modern horror icon along the lines of Vincent Price and Peter Cushing) with such a terrific role in mainstream entertainment. Bring on "Beyond Re-Animator"! While I have quite a bit of respect for Roger Ebert, the fact that he gave this film a one star (!) rating and then later gave "The Haunting" (NOT the excellent Robert Wise version)three makes me seriously question his sanity. Sorry, but I can't let a critic off the hook who groups this and "Blue Velvet" in the same league as "Armageddon". Between "The Frighteners", "Stir of Echoes", and "The Sixth Sense", we horror fans have truly been blessed by a trio of great 90's ghost flicks.


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