The Frighteners

Watch: The Frighteners

7/18/19961h 50m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ No rest for the wicked. ~

Overview:

Once an architect, Frank Bannister now passes himself off as an exorcist of evil spirits. To bolster his facade, he claims his "special" gift is the result of a car accident that killed his wife. But what he does not count on is more people dying in the small town where he lives. As he tries to piece together the supernatural mystery of these killings, he falls in love with the wife of one of the victims and deals with a crazy FBI agent.

Director:

Peter Jackson

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$30,000,000.00

Revenue:

$29,359,216.00

Key words:

daughter
small town
mother
sheriff
judge
funeral
widow
fbi
architect
supernatural
poltergeist
hell
con man
black humor
lovers
murder
scam
serial killer
grim reaper
reporter
doctor
car accident
investigator
widower
threat
psychotic
recluse
ghost
graveyard
multiple murder
army sergeant
haunted
playful

Cast

Michael J. Fox

~ as ~

Frank Bannister

Trini Alvarado

~ as ~

Lucy Lynskey

Peter Dobson

~ as ~

Ray Lynskey

John Astin

~ as ~

The Judge

Jeffrey Combs

~ as ~

Milton Dammers

Dee Wallace

~ as ~

Patricia Bradley

Jake Busey

~ as ~

Johnny Bartlett

Chi McBride

~ as ~

Cyrus

Jim Fyfe

~ as ~

Stuart

Troy Evans

~ as ~

Sheriff Perry

View full cast & crew

Reviews (2)

John Chard
Written 6 year(s) ago
7
When a man's jawbone drops off it's time to reassess the situation.

Peter Jackson's The Frighteners is an odd blend of outright comedy and supernatural thriller, if able to get onside with that then there's a whole lot to enjoy. 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.

Frank Bannister (Fox) is grieving from the death of his wife and he has become a conman, this is an interesting characterisation for Fox to play and he does so with relish. Initially the pic is all about the comedy, with Bannister's interactions with the three ghosts devilishly funny. Ok, the effects work now look a bit crude, but there's a vibrancy on offer both visually and orally.

Come the second third the pic shifts into a serial killer investigation and the narrative gets dark. Oh there's still fun in the mix, but Jackson and his team are toying with the very real facet of a celebrity serial killer (ebulliently played by Jake Busey). Trini Alvarado (what happened to her?) is playing what ends up as Bannister's side-kick and love interest and the pair of them are thrust into a frantic final third of a life and death battle with Busey's psychotic spirit Johnny Bartlett. Bartlett in turn is aided by mentally ill Patricia Bradley (horror icon Dee Wallace Stone), while an outrageously over the top Jeffrey Combs is in the mix as a damaged FBI agent intent on destroying bannister and all he stands for.

When you strip it down it's a live action horror comedy cartoon, which when you look in context to Jackson's early work is not surprising. 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 choice narrative threads make it a fascinating viewing experience. 7.5/10
Gimly
Written 5 year(s) ago
6
Has maybe not aged flawlessly, but it's very silly and very involved in a good kind of way. Kind of feels like a spoof but I'm honestly not sure what of, so I think that it's maybe just a light toned take on some pretty dark subject matter. It's been about 20 years since I last watched The Frighteners and I think I could probably go about that long before I watch it again, but I still do think it's worthwhile.

Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go.