The Frighteners
by Peter Jackson
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Jeffrey Combs, John Astin, Michael J. Fox, Peter Dobson, Trini AlvaradoDirector: Peter Jackson
Brand: Universal
Producer: Peter Jackson
Writer: Peter Jackson
Producer: Fran Walsh
Writer: Fran Walsh
Producer: Jamie Selkirk
Producer: Robert Zemeckis
Producer: Tim Sanders
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 110 minutes
Published: 1998-08-01
DVD Release Date: 1998-08-18
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Pictures
Movie Reviews of The Frighteners
Movie Review: Creepy Good Fun!
Summary: 5 Stars
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!
Summary of The Frighteners
A seedy ghost-buster is the only person who can stop and evil spririt goes on a murderous rampage. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 09/18/2007 Starring: Michael J. Fox Trini Alvarado Run time: 110 minutes Rating: ROne movie lover's nightmare is another's raucous joyride, and this special effects-laden horror comedy is bound to split both camps right down the middle. (Or, as Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide puts it, "definitely not for all tastes but a wild time for those who get into it.") Michael J. Fox plays a psychic investigator who can actually see ghosts, and lives with a trio of undead spirits who scare people to promote Fox's ghost-busting business. In a town infamous for serial killings, a new series of deaths prompts Fox to induce his own out-of-body experience so he can battle death in a spirit-plagued netherworld where evil reigns supreme--or something like that. So much happens in this chaotic film that you might feel like you're watching several movies at once--a slasher pic, a supernatural thriller, and a black comedy all rolled into a nonstop showcase for grisly makeup and a dozen varieties of special effects. It's an odd but wildly inventive film from New Zealand director Peter Jackson, who earned critical acclaim for his previous film Heavenly Creatures and would later create the ingenious pseudo-documentary Forgotten Silver. --Jeff Shannon
One movie lover's nightmare is another's raucous joyride, and this special effects-laden horror comedy is bound to split both camps right down the middle. (Or, as Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide puts it, "definitely not for all tastes but a wild time for those who get into it.") Michael J. Fox plays a psychic investigator who can actually see ghosts, and lives with a trio of undead spirits who scare people to promote Fox's ghost-busting business. In a town infamous for serial killings, a new series of deaths prompts Fox to induce his own out-of-body experience so he can battle death in a spirit-plagued netherworld where evil reigns supreme--or something like that. So much happens in this chaotic film that you might feel like you're watching several movies at once--a slasher pic, a supernatural thriller, and a black comedy all rolled into a nonstop showcase for grisly makeup and a dozen varieties of special effects. It's an odd but wildly inventive film from New Zealand director Peter Jackson, who earned critical acclaim for his previous film Heavenly Creatures and would later create the ingenious pseudo-documentary Forgotten Silver. --Jeff Shannon
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