The Frighteners (Director's Cut)

 

 

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This movie is simply amazing and is, in my opinion, totally underrated. The story is a surprisingly good mix between horror and comedy with a great performance by Michael J. Fox.

As for the Blu-Ray packaging, it doesn't bring much to the movie and isn't as aesthetically pleasing as a white and embossed DVD released but it's still great to see this in glorious HD.

That's right! It seems everytime Peter Jackson decides to embark on a project, he thinks to himself "Allright... after I'll be done with this movie, nobody will ever be able to make a better one!"

And he succedes! With Braindead (Dead Alive), he took the zombies movies and took them to a place so extreme, so gory... that I do not think someone will be able to top the blood/gut level of it. With the Lord of the Rings trilogy... do I need to say more? There has been a lot of copycats in recent years but none of these adventure/quest movies even approches the level of perfection reached by Jackson's LOTR! King Kong... I say it's going to be a wile before we see a better remake of it... and a better remake of any movie for that matter...

Now, moving on to The Frighteners. It was made in 1993-94 in New Zealand. It is Peter's diving board to stardom. With Robert Zemeckis having his back, Jackson co-produced, co-wrote and directed one heck of a good ghost movie! Original story, great actors (Michael J. Fox, Jake Busey and Jeffrey Combs to name a few) and beautiful suspence and special effects, ingenious for the time! Frank Bannister (Fox), a fake, down on his luck, ghost hunter must investigate a series of bizarre and related murders believed by others to be executed by himself. But Bannister, with his "ghost seeing" abilities is the only one to know that the murders are being commited by a real spirit on a rampage! The movie even contains a Hitchcock-like cameo by the man himself Peter!

This DVD is FILLED with great features. First: The movie itself is 14 minutes longer and contains storylines never before revealed. Plus, you get a complete 2 hours-long A to Z making-of the movie written and produced by Jackson himself! A lot lot more is offered in this unique DVD that is well-worth the price!

5 stars! Superb movie! Extraordinary DVD! Get this one!

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 problem is that the ghosts who haunt those houses are in league with him (Chi McBride as the 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 will die, including the husband of doctor Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado). 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. It's the perfect blend of comedy and horror.

But he's also good during the more serious moments, such as Bannister's flashbacks to his wife's death, or the eerie sight of homicidal young lovers dancing with a gun. 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: the big Gothic house, crazy old lady, ghost in '70s clothes, and Fox's hilarious turn as a ghostbuster. Nothing horrific is sacred. "There ain't nothing worse than a bunch of pissed-off brothers... that's ALREADY DEAD!" Cyrus yells at one point.

Does it have a flaw? Yes -- the opening scene doesn't seem to make much sense later on in the movie. But Jackson makes up for that with a surprisingly tight, coherent plot, and a satisfying finale that makes more sense than most other horror movies do.

The cast is brilliant, whether it's the twitchy, wild-eyed FBI agent, or the three weird ghosts. Michael J. Fox does an excellent job as Frank, with the right combination of cockiness and pathos, while Alvarado is solid as the idealistic young doctor. But the scenes are reallystolen by Dee Wallace-Stone and freaky-eyed Jake Busey, as homicidal young lovers.

"Frighteners" might not make you believe in ghosts, but it will make you laugh, shiver, and maybe even shed a tear or two. Wildly funny, weird, gross, and sometimes really peculiar, this is Jackson's splatter-gore at its best.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A very funny look at spirits and the afterworld!
I saw this movie in the theater years ago and I have always loved it! It is quite a thriller....fasten your seatbelt! Read more

Published on Jun 5 2004 by M. Jolley

5.0 out of 5 stars A well thought out horror/comedy
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... Read more

Published on Jun 3 2004 by J. B. Shirey II

5.0 out of 5 stars Creepy Good Fun!
Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox) had pretty much given up on life since his wife died in a freak car accident. Read more

Published on Jun 3 2004 by Silmarwen

5.0 out of 5 stars Be afraid, but not to afraid
When I first saw this on the television I was expecting dark humour coupled with emense amounts of blood and gore along the lines of Bad Taste and Braindead(Known to Americans as... Read more

Published on Nov 18 2003 by Graeme Loveridge

4.0 out of 5 stars Combs kicks ass
this movie is about Michael J. Fox(who long ago was accused of killing his wife some how) but all that is gonna rap up as he starts to see a dark shadow thing taken peoples... Read more

Published on Nov 13 2003 by Michael Bolts

3.0 out of 5 stars Movie? Nah. Audition reel!
Less of a feature film than an audition reel of what New Zealand wunderkind director Peter Jackson could do with a decent budget, "The Frighteners" is a jauntily paced little... Read more

Published on Nov 10 2003 by Dark Mechanicus JSG

5.0 out of 5 stars Now that P.J. is famous...................
Well, now that Peter Jackson is a household name, maybe more people will finally see this movie. I saw a Laserdisc version (years ago) that had extra footage, and an incredible... Read more

Published on Nov 2 2003 by DaddyGuy

5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie! They need to release the Director's Cut on DVD
When I first saw this movie in the theater, it just blew me away. Michael J. Fox was excellent as Frank, a guy who uses real ghosts to scam people into hiring his bogus paranormal... Read more

Published on May 21 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars cool horror movie
as yall already know i love horror movies. this is on the top of
my list. it's actually funny. i really liked it and would strongly reccomend it.

Published on April 28 2003 by jj

5.0 out of 5 stars original story, excellent direction, great special effects
Michael J. Fox stars as Frank Bannister, a hearse-chaser who sees spirits who help him fake out exorcisms (a prospector from the Old West and a 1970s ladies man are among them. Read more

Published on Mar 11 2003 by Saima Huq

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