The Frighteners (1996)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Peter Jackson

Writers (WGA):

Fran Walsh (written by) &
Peter Jackson (written by)

Release Date:

19 July 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

No Rest for the Wicked.

Plot:

After a car accident in which his wife, Debra, was killed and he was injured, Frank Bannister develops psychic abilities allowing him to see...

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Hell | Architect | Grim Reaper | Widow

Awards:

1 win & 10 nominations

Cast

Michael J. Fox	...	Frank Bannister
Trini Alvarado	...	Dr. Lucy Lynskey
Peter Dobson	...	Ray Lynskey
John Astin	...	The Judge
Jeffrey Combs	...	Milton Dammers
Dee Wallace	...	Patricia Ann Bradley (as Dee Wallace-Stone)
Jake Busey	...	Johnny Charles Bartlett
Chi McBride	...	Cyrus
Jim Fyfe	...	Stuart, Bannister's Ghostly Assistant
Troy Evans	...	Sheriff Walt Perry
Julianna McCarthy	...	Old Lady Bradley
R. Lee Ermey	...	Sgt. Hiles
Elizabeth Hawthorne	...	Magda Rees-Jones
Angela Bloomfield	...	Debra Bannister
Desmond Kelly	...	Harry Sinclair

Also Known As:

Robert Zemeckis Presents: The Frighteners (USA) (complete title)
Agárrame esos fantasmas (Spain) [es]
Chasseurs de fantômes (Canada: French title) [fr]
Fantômes contre fantômes (France) [fr]
Ko se boji duha jos? (Serbia) [sr]
Kummituskopla (Finland) [fi]
Os Espíritos (Brazil) [pt]
Sevimli hayaletler (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Sospesi nel tempo (Italy) [it]
Törjön ki a frász! (Hungary) [hu]

MPAA:

Rated R for terror/violence.

Runtime:

110 min | USA:122 min (director's cut)

Country:

New Zealand | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (1997) (video) (uncut) | Finland:K-16 (2000) (DVD) (cut) | Netherlands:12 | Germany:16 (director's cut) | Germany:18 (nf) | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-15 (2005) (uncut) (DVD) (director's cut) | UK:15 (re-rating) (2005) (uncut) | UK:15 (uncut director's edition) | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | USA:R (certificate #34656) | New Zealand:M | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Italy:VM14 | Norway:11 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (cut)

Filming Locations:

Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

A figurine depicting Elvis Presley is visible in Ray (Peter Dobson) and Lucy's bedroom. Dobson played Presley in Forrest Gump (1994).

Goofs:

Continuity: During the scene in the museum the two guards fire at least 45 shots from their automatic pistols without reloading.

Quotes:

Judge: Give it up, Frank! Death ain't no way to make a living!

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Making of 'The Frighteners' (1998) (V)

Soundtrack:

Don't Fear The Reaper

Very entertaining with just the right blend of comedy and horror!

THE FRIGHTENERS has just the right blend of comedy and horror, and will please most audiences. Director Peter Jackson did a great job directing this film, and Michael J. Fox gives one of his most unusual performances as a "ghost buster" who has a rare gift that allows him to see the dead.

All in all, a unique film that is very different from its competition in the horror drama and really only falls apart towards the end, when it resorts to the typical slasher ending with plot twists. Apart from the end, it's sure to keep you entertained throughout!

4/5 stars

JOHN ULMER