The Frighteners (1996)

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 | Architect | Hell | Grim Reaper | Cult Favorite

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)

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 (2000) (DVD) (cut) | Finland:K-16 (1997) (video) (uncut) | 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:

Danny Elfman was so impressed with Peter Jackson's previous movie, Heavenly Creatures (1994), that he offered to do the score for one of Jackson's next movies, and agreed to this movie without even knowing what it was about.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Frank reaches over to pull Ray out of the grave, workers are shoveling dirt into the hole, but as Frank pulls Ray out, there is no one near the grave.

Quotes:

Patricia Ann Bradley: I'm in the mood for a little vivisection.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Movie Magic: Ghost Effects: Ghost Stories (#4.13)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Superstar

Comic book chills...good for Halloween viewing...

THE FRIGHTENERS is about as far out as any comic horror flick can be, making great use of special effects to get its ectoplasm creatures going through some scary capers. Michael J. Fox stars as a man who can communicate with and see dead spirits but the plot is strictly made of comic book horror fantasy. Everything moves so swiftly you have no chance to think about the complete lack of logic.

Dee Wallace is frightening as a demented woman hell bent on revenge. Trini Alvarado is a good foil for Fox's romantic interest and Jeffrey Combs makes the most of his role as Special Agent Dammers.

A good mixture of horror, fantasy and humor that is overwhelming in its use of CFX effects. Creepy settings are a plus and give the whole film a Halloween feeling--just don't expect the flashbacks to make any sense of the proceedings. Some of the scenes are too intense for younger viewers.