The Frighteners
Greetings, ‘The Frighteners’ is a 1996 comedy horror movie directed by New Zealander Peter Jackson who is best known for his immensely popular ‘Lord of the Rings’ and less well received ‘Hobbit’ trilogies. Prior to directing those fantasy epics, Peter was mostly notable for producing horror films with a humorous bent such as the one this review is based on. ‘The Frighteners’ was written by Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh who have worked together on every production they have undertook since they first began collaborating back in 1989. This 1990s flick has an impressive cast consisting of ‘Back to the Future’s Michael J. Fox in the lead role of Frank Bannister, Trini Alvarado, Dee Wallace Stone, John Astin and Jake Busey alongside horror staple Jeffrey Combs as well as archetypal drill instructor R. Lee Ermey. Danny Elfman, the talented musician involved in so many hit films throughout the decades such as ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Batman’, composed the soundtrack for the picture that gives it a suitably dark and gothic feel.
The plot begins in the sleepy coastal town of Fairwater which, despite its small town charm, has a long history of misery and is plagued by death. One night a terrified woman by the name of Patricia Ann Bradley is chased around her old house and is tormented by an apparition that climbs out from the walls. The commotion wakes her aging mother from her sleep. The older Mrs Bradley grabs a shotgun and finds her daughter being chocked by the wicked spectre. She fires her shotgun straight into the head of the ghost which causes it to disappear and frees Ann from its grip as she collapses to the floor. The story then switches to the daytime and follows the protagonist Frank Bannister, a self-styled psychic investigator, as he tries to drum up business at a burial service in the local cemetery but his presence isn’t welcomed by mourners. After leaving the graveyard, Bannister gets into his car and travels homeward. He gets distracted during the drive and crashes his vehicle through the fence of a property belonging to a Mr Ray and Mrs Lucy Lynskey.
An irate Ray storms out of his house to see the damage Frank has dealt to his front garden and his tacky garden gnomes. The two have an unpleasant interaction which ends with Frank handing over his business card and promising to pay for the damages he caused. Later that night as Lucy is lying in bed, she reads Frank’s card that offers his services in exorcism and is suddenly beset by poltergeist activity. A panicked Lucy and Ray call Frank who arrives on the scene quickly and is armed with a water pistol. Frank sprays Holy water from the pistol as he walks around the house which causes the paranormal phenomena to suddenly stop. He assures the Lynskeys that his work is done and he wouldn’t charge for his services provided Ray drops the matter of the broken fence which he begrudgingly does so. As Frank turns to leave he sees the number 37 written in an ethereal form on Ray’s forehead. Frank is confused by it but it is clear no one else can see the ghostly writing. He exits the house and as he arrives at his half-completed home, it is revealed that two ghosts had been working with Bannister to haunt the Lynskeys.
Despite being aware of ‘The Frighteners’ for some time I knew nothing about this movie before going into it but was very quickly drawn into its macabre dreamlike world. It does rely on a lot of CGI for the supernatural elements which may have been ground-breaking at the time but it hasn’t held up so well for audiences more accustomed to more modern attempts. It feels like there is still plenty of aspects to explore in this world that only get briefly touched upon, such as Frank’s relationship with his ghostly partners, but it has a solid plot and doesn’t drag during its runtime. I thought the movie was very well paced as it slowly ramped up to its exciting conclusion and I was engrossed in the mystery it was weaving. The characters were all interesting too. I was especially fond of Comb’s bizarre FBI agent Milton Dammers as well as John Astin of ‘The Addams Family’ fame playing the spectre of an old time gunslinger known as the Judge. After enjoying this one so much, I’m keen to explore more of Jackson’s early work.
Plot=8/10
Characters=8/10
Special Effects=6/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the Day
Wait a minute. Wait a minute Doc, uh, are you telling me you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?
Marty McFly
Back to the Future
