A few years ago I was flipping through the channels late one night when I found a movie that looked kind of different but also seemed to be entertaining. I left it on even though I had no clue what it was. I really enjoyed what I saw of the movie and later discovered that it had been Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners. I have since seen the entire movie more than once.

Frank Bannister worked as a psychic investigator in the small town of Fairwater. He would get ghosts out of houses for people. He was actually working with the ghosts, Cyrus, Stuart, and the Judge, that he was hired to get rid of. Frank was able to see, talk to, and even interact with the ghosts. The people that hired him couldn’t see the ghosts but did see things flying around their house. An evil spirit was killing people around Fairwater and most people thought that Frank was responsible. A special agent with the FBI, Milton Dammers, arrived in town to help with the investigation. Milton was convinced that Frank was involved.

Lucy Lynskey was a doctor that had only lived in Fairwater for a few months. One day she was filling in for another doctor from the clinic and she met Patricia Bradley and her mother. Lucy was told that Patricia never left the house. Lucy later did some research and discovered that Lucy had been involved in a killing spree with Johnny Bartlett when she was only fifteen. Patricia said that Johnny had been responsible for everything. Lucy was worried about Patricia being alone in the house with her mother. Lucy ended up needing to hire Frank when it looked like her house was haunted. A few days later Lucy needed Frank’s help with something else. She then tried to help Frank clear his name and stop the spirit from killing anyone else.

The Frighteners was a very unique movie because of the creative story. I’ve always enjoyed books and movies that dealt with ghosts, spirits, or some form of the supernatural. I think they are very entertaining. Ghosts were very important to the plot since Frank made his living cleaning ghosts out of homes. It was explained at one point why Frank was able to see and talk to the ghosts. He saw and could talk to any ghosts he saw. Only three actually worked with him. Frank did explain to a new spirit he met that most ghosts move on quickly. Any that didn’t do that were stuck on Earth. There were some ghosts in the cemetery and one, Sgt. Hiles, really didn’t like Frank. There were people around town, including a reporter, that believed that Frank was just a con man which did make it more difficult for him to get people to hire him. When the movie first got started, it seemed like it would mostly be about how Frank and his ghost friends worked. The movie was actually more complicated than that, weaving in the threads of Lucy, Patricia and her mother, and the evil spirit. It didn’t take that long for it to be clear that Lucy was going to be very involved in what was going on. Patricia and her mother didn’t have as big of a part, but their part of the plot was also important. I think the movie did a very good job of juggling the different plot threads and then bringing them together for the resolution. Since the plot was somewhat complicated, that is probably why the movie ended up being 110 minutes long. The movie flowed very well and I didn’t think it dragged at any point or seemed too rushed. Anyone that likes movies that deal with the supernatural should give this one a chance.

I have seen many movies with ghosts, like Beetlejuice or Ghostbusters, that have been very funny. Funny ghost movies really aren’t new, but The Frighteners also mixed in more suspense, thrills and horror elements than I think I have seen included in a comedy before. The movie had many funny moments along with some more serious, and even a few touching moments as well. The movie didn’t turn sappy or anything like that, but a few memories from a sad time in Peter’s life were shared. The funny moments helped to keep the mood lighter and even during some of the more scary moments, something funny would be tossed in that immediately lightened the mood. Cyrus, Stuart, and the Judge said and did some very funny things, especially earlier in the movie. There were all sorts of unique things that happened to the ghosts, like when Frank used bug spray right in front of Stuart’s face. What happened to Stuart because of that was very funny and I’ve never seen anything quite like that before. There was also a scene that showed Stuart getting sick after a wild car ride that was a bit gross, but also funny. Who would have thought that a ghost could get car sick?

In addition to being very funny in some scenes, The Frighteners contained some suspenseful and scary scenes. The first few minutes showed something very strange happening and then Lucy was introduced when she first met Patricia and her mother. After that, the movie did seem to be mostly a comedy for a while when the antics of Frank and his ghost friends were shown. As the movie progressed, there were more serious moments as well as the scary and suspenseful ones. I’ve never seen a movie that blended comedy and horror elements like this before. It made for a very creative, entertaining movie. I do barely remember seeing a preview for the movie when it was first released that really freaked me out and had me thinking there was no way I would ever watch it. I wouldn’t have seen it if I hadn’t just found it on one night without knowing what it was. It was no where near as scary as I had thought it would be from that bit of a preview that made such an impression on me. People that really like horror movies may not feel like the horror elements are strong enough. I didn’t feel like the movie was that violent even though there was violence in more than one scene. The movie wasn’t gory which could disappoint some viewers. The movie also had some swearing in it. That, along with the violence and horror elements that were included, is probably why the movie was rated R. I have seen more violent movies in the last few years that have been rated PG-13.

The Frighteners was full of amazing special effects that blended well with the movie. Director Peter Jackson used the same special effects company that he later used for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and King Kong. The actors that played the ghosts went though make-up to achieve the look of the character and then I think some sort of CGI effects were used to make them look transparent, glowing, and more ghostly. Frank was able to touch the ghosts and they were able to move objects. There were times when a ghost started to fall through walls or doors and then the same ghost was later shown moving an object. That was never really explained but it seemed to be hinted that the longer a ghost was on Earth, the more control they would have to be able to move things or go through a wall if they wanted. Jackson did show many interesting things happening to the ghosts over the course of the movie. The evil spirit was mostly shown with a flowing black cape that seemed to have a liquid look to the fabric. That look did really remind me of the Ringwraiths in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy without the liquid like look for the fabric. Later in the movie, the evil spirit was shown as a puddle of black oil like liquid that was sort of oozing along a few surfaces. That was a very interesting look for a spirit. The effects were very well done and I think they still hold up today. The movie was originally released in 1996 and the effects look better than some I’ve seen in a few newer movies.

A few flashbacks were used to shown past events that were relevant to what was going on in the present. Frank had something happen five years before that completely changed his life and ultimately lead to his unusual career choice. Frank was shown remembering some of those things a few times. In another scene, Milton was talking about a certain event, though his story was based on his speculations about what had really happened since he hadn’t been there. Later in the movie another flashback was shown that explained many things. The flashbacks were only used a few times and worked well to share information with the viewers. Early in the movie, after meeting Patricia and her mother, Lucy tracked down a documentary that included a story about Johnny Bartlett and the crime spree he had gone on. Just enough of that was shown for the viewers to know what had happened.

Peter Jackson filmed The Frighteners completely in New Zealand even though the movie was set in the United States. It was never said exactly what state the movie was supposed to be set in, but many characters said things to indicate they were in the United States. The name of the town, Fairwater, was mentioned more than once. There wasn’t anything about the setting that made it obvious that it was filmed in New Zealand. Jackson has established a pattern of filming his movies in New Zealand, including The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and King Kong. The special effects company he works with is based in New Zealand as well. The beauty of New Zealand really wasn’t shown off like it was in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

In addition to being the director, Peter Jackson also co-wrote the screenplay for The Frighteners with Fran Walsh. They also worked together on the screenplays for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and King Kong. The Frighteners isn’t as epic or grand as Jackson’s more recent projects, but it is still a very good movie that deserves to be seen. The movie showed how creative Jackson is when he is creating a completely original story instead of adapting something like his more famous movies have been. I think he is a brilliant director that has created some amazing movies.

Frank had been an architect before his life changed and he started his career as a psychic detective after he became able to see ghosts. He basically conned people to make money, but he did want to help people when he could. He didn’t have a good reputation around town, so when he tried to help in a few situations people thought he was planning something else. Michael J. Fox was very good in the part. He handled it well without going overboard and was believable. Lucy was an important character that didn’t receive a lot of development. That didn’t bother me since it worked with the plot. She was open minded about ghosts and spirts and was very kind, even to people she barely knew. Trini Alvarado was good in the part. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in anything else.

Milton Dammers was very strange with a few obsessions. I did wonder how he had managed to become an FBI agent. He seemed to be driven to arrest Frank and wasn’t open to any other possibility about whom, or what, was responsible for the deaths around town. Jeffrey Combs handled the part very well without going overboard and making Milton a joke. Cyrus, Stuart, and the Judge really weren’t developed at all since they were ghosts. The Judge had been a ghost the longest and he was starting to fall apart. John Astin was unrecognizable in the part thanks to all the make-up that was required. He is probably best known for playing Gomez Addams in The Addams Family television show. Cyrus was grumpy about still being stuck in the clothes he had on when he died sometime in the 1970's. Stuart seemed like he would have been a nerd while alive. I don’t remember hearing how they had died. Chi McBride and Jim Fyfe did well with the parts. McBride has also been in The Terminal and I, Robot. Sgt. Hiles was only shown in a few scenes in the cemetery. He acted like he was in charge, ordering other ghosts around. He knew what Frank did and made it clear he didn’t like it. R. Lee Ermey was fine in the few scenes he did have.

Patricia was only shown in a few scenes. She seemed to be afraid of her controlling mother when Lucy met her. Patricia seemed very meek. Dee Wallace Stone did fine with what she had to do. Patricia’s mother was never called by name and I have only seen her listed as Old Lady Bradley in cast lists. She was not a nice woman. Sheriff Walt Perry was in a few different scenes. He and Frank knew each other. Walt wasn’t impressed with Milton and didn’t seem to believe that Frank was a killer. Troy Evans didn’t have that much to do in the movie. He had a slightly larger part in Kuffs. Johnny Bartlett had been involved in Patricia’s past. He was briefly shown in the documentary that Lucy found that covered his killing spree. Jake Busey was good in the part. He has also had small parts in Contact and Christmas with the Kranks. Ray was briefly around before he became a ghost. He was having some trouble adjusting to his new form. Peter Dobson was good in the part. I’ve also seen him in Doppelganger: The Evil Within.

Main Cast

Trini Alvarado - Lucy Lynskey
John Astin - The Judge
Jake Busey - Johnny Bartlett
Jeffrey Combs - Milton Dammers
Peter Dobson - Ray
R. Lee Ermey - Sgt. Hiles
Troy Evans - Sheriff Walt Perry
Michael J. Fox - Frank Bannister
Jim Fyfe - Stuart
Chi McBride - Cyrus
Julianna McCarthy - Old Lady Bradley
Dee Wallace Stone - Patricia Bradley

Peter Jackson - Writer/director

The Frighteners is available on DVD and VHS. I tracked down a DVD a few years ago that really has no special features on it. My copy is in anamorphic widescreen and I’m guessing that there is also a full screen version available. The DVD includes a theatrical trailer, which is nothing like the preview I remember seeing that freaked me out. There are production notes to read and information on the cast and film makers. That is it for extras. In the fall of 2005, a new DVD was released that contains a director’s cut version of the movie as well as other extras. I am very, very tempted to track down a copy of that as well since it has Jackson’s director’s cut.

The Frighteners is a very original, entertaining movie from Peter Jackson. Unfortunately it has been over looked by most people. It is a bit different, which could turn some people off. Anyone that likes movies with ghosts should check it out. It is definitely worth seeing.

Peter Jackson Movie Reviews
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring ~ The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ~ The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ~ King Kong ~


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older