cricketbat The Frighteners has a fun story with interesting characters and excellent performances, but it seems sloppy and thrown together at times. The scary moments work well, but the humor falls flat. Still, it's enjoyable to watch.

Leofwine_draca Peter Jackson's quirky horror comedy acts as a showcase for a whole slew of impressive special effects - which, like in the similar MEN IN BLACK - work well due to the whole comic-book feel of the film. In a serious thriller or drama, they'd of course look fake and ludicrous, but in Jackson's brightly coloured world of ghosts and spirits, they're gobsmacking. While THE FRIGHTENERS is certainly a fun film to watch and a nice film to look at, sadly as is the case with most blockbuster's, it's hardly what you would call substantial, but that doesn't matter in this film's case.This has the most basic of plots as well. Basically, it pretty much consists of one action scene after another with a little bit of history/background information thrown in to pad it out. This seems to have been done for necessity rather than any real reason; this is a purely superficial film. A manic energy keeps it watchable but the ending is a bit of a mess, with a need to tie up every loose end imaginable it quickly becomes a simple series of climaxes becoming ever more ludicrous.Thankfully a team of interesting actors and actresses almost make it all worthwhile and give us something to listen to in between all of the ghoulish gags and special effects. Michael J Fox plays the film's lead, a fine enough actor to cope with all the happenings going on but a sorely shallow person to play. We never learn much about his investigator, save that he saw his wife die once and that a car accident caused him to have psychic visions. That's it. An unrecognisable Dee Wallace Stone plays a former mental patient caught up in the chaos while Trini Alvarado is the solid female lead.Elsewhere, Jackson seems determined to fill his supporting roles with the most psychotic actors available. In particular we have Jeffrey Combs in a rare mainstream appearance (rather more substantial than his blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL) as a whacked-out FBI agent who has become more insane than the people he hunts. Combs looks incredibly odd in what I like to think is a dig at Fox Mulder's weirdness in THE X-FILES. While his acting is fine and good use is made of his expressions, his character's oddities quickly become grating and in the final third his role seems rather extraneous to the rest of the plot - his appearances eliciting sighs rather than the chuckles Jackson was hoping for.Also on hand are Jake Busey (Gary's son, briefly showing in STARSHIP TROOPERS), as the film's resident psychotic murderer who is actually pretty good, R. Lee Ermey playing a riff on his role in FULL METAL JACKET, and old favourite John Astin as a decrepit ghost who has problems with his jaw. As mentioned earlier, the CGI effects are the best things in this film with all manner of glowing ghosts, flowing Grim Reapers flying across the sky and things reaching out of walls and floors to attack people. Impressive they most certainly are, and they make the film. A macabre sense of humour makes things more amusing than they rightfully should be, but again with Jackson this is all style and visual effects over anything else - as was the case with his frenetic yet hollow BRAINDEAD. Worth catching if your brain is switched off.

feakes THE FRIGHTENERS is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. first off because the story is so original. second off because while the story is dark it takes a turn at times towards dark comedy which gives it a better taste. Michael J fox makes this his movie but others steal the scenes . Mostly the Ghosts that hang around Frank Bannister(Michael J. Fox ) John Astin is the Judge which is my personal favorite ghost and then there is Chi Mcbride's ghost from the 70's They steal every scene they're in. R Lee Emery is in a perfect cameo as a dead drill Sgt. protecting his graveyard. And then there is Jake Busey. He is slam on dead on perfection as the bad guy Johnny Barlett looking like the grim reaper and continuing his serial killing count from beyond the grave with the help of his equally crazy old girlfriend. When Frank Bannister sees dead people and cons the ghosts to work for him. He has another gift. to see the people about to die. There is a rash of mysterious deaths that look like heart attacks but are not. And Frank is caught right in the middle as a suspect. Frank however is the only one who can stop the murders but in order to do so Frank and his ghostly friends might have to take some drastic steps to do so.Peter Jackson long before the Lord of the rings made him a house hold name directed this and co wrote the story. And this is perhaps the best movie he's done. Or at least I think so. Mention Peter Jackson and this is the first movie I think of. The Originality here is what sets it apart from the other ghost movies out there. And the comedic parts is what makes it stay in your memory. A movie to watch on Halloween or a rainy afternoon.

Jonathan Rosas I remember my older brother showing me this movie when it first came out. I was younger and had a very vivid imagination so it scared the hell out of me. Today I went back and re-watched this movie I have not seen since then and while my imagination is still vivid, I respect the movie now because of it.The movie starts off I would say 80/20 Comedy/Horror. You get to see the shenanigans that MJF and his two ghost cohorts pull off. Watching the transformation of his character as he slowly realizes that he's up against more then he thought. The story develops unbelievably well. The characters (living and dead)are well thought out and brought to life, with such great enthusiasm it's amazing. The story evolves slowly and dramatically, each minute bringing more and more to the story.The acting is amazing. MJF, awesome. Playing both the con artist, and then the hero. Jake Busey pulls of crazy well, but then again he is his fathers son. The CGI I think is pretty awesome for the time. The grim reaper shots, still give me the creeps.Over all I have a love for this movie that makes me want to keep watching it again and again.