MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Supernatural Comedy Horror/Stars: Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, John Astin, Jeffrey Combs, Dee Wallace Stone, Jake Busey, Chi McBride, Jim Fyfe, Troy Evans, Julianna McCarthy, R. Lee Ermey, Elizabeth Hawthorne, Melanie Lynskey, Byron McCrawerly, Angela Bloomfield/Runtime: 109 minutes
As I was finishing up my review for the movie Poltergeist a couple of nights ago, I found myself doing something I don’t normally wind up doing. No it wasn’t reading because here lately I actually have been reading the book that inspired the Christopher Nolan movie on Oppenheimer that came out last year. Nor for that matter was it locating some sweet jazz music to play to help get me ready for bed because that has become a nightly tradition and I don’t plan on that ending anytime soon. Rather, I decided to turn on my TV and channel surf which, lo and behold, led me to watch at least a solid 4-5 episodes of the original Ghost Hunters show with Jason, Garrett, and the rest of the TAPS team. Yet, besides being at the very least fairly entertained by their shenanigans, it also got me thinking about a rather intriguing question in particular as well. That being what would happen if one of these guys actually developed the ability to really see ghosts and, while utilizing some that they managed to befriended as part of a scheme to extort people out of their hard-earned money, actually found themselves being drawn into a terrifying situation that only they could fix with the untimely arrival of a new ghost on the block that had the ability to eliminate both the living and the dead? Of course, after really thinking about how intriguing such an idea was, I decided to go online yesterday and see if anyone else had done anything with this idea. Imagine my surprise (not really) to discover that not only was there a slice of cinema that had been made in the mid to late 90s with this idea as the key narrative hook to it, not only did it star Marty McFly himself in the lead role, not only was it meant to be an offshoot of the iconic 90s show Tales from the Crypt, but it also was helmed by none other than the man who, 7 years after the release of this film, would give audiences one of the finest literary adaptations of all time with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Indeed it was a slice of cinema, and film I happen to be reviewing for you today incidentally, from 1996 known as The Frighteners and, despite knowing very little about it save for the things I mentioned previously and maybe seeing the trailer for it at least a couple of times over the years, I decided to sit down and give it a watch. A decision that, having seen the finished product, I am glad that I did. To be sure it is most definitely not a perfect film and yes I am sure that the director’s cut is a more well put together product in some ways, but with the aid of delightful work on both sides of the camera The Frighteners is still a fairly spooktacular slice of cinema that is worth checking out at least once.
The plot is as follows: The Frighteners gets its spine-tingling story underway by taking us as viewers to the delightful little community of Fairwater. A community that would like to be regarded for its charm, the scenery, the fairly friendly atmosphere, or even the fact that noted actors Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie once stayed the night at the town’s delightful Bed & Breakfast (joking on that last one incidentally), but which instead has had to delegate itself to be known for something else entirely. That being as a place where death has become more commonplace than it ought to be even if it does appear that the deaths in question are seemingly innocuous in nature. Incidentally it is at the funeral for the latest individual to pass on where we meet the hero of our story in the form of a guy by the name of Frank Bannister. A man who, among other things worth knowing about him, used to be a successful member of the architect community yet who, following a series of events I shan’t spoil for you here, decided to do a complete 180 and go into a different career path altogether. That being as a fairly shifty and cynical freelance supernatural expert for hire. Unlike most individuals in that distinct career field however, there is one big thing about Frank that differentiates him which is that he can actually see and communicate with the dead. Perhaps this is why he has recruited a trio of ghosts to aid him in his *ahem* “business endeavors”. It isn’t long though before we see Frank’s skills are about to be put to a more serious test. This is because, shortly after engaging in “exorcising” a local physician and her more than slightly egotistical husband, one of them winds up dead of an apparent heart attack, but not before Frank both notices a weird number glowing on the victim’s forehead to say nothing of the fact that he had a more than slight altercation with them earlier in the day. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, another victim pops up at a restaurant Frank is eating at only this time, besides the glowing number on the forehead, we also get to see what exactly is behind this ghastly mayhem in the shape and form of a sinister Grim Reaper-looking apparition that is equally as capable of crushing a living person’s heart as it is of wiping out its ghostly brethren. Thus can Frank, with the reluctant aid of his ghoul friends and a certain (to say nothing of still living) member of the community, prove his innocence, evade the law with particular regard to a rather odd and more than slightly kooky sort from the FBI named Milton Dammers, and save the town from this diabolical ghoul or is this one time where a lot more than property values are about to take a turn for the nightmarish? That I will let you discover for yourself…..
Now right off the ol’ haunting, it should be pointed out here that this slice of cinema is most assuredly the blessed recipient of work done by a collection of professionals behind the camera that, in their own individual ways, most assuredly do their part in bringing this slice of cinema to life in a way that is equal parts wonderfully spooky, delightfully darkly comical, and ultimately fairly enjoyable all things considered. Without question, this starts with the work in the director’s chair by Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and honestly this is a pretty engaging effort all things considered. Indeed not only does Jackson effortlessly combine the dark humor and bone-chilling horror on display here in a way that works pretty well to the benefit of the movie goer, but he also makes sure that the fairly novel story being told is able to consistently be fairly riveting despite the fact that the story in question can, at times, become a bit on the complicated side. More than anything though, we see that Jackson is also able to utilize his gift for attention to detail to wonderful effect here in regards to both the creation of the town at the heart of the story, but also in utilizing the setting to significantly reinforce the distinctly creepy atmosphere prevalent in the rest of the movie as well. Suffice it to say that it’s not his finest hour as a director by any means, but this is still undeniably a skilled effort from Jackson nonetheless. Alongside Jackson’s work at the helm, this slice of cinema also contains a not-too-bad script as penned by both Jackson as well as Fran Walsh and it is here where the film runs into a few issues. Not because the script is terrible in every way possible and not because it doesn’t effectively combine the horror and comedy on display. Rather, it’s because there are quite a few places where it feels like there are vital parts of the story that are missing and as such the narrative can be a bit scattershot at times. I mean I could be wildly off base here, but I definitely feel like this is one film that if given maybe 20-25 minutes more in terms of runtime to work with could have been a genuinely great story. As it is though, the script for this film is good, but don’t be surprised if there are moments where you might be a tad bit confused. Alongside those 2 departments, the film also contains some solid work done by the cinematography department. Indeed not only does the cinematography department employ a dynamic and often highly kinetic visual style that works incredibly well with the supernatural shenanigans occurring, but it even manages to utilize lighting in a manner that is an on-point blend of both creepy and enigmatic alongside an assortment of camera styles that all have a purpose be it aiding in efforts to construct suspense to underscoring the wild and crazy essence at the heart of the narrative in question. Lastly, I feel like this section would be lacking if I didn’t take some time to factor in the work done by the always engaging Danny Elfman on this film’s musical score. Yes it’s pretty much your typical Elfman score and it doesn’t always work as well as it should here, but even so it still manages to get the job done all the same. Suffice it to say that when you also take into account fairly well-done work from Jamie Selkirk in the editing department and pretty remarkable work from the visual effects team among others it’s clear that there are definitely some issues with the work being done behind the camera here, but by and large the various departments operating there definitely do what they can to help make up for them.
Alongside the fairly well-done work by the various groups operating behind the camera on this particular slice of spooky cinema, this film is also aided quite immensely via the undeniably enjoyable performances in front of the camera by an impeccably chosen and quite spirited cast of talent even if the fair majority of them aren’t given nearly as much in terms of material to work with as others. Without any doubt in my mind, this starts with the work done here in the lead by Michael J. Fox and it might not be his best performance, but this is still a solid job all the same. Indeed in the role of Frank Bannister, we see that Fox gives us a character who has shut himself off from life and is very much a jerk in practically every way be it unashamedly promoting his business at funerals to using his ghostly associates to stage hauntings at people’s homes that he can exploit for financial gain. As the film goes on however, we see that Bannister, through his encounters with the evil entity striking the town, slowly but surely not only starts to care about the people he’s trying to save, but also begins to open himself up to living life again as well. Indeed it’s a genuinely good turn and one that Fox (in one of his last live-action film roles) plays admirably well. Besides the work done here by Fox, this slice of cinema is also the blessed recipient of a delightfully kooky performance from the iconic Dee Wallace Stone (E.T., The Howling, and Cujo) in the pivotal role of Patricia Ann Bradley. Indeed there’s not a whole lot I can say about this movie due to spoilers and I do feel like there was definitely more to her character than what we are ultimately given in the film itself, but what I can say is that this is a character that definitely required an actress who could go from one state of mind to another with frightening ease whilst still retaining a chilling vibe about her consistently throughout and that is most assuredly what Stone is able to give us here and then some. Last, but most assuredly not least, this section would be woefully lacking if I did not take some time during it to talk about the truly delightful hiss worthy work done by Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator) in the role of FBI Special Agent Milton Dammers. Indeed it might take him a little while to pop up in this, but once he does there is no denying that Combs does an outstanding job at playing this dotty and dogged yet also more than slightly unnerving law enforcement officer who proves to be quite the particular thorn in the side of our hero trying to save the day while also adding to the ominous atmosphere established by the rest of the film incredibly well. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in a delightfully sinister and slightly over the top (in a good way mind you) performance from Jake Busey as well as on-point efforts from Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, John “OG Gomez Addams” Astin, Troy Evans (Francis “Frank” Martin on the TV show E.R.), Chi McBride, and a brief yet delightful turn from R. Lee Ermey who I swear is reprising his role from Full Metal Jacket here among others it’s clear that everyone involved knows the kind of movie they are making and each of them looks like they are having an absolute blast with the material and then some in the best way possible.
All in all and at the end of the day is The Frighteners the scare-all, end-all when it comes to slices of horror comedy cinema? Sadly no though in all fairness that can be quite the difficult benchmark for a lot of movies to aspire to let alone attain. With that in mind, is this the worst film that any of the individuals involved in the making of it be they in front of or behind the camera have ever made in their respective careers? Oh no. Definitely not. Trust me when I say that there are definitely some entries to be found that are the stuff nightmares are made of and most assuredly not in a good way. With that in mind, it should be said that this slice of cinema definitely does have its fair share of issues. Indeed not only does the script feel like there is a fair amount cut out of it which shouldn’t have been, but the musical score (despite a game effort from composer Danny Elfman) isn’t anything particularly noteworthy to write home about to say nothing of the fact that the majority of the cast in this slice of cinema aren’t exactly given a whole lot in terms of material to work with in regard to shaping their respective characters. With those detriments in mind however, it should also be said that the work done by Peter Jackson in the director’s chair is fairly solid, the cinematography is on-point, the visual effects are (for a slice of cinema made in 1996) actually quite well-done, and the performances by the undeniably talented cast of individuals in front of the camera (with particular regard to the ones provided by Fox, Stone, and Combs) are all at the very least engaging and entertaining even when dealing with the aforementioned uneven distribution of material to work with. Suffice it to say therefore that if you are looking for a genuinely great slice of cinema that manages to combine a wonderfully dark sense of humor alongside blood-curdling horror then I would definitely recommend 1981’s An American Werewolf in London over this any day of the week and then some. If on the other hand you can’t find that film on streaming, but you can find this one or you’re simply in the mood for something that’s a good yet not great way to make it through a couple of hours on a rainy day then definitely give this film a try. Sure it won’t be the best film you’ve ever seen, but at least it won’t traumatize you to the point that you actually start seeing ghosts in your own life…hopefully. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give The Frighteners “96” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
