SYNOPSIS
A psychic con-man who uses his otherworldly connections to first haunt homes, then exorcise them (for a fee), comes under suspicion when a malevolent spirit that may be the Grim Reaper starts killing off his clients and associates - and might even have caused his wife's death.
OPINION
Here's another fun one. This is a big crazy supernatural mystery, with just a few too many pratfalls, perhaps. The Frighteners actually manages to drum up some real dread, though; from its durable, eerie Grim Reaper design (which speaks to the quality of the computer animation, especially for 1996), to its last half being filled to the brim with eerie mansions and abandoned hospitals, it's an ode to classic horror. Consider the casting of Dee Wallace (who, until doing some research, I didn't realize was arguably the most important genre actress of all time) and Jeffrey Combs (who you may know as Herbert West, and if you don't - time to watch Re-Animator). There is a deep, abiding love of the material on display; and despite the first half being a bit mired in ghost buffoonery, when it gets humming, it's an incredibly compelling adventure film.
(Interestingly: this is roughly tied for the most expensive film on this list, adjusted for inflation, alongside A Cure for Wellness and The Thing - all of which cost approximately $40 million in 2019 money.)
CAST + CREW
Director: Peter Jackson (Dead Alive, Heavenly Creatures)
Cast: Michael J. Fox (Class of 1984, Stuart Little)
Trini Alvarado (Stella, Little Women)
Dee Wallace (The Hills Have Eyes, The Howling, Cujo,
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Critters, The Lords of Salem)
Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator, From Beyond, Castle Freak)
Jake Busey (Contact, Starship Troopers, The Hitcher II)
CONTENT (spoilered; highlight for warnings)
violence against women, abuse of a corpse, serial murder, horny ghosts, fascist / cult tattoos, misogyny, car crashes, shotgun decapitations
CAREER STATS [on a scale from 1 (least) to 10 (most)]
FUN: 9
Maybe leans a little hard on this, but balances nicely.
SCARINESS: 7
Light on scares, but extremely creepy when it wants to be.
INTENSITY: 6
Nobody's safe from the Grim Reaper, I mean, c'mon.
RECOMMENDABILITY: 8
one of my absolute favorite films, but not for everyone.
SEE ALSO:
Dead Alive, Army of Darkness, Tremors, Re-Animator
