Peter Jackson´s 1995 film "The Frighteners" was the director´s cutting teeth on computer generated effects. His visual effects studio WETA began production on the film with one film dedicated to CGI technology. When the film´s special effects were at the pinnacle of their production, WETA had over thirty dedicated machines for the film´s computer effects. The director had made a name for himself with the low-budget horror films "Bad Taste" and "Braindead." Those campy classics found a solid cult following, but "The Frighteners" paved the way for Jackson´s follow-ups, the three "Lord of the Rings" films and his remake of "King Kong." Before "The Frighteners," Jackson had made all of his effects the old-fashioned way and he was more Ray Harryhausen than he was George Lucas. His films were cheesy and they were gory. "The Frighteners" was more visual splendor and comedy and a definite class promotion in the school of big budget filmmaking.
Starring Michael J. Fox, "The Frighteners" was also Peter Jackson´s first film with a major Hollywood star. Fox was still a big name around town and although he was more than five years removed from the successful "Back to the Future" films, the actor still had a dedicated following. Supporting Fox in the film was R. Lee Ermey, John Astin and Jake Busey. Not the most familiar cast and the supporting cast certainly did not help Fox out much by providing additional star power, but Peter Jackson´s storytelling and direction step to the forefront and the fun and entertaining little film rises just above the levels of abysmal and morose. "The Frighteners" is a lesser "Ghostbusters" and "Casper" rolled into one mixture of film. The jokes are there and some of them easily incite laughter. Michael J. Fox and his spiritual friends can´t command the screen like Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murry could, but his spiritual detective benefits from Fox´s charm and job experience as Alex P. Keaton.
Fox is Frank Bannister, a former architect who suffered a horrible accident and lost his beloved wife after a heated argument. The accident left Fox a depressed life and a half-finished house that is slowly dismantled as firewood. It has also left him an ability to see into the spiritual world and interact with the dead. He makes a living by having three ghosts pose as poltergeists and then Bannister charges the unsuspecting victims of his con and removes the poltergeists from the targeted homes. Cyrus (Chi McBride), Stuart (Jim Fyfe) and the Judge (John Astin) are slowly eroding into ectoplasmic goo, but they spend their haunting time on Earth as Bannister´s unhappy business partners. They want Bannister to finish the house, so they do not have to live in the exterior elements and want other improved living conditions, as they refuse to wholly accept the fact they are dead.
When Bannister is called to the home of Ray (Peter Dobson) and Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado) to remove the poltergeists from their home, Bannister´s hokey performance does not impress Ray, but Bannister sees an image of a number on Ray´s forehead. The town has seen a great number of unnatural heart attacks over the years and the number 37 that appears on Ray´s head is the first indication to Bannister that something spiritual is behind the string of deaths. The town had previously been the site of murder when Johnny Bartlett (Jake Busey) and Patricia Bradley (Dee Wallace) murdered twelve people in a hospital. Now, they are seeing people fall over at an increasing rate with crushed hearts and arteries. Bannister comes into contact with the evil spirit and he and his band of poltergeists must redirect their energies into solving the case and stopping the ghost that has earned the nickname of "Death."
The film moves along nicely and Peter Jackson´s unusual sense of humor and visual stylings are readily apparent throughout the film. Having formerly seen "Braindead (Dead Alive)" and "Bad Taste," this film is a great departure from Jackson´s early horror films. However, his knack for weaving a twisted and unusual story in a calm little New Zealand town is just as apparent in "The Frighteners" as it was when aliens attacked in "Bad Taste" and when zombies attacked in "Braindead." With CGI, Jackson had a new palette to work with and the ghastly effects, especially those that create the Judge, look good enough for a primitive CGI film. The physical effects provided a lot of the campiness of the two earlier films and to a degree, that campiness is lost with "The Frighteners." In a way, this can be considered a more mature effort by the director. In another way, this could be called a lesser attempt because of the inclusion of CGI.
I personally prefer "Bad Taste" and "Braindead" over "The Frighteners." There is no priest that kicks ass for the lord and there is no green soup feasting aliens hanging headfirst over a cliff. "The Frighteners" is far more serious than the elder pictures, but Peter Jackson had made his name by creating horribly fun films with garage made special effects and pinkish blood. However, if it were not for "The Frighteners," Peter Jackson would maybe never have been offered the directorial job for the three "Lord of the Rings" films and that would have been a travesty. This is a fun little film where Michael J. Fox stands alone as a star. The laughs aren´t as thick and prevalent as Jackson´s older films, but the fun factor is there. Fans of Peter Jackson are going to want to gobble this baby right up. This is a peculiar film that will be appreciated the most by the director´s fans, although this movie has a better chance of securing a new audience than anything previously done by Peter Jackson.
Starring Michael J. Fox, "The Frighteners" was also Peter Jackson´s first film with a major Hollywood star. Fox was still a big name around town and although he was more than five years removed from the successful "Back to the Future" films, the actor still had a dedicated following. Supporting Fox in the film was R. Lee Ermey, John Astin and Jake Busey. Not the most familiar cast and the supporting cast certainly did not help Fox out much by providing additional star power, but Peter Jackson´s storytelling and direction step to the forefront and the fun and entertaining little film rises just above the levels of abysmal and morose. "The Frighteners" is a lesser "Ghostbusters" and "Casper" rolled into one mixture of film. The jokes are there and some of them easily incite laughter. Michael J. Fox and his spiritual friends can´t command the screen like Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murry could, but his spiritual detective benefits from Fox´s charm and job experience as Alex P. Keaton.
Fox is Frank Bannister, a former architect who suffered a horrible accident and lost his beloved wife after a heated argument. The accident left Fox a depressed life and a half-finished house that is slowly dismantled as firewood. It has also left him an ability to see into the spiritual world and interact with the dead. He makes a living by having three ghosts pose as poltergeists and then Bannister charges the unsuspecting victims of his con and removes the poltergeists from the targeted homes. Cyrus (Chi McBride), Stuart (Jim Fyfe) and the Judge (John Astin) are slowly eroding into ectoplasmic goo, but they spend their haunting time on Earth as Bannister´s unhappy business partners. They want Bannister to finish the house, so they do not have to live in the exterior elements and want other improved living conditions, as they refuse to wholly accept the fact they are dead.
When Bannister is called to the home of Ray (Peter Dobson) and Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado) to remove the poltergeists from their home, Bannister´s hokey performance does not impress Ray, but Bannister sees an image of a number on Ray´s forehead. The town has seen a great number of unnatural heart attacks over the years and the number 37 that appears on Ray´s head is the first indication to Bannister that something spiritual is behind the string of deaths. The town had previously been the site of murder when Johnny Bartlett (Jake Busey) and Patricia Bradley (Dee Wallace) murdered twelve people in a hospital. Now, they are seeing people fall over at an increasing rate with crushed hearts and arteries. Bannister comes into contact with the evil spirit and he and his band of poltergeists must redirect their energies into solving the case and stopping the ghost that has earned the nickname of "Death."
The film moves along nicely and Peter Jackson´s unusual sense of humor and visual stylings are readily apparent throughout the film. Having formerly seen "Braindead (Dead Alive)" and "Bad Taste," this film is a great departure from Jackson´s early horror films. However, his knack for weaving a twisted and unusual story in a calm little New Zealand town is just as apparent in "The Frighteners" as it was when aliens attacked in "Bad Taste" and when zombies attacked in "Braindead." With CGI, Jackson had a new palette to work with and the ghastly effects, especially those that create the Judge, look good enough for a primitive CGI film. The physical effects provided a lot of the campiness of the two earlier films and to a degree, that campiness is lost with "The Frighteners." In a way, this can be considered a more mature effort by the director. In another way, this could be called a lesser attempt because of the inclusion of CGI.
I personally prefer "Bad Taste" and "Braindead" over "The Frighteners." There is no priest that kicks ass for the lord and there is no green soup feasting aliens hanging headfirst over a cliff. "The Frighteners" is far more serious than the elder pictures, but Peter Jackson had made his name by creating horribly fun films with garage made special effects and pinkish blood. However, if it were not for "The Frighteners," Peter Jackson would maybe never have been offered the directorial job for the three "Lord of the Rings" films and that would have been a travesty. This is a fun little film where Michael J. Fox stands alone as a star. The laughs aren´t as thick and prevalent as Jackson´s older films, but the fun factor is there. Fans of Peter Jackson are going to want to gobble this baby right up. This is a peculiar film that will be appreciated the most by the director´s fans, although this movie has a better chance of securing a new audience than anything previously done by Peter Jackson.
Peter Jackson´s 1995 film "The Frighteners" was the director´s cutting teeth on computer generated effects. His visual effects studio WETA began production on the film with one film dedicated to CGI technology. When the film´s special effects were at the pinnacle of their production, WETA had over thirty dedicated machines for the film´s computer effects. The director had made a name for himself with the low-budget horror films "Bad Taste" and "Braindead." Those campy classics found a solid cult following, but "The Frighteners" paved the way for Jackson´s follow-ups, the three "Lord of the Rings" films and his remake of "King Kong." Before "The Frighteners," Jackson had made all of his effects the old-fashioned way and he was more Ray Harryhausen than he was George Lucas. His films were cheesy and they were gory. "The Frighteners" was more visual splendor and comedy and a definite class promotion in the school of big budget filmmaking.
Starring Michael J. Fox, "The Frighteners" was also Peter Jackson´s first film with a major Hollywood star. Fox was still a big name around town and although he was more than five years removed from the successful "Back to the Future" films, the actor still had a dedicated following. Supporting Fox in the film was R. Lee Ermey, John Astin and Jake Busey. Not the most familiar cast and the supporting cast certainly did not help Fox out much by providing additional star power, but Peter Jackson´s storytelling and direction step to the forefront and the fun and entertaining little film rises just above the levels of abysmal and morose. "The Frighteners" is a lesser "Ghostbusters" and "Casper" rolled into one mixture of film. The jokes are there and some of them easily incite laughter. Michael J. Fox and his spiritual friends can´t command the screen like Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murry could, but his spiritual detective benefits from Fox´s charm and job experience as Alex P. Keaton.
Fox is Frank Bannister, a former architect who suffered a horrible accident and lost his beloved wife after a heated argument. The accident left Fox a depressed life and a half-finished house that is slowly dismantled as firewood. It has also left him an ability to see into the spiritual world and interact with the dead. He makes a living by having three ghosts pose as poltergeists and then Bannister charges the unsuspecting victims of his con and removes the poltergeists from the targeted homes. Cyrus (Chi McBride), Stuart (Jim Fyfe) and the Judge (John Astin) are slowly eroding into ectoplasmic goo, but they spend their haunting time on Earth as Bannister´s unhappy business partners. They want Bannister to finish the house, so they do not have to live in the exterior elements and want other improved living conditions, as they refuse to wholly accept the fact they are dead.
When Bannister is called to the home of Ray (Peter Dobson) and Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado) to remove the poltergeists from their home, Bannister´s hokey performance does not impress Ray, but Bannister sees an image of a number on Ray´s forehead. The town has seen a great number of unnatural heart attacks over the years and the number 37 that appears on Ray´s head is the first indication to Bannister that something spiritual is behind the string of deaths. The town had previously been the site of murder when Johnny Bartlett (Jake Busey) and Patricia Bradley (Dee Wallace) murdered twelve people in a hospital. Now, they are seeing people fall over at an increasing rate with crushed hearts and arteries. Bannister comes into contact with the evil spirit and he and his band of poltergeists must redirect their energies into solving the case and stopping the ghost that has earned the nickname of "Death."
The film moves along nicely and Peter Jackson´s unusual sense of humor and visual stylings are readily apparent throughout the film. Having formerly seen "Braindead (Dead Alive)" and "Bad Taste," this film is a great departure from Jackson´s early horror films. However, his knack for weaving a twisted and unusual story in a calm little New Zealand town is just as apparent in "The Frighteners" as it was when aliens attacked in "Bad Taste" and when zombies attacked in "Braindead." With CGI, Jackson had a new palette to work with and the ghastly effects, especially those that create the Judge, look good enough for a primitive CGI film. The physical effects provided a lot of the campiness of the two earlier films and to a degree, that campiness is lost with "The Frighteners." In a way, this can be considered a more mature effort by the director. In another way, this could be called a lesser attempt because of the inclusion of CGI.
I personally prefer "Bad Taste" and "Braindead" over "The Frighteners." There is no priest that kicks ass for the lord and there is no green soup feasting aliens hanging headfirst over a cliff. "The Frighteners" is far more serious than the elder pictures, but Peter Jackson had made his name by creating horribly fun films with garage made special effects and pinkish blood. However, if it were not for "The Frighteners," Peter Jackson would maybe never have been offered the directorial job for the three "Lord of the Rings" films and that would have been a travesty. This is a fun little film where Michael J. Fox stands alone as a star. The laughs aren´t as thick and prevalent as Jackson´s older films, but the fun factor is there. Fans of Peter Jackson are going to want to gobble this baby right up. This is a peculiar film that will be appreciated the most by the director´s fans, although this movie has a better chance of securing a new audience than anything previously done by Peter Jackson.
Starring Michael J. Fox, "The Frighteners" was also Peter Jackson´s first film with a major Hollywood star. Fox was still a big name around town and although he was more than five years removed from the successful "Back to the Future" films, the actor still had a dedicated following. Supporting Fox in the film was R. Lee Ermey, John Astin and Jake Busey. Not the most familiar cast and the supporting cast certainly did not help Fox out much by providing additional star power, but Peter Jackson´s storytelling and direction step to the forefront and the fun and entertaining little film rises just above the levels of abysmal and morose. "The Frighteners" is a lesser "Ghostbusters" and "Casper" rolled into one mixture of film. The jokes are there and some of them easily incite laughter. Michael J. Fox and his spiritual friends can´t command the screen like Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murry could, but his spiritual detective benefits from Fox´s charm and job experience as Alex P. Keaton.
Fox is Frank Bannister, a former architect who suffered a horrible accident and lost his beloved wife after a heated argument. The accident left Fox a depressed life and a half-finished house that is slowly dismantled as firewood. It has also left him an ability to see into the spiritual world and interact with the dead. He makes a living by having three ghosts pose as poltergeists and then Bannister charges the unsuspecting victims of his con and removes the poltergeists from the targeted homes. Cyrus (Chi McBride), Stuart (Jim Fyfe) and the Judge (John Astin) are slowly eroding into ectoplasmic goo, but they spend their haunting time on Earth as Bannister´s unhappy business partners. They want Bannister to finish the house, so they do not have to live in the exterior elements and want other improved living conditions, as they refuse to wholly accept the fact they are dead.
When Bannister is called to the home of Ray (Peter Dobson) and Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado) to remove the poltergeists from their home, Bannister´s hokey performance does not impress Ray, but Bannister sees an image of a number on Ray´s forehead. The town has seen a great number of unnatural heart attacks over the years and the number 37 that appears on Ray´s head is the first indication to Bannister that something spiritual is behind the string of deaths. The town had previously been the site of murder when Johnny Bartlett (Jake Busey) and Patricia Bradley (Dee Wallace) murdered twelve people in a hospital. Now, they are seeing people fall over at an increasing rate with crushed hearts and arteries. Bannister comes into contact with the evil spirit and he and his band of poltergeists must redirect their energies into solving the case and stopping the ghost that has earned the nickname of "Death."
The film moves along nicely and Peter Jackson´s unusual sense of humor and visual stylings are readily apparent throughout the film. Having formerly seen "Braindead (Dead Alive)" and "Bad Taste," this film is a great departure from Jackson´s early horror films. However, his knack for weaving a twisted and unusual story in a calm little New Zealand town is just as apparent in "The Frighteners" as it was when aliens attacked in "Bad Taste" and when zombies attacked in "Braindead." With CGI, Jackson had a new palette to work with and the ghastly effects, especially those that create the Judge, look good enough for a primitive CGI film. The physical effects provided a lot of the campiness of the two earlier films and to a degree, that campiness is lost with "The Frighteners." In a way, this can be considered a more mature effort by the director. In another way, this could be called a lesser attempt because of the inclusion of CGI.
I personally prefer "Bad Taste" and "Braindead" over "The Frighteners." There is no priest that kicks ass for the lord and there is no green soup feasting aliens hanging headfirst over a cliff. "The Frighteners" is far more serious than the elder pictures, but Peter Jackson had made his name by creating horribly fun films with garage made special effects and pinkish blood. However, if it were not for "The Frighteners," Peter Jackson would maybe never have been offered the directorial job for the three "Lord of the Rings" films and that would have been a travesty. This is a fun little film where Michael J. Fox stands alone as a star. The laughs aren´t as thick and prevalent as Jackson´s older films, but the fun factor is there. Fans of Peter Jackson are going to want to gobble this baby right up. This is a peculiar film that will be appreciated the most by the director´s fans, although this movie has a better chance of securing a new audience than anything previously done by Peter Jackson.
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