REVIEW: THE FRIGHTENERS (1996)

[James Berardinelli]

THE FRIGHTENERS
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli

RATING (0 TO 10): 6.0
Alternative Scale: **1/2 out of ****

United States/New Zealand, 1996
U.S. Release Date: 7/19/96 (wide)
Running Length: 1:50
MPAA Classification: R (Violence, mild gore, profanity)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Cast: Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, Jeffrey Combs,
Dee Wallace-Stone, Jake Busey, Jim Fyfe, Chi McBride, John Astin
Director: Peter Jackson
Producers: Jamie Selkirk and Peter Jackson
Screenplay: Peter Jackson and Frances Walsh
Cinematography: Alun Bollinger and John Blick
Music: Danny Elfman
U.S. Distributor: Universal Pictures

THE FRIGHTENERS isn't a bad film, but it is a disappointment.
Following director Peter Jackson's powerful, true-life matricide tale,
HEAVENLY CREATURES, THE FRIGHTENERS falls short of expectations by being
just one of many in the long line of 1996 summer movies. It's driven by
some pretty nifty special effects, but the characters are fairly
lifeless, and the plot, when it makes sense, is silly and needlessly
convoluted. As horror-comedies go, this one doesn't offer much that's
original or daring. Jackson's past efforts, such as BRAINDEAD and MEET
THE FEEBLES, have taken more chances, and THE FRIGHTENERS doesn't match
the audacity of Sam Raimi's EVIL DEAD movies or even this year's
CEMETERY MAN.

It's not hard to pinpoint what's wrong with THE FRIGHTENERS. The
storyline is extremely confused, and there's no big payoff. The
proceedings meander along, throwing jokes, dripping ectoplasm,
unnecessary characters, and pointless action sequences at the audience,
until they rather suddenly come to an end. There's no big buildup to a
final confrontation, nor is there any real sense of anticipation
regarding the climax. The script is unpolished, and often feels more
like a draft than a finished product.

THE FRIGHTENERS opens with a solid premise. Frank Bannister
(Michael J. Fox) is a paranormal investigator operating in the small
town of Fairweather, California. Bannister is a con artist, but his
accomplices are unusual -- a trio of ghoulish spirits named Stuart (Jim
Fyfe), Cyrus (Chi McBride), and the Judge (John Astin). Because, even
though Bannister is a fraud, he really can see, communicate, and
interact with the dead. Bannister has a simple arrangement with his
associates. Stuart, Cyrus, and the Judge haunt a house, then Bannister
shows up to do an exorcism -- for a fee, of course.

But, when a local doctor, Lucy Lynsky (Trini Alvarado, from LITTLE
WOMEN), loses her husband, both the dead and the living of Fairweather
have cause to be worried. Victims all over town are dying of sudden
heart attacks, and only Bannister knows the cause. Cloaked and armed
with a scythe, the Grim Reaper (a.k.a. the "Soul Catcher") has arrived,
connected somehow to the spirit of an executed serial killer. When
Bannister sets out to end the massacre, he finds that the living are
impotent against Death. Lucy believes in him, but, when he's arrested
on suspicion of murder and she is marked as the Soul Catcher's next
target, there's not much she can do to save Bannister or herself.

THE FRIGHTENERS includes some enjoyable, and potentially
interesting, elements, none of which are given enough exposure to do
them justice. Bannister's interaction with his ghostly con partners
could have made for an enjoyable film on its own; here, it's part of the
setup. Then there's the idea that the protagonist might have to kill
himself to do battle with the Soul Collector on its own turf. Again,
the possibility is only toyed with, not fully realized. At times, it's
frustrating to watch THE FRIGHTENERS, because the seeds of a good story
are there, struggling to get out.

That said, the movie held my attention for its one-hundred ten
minute running time. It's lighthearted and paced like a runaway train,
and some of the gore-and-humor mix works. The special effects, which
were done exclusively by a New Zealand company, are as impressive as
anything produced by ILM. THE FRIGHTENERS isn't as eye popping as
TWISTER or INDEPENDENCE DAY, but it functions as a nice piece of visual
candy. Michael J. Fox does a better-than-adequate job in the lead role,
and he and Trini Alvarado display a nice rapport, even if their romantic
relationship remains underdeveloped.

THE FRIGHTENERS is about as mixed a bag as you can get. The
muddled story is a serious drawback, as are the host of unnecessary
characters and subplots. A nutcase FBI goon (Jeffrey Combs) and a loony
agoraphobic woman (Dee Wallace Stone) irritated me; every time they
appeared, I wanted them to go away. The former, although supposedly on
hand for comic relief, was a little too creepy to be funny, and the
latter was critical only to an unnecessary plot twist. Essentially,
neither was needed, and THE FRIGHTENERS would have been better without
them.

If there's one obvious aspect of this movie that recalls HEAVENLY
CREATURES, it's that Jackson once again plumbs the depths of his
imagination. Next time out (possibly for his rumored re-make of KING
KONG), if he can wed that creativity with a substantive, less convoluted
story, he should be able to regain the form that catapulted him to
international acclaim last year.

- James Berardinelli
e-mail: bera...@bc.cybernex.net
ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin

[Michael J. Legeros]

THE FRIGHTENERS
A film review by Michael John Legeros
Copyright 1996 Michael John Legeros

(Universal)
Directed by Peter Jackson
Written by Peter Jackson and Frances Walsh

Cast Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, Jeffrey
Combs, Dee Wallace-Stone, Jake Busey, Jim Fyfe, Chi
McBride, John Astin

MPAA Rating "R" (presumably for gore and profanity)
Running Time 106 minutes
Reviewed at General Cinemas at Pleasant Valley, Raleigh, NC
(16JUL96)

==

Each week, the magazine "Entertainment Weekly" includes a blurb in
their movie section which compares the opinions of several national
critics. Their ratings are averaged and compared to the weekly results
of an audience exit poll. Not surprisingly, the public tends thinks
more of most movies than the critics do. One of the explanations for
this might involve the concept of popular versus critical opinion. I
won't go down *that* road. Another likely reason is the simple fact
that most people want to enjoy what they pay for, even if they don't
really like it. Think about that. Add in the price of popcorn, plus
the investment of time required to wait in traffic, wait in the lobby,
and wait for the trailers to end, and you're stuck in a situation where
the only alternative to feeling good about a movie, is to feel shame for
the wasted effort. For this reason, I presume that most folks will
*not* be walking out of THE FRIGHTENERS, a failed supernatural comedy
that is nearly unwatchable for the first thirty minutes.

The beginning is the worst-- a sloppy, incoherent mess that shows
such silliness as a woman (Dee Wallace Stone) being chased through an
old mansion by special-effects induced apparitions, a short "psychic
investigator" (Michael J. Fox) attempting to crash a funeral, and that
same person later careening down a hill in an out-of-control jalopy.
Huh? Is bad driving what New Zealand director Peter Jackson (HEAVENLY
CREATURES) thinks is funny to us Americans? Next comes the appearance
of a floating Elvis statue-- "he lives," utters an unbeliever-- and the
discovery that Fox's character is a con man, thankyouverymuch. Though
he really *can* see the spooks, he's actually on fairly friendly terms
with them. They help him scare up business. Of course, nobody in the
small coastal town is particularly fazed by these ghoulish goings-on.
Maybe they've seen GHOSTBUSTERS a few too many times, but the residents
sure take their psychic investigator in stride. Just as they seem
unfazed by a recent rash of inexplicable deaths...

Mercifully, the movie gets (a bit) better as it goes. The human
element is execrable, but a clever cast of Caspers often amuses. Chi
McBride is funny as a jive-talking spirit still wearing bell- bottoms.
That's John Astin under make-up as the (literally) jaw- dropping Judge;
he has some salacious fun with an Egyptian mummy. Also look for a
memorable appearance by R. Lee Ermey, reprising his FULL METAL JACKET
role as a deceased drill instructor. I rather enjoyed all the
oppressive imagery of death and decay. You may want to leave the
younger ones at home, though, as the rotting corpses and dusty skeletons
may send them screaming into the lobby. Heh, heh. A macabre finale,
set inside of an abandoned hospital, is the high-point of this low
movie. Jackson cross-cuts between the present (Fox and Trini Alvarado
in peril) and the past (Jake Busey as a mass-murdering orderly) and it's
a grisly gas. With exploding heads and carved foreheads, the sequence
might even have been scary, if the rest of the movie hadn't so
completely dulled our senses.

Grade: C+

--

Mike Legeros - Raleigh, NC
leg...@nando.net (h) - leg...@unx.sas.com (w)
Visit me in MOVIE HELL <URL http://www.n-vision.com/hell/>

[cgir...@aol.com]

THE FRIGHTENERS
A film review by cgir...@aol.com
Copyright 1996 cgir...@aol.com

Acclaimed director Peter Jackson (HEAVENLY CREATURES, DEAD ALIVE) and
executive producer Robert Zemeckis (director of FORREST GUMP) have teamed
up to bring this breathtaking visual masterpiece to the big screen. And
in a dazzling mixture of black comedy and pure horror it delivers like no
other film!

The film is about Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox), a con man who can
communicate with the spirits of the dearly departed due to a car accident
that altered his perception five years before. His best friends are
spirits in fact; the worm hole riddled Judge from the 1800's (and his
ghost dog Rustler), an African American "brother" from the 70's called
Cyrus, and a nerdy guy named Stuart. Frank's buddies haunt houses, the
owners call Frank in to get rid of them, and then Frank collects the cash;
the PERFECT con. But the little town of Fairwater has a rapidly rising
death count and the victims have all had a tremendous amount of pressure
on their hearts. Only Frank and his pals can see what is doing the
killing. It is the Soul Collector. Frank is determined to stop it, but
how can you destroy Death?
This film is the best! The plot, which may seem like overkill city
when the film is first viewed, is actually VERY interesting and fun with
plenty of twists. Michael J. Fox and Trini Alvarado give great lead
performances, and the other cast members are good too; all of the ghosts,
FBI agent Dammers, Patricia, and Johnny Bartlett are all extremely
memorable supporting characters. The delightfully evil score is composed
by the master, Danny Elfman. The make-up by Academy Award winner Rick
Baker (ED WOOD, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON) is top-notch. The real
standout is the visual effects. With a record breaking 570 CGI effects
shots this film required the longest predetermined shoot in Universal's
history. The result: EVERY effect is a jaw dropper! In fact, the only
bad thing about this film is that when a new effect shows up...you still
haven't gotten over the last amazing visual. Add to this list the "in
your face, 90mph" direction of Peter Jackson AND you know this film is a
winner! A thrill-packed, visually stunning, and frequently funny roller
coaster ride...this film is the greatest!

[Christopher Null]

THE FRIGHTENERS
A film review by Christopher Null
Copyright 1996 Christopher Null

GHOSTBUSTERS meets TWIN PEAKS? Michael J. Fox's comeback movie? A
film about a lazy guy who catches ghosts for a living? A supporting cast
of unknowns? Does anyone want to see a movie like this?

*Yes!* And you'd better get to the theater quick, because THE
FRIGHTENERS, in a manner suggested be the above questions, will not make
huge waves at the box office in a crowded field of summer blockbusters.

Nevertheless, THE FRIGHTENERS is one of those gems that deserves to be
seen for its fresh and funny approach to the horror genre. Peter Jackson,
writer-director and master of schlock, is behind the camera for the first
time since 1994's HEAVENLY CREATURES. His tale this time is most simply
described as... GHOSTBUSTERS meets TWIN PEAKS.

It all starts with spirit-chaser Frank Bannister (Fox), whom everyone
thinks is a con-man except for the unhappy Lucy (Trini Alvarado). And when
people suddenly start turning up mysteriously dead in the town of
Fairwater, Frank becomes Suspect #1. While the cops and feds come after
him, Frank starts a witch hunt of his own, chasing a Grim Reaper-type
character who is really responsible. Meanwhile, Frank's spiritual friends
come to his aid.

No, the one-paragraph description doesn't do it justice, but trust me,
after 30 minutes of rough exposition, Jackson hits his stride, even if it
doesn't make a whole lot of sense until 10 minutes from the end. No
matter, because the payoff is worth it, and along the way we are treated to
the end-result of the morphing effects Jackson began meddling with in
HEAVENLY CREATURES.

Even better is a performance by co-star Alvarado, who steals the show
from Fox *and* the ghosts (not an easy feat) with her graceful beauty and
excellent acting ability. If I were a studio exec, I'd be throwing lots
and lots of money at her right now, because this girl (who most recently
appeared in LITTLE WOMEN, is going to be a star. I have to admire
Jackson's casting ability -- after all, he discovered Kate Winslet for
HEAVENLY, now Alvarado... who's next? (Me!)

And my gushing about fair Trini is not to detract from Fox or the
other co-stars, the most notable of which are R. Lee Ermey, recreating (as
a ghost) his sergeant role from FULL METAL JACKET, and Jeffrey Combs (yes,
THE RE-ANIMATOR himself), as the most twisted FBI agent you'll ever see on
film.

Jackson's innovative use of flashback and humor overcome the script's
shortcomings and some surprisingly bad (and annoying) voice dubbing, but
only if you give the film a chance to pick up some steam. Early judges
will not be pleased. Jackson's fans will be elated.

RATING: ****

|------------------------------|
\ ***** Perfection \
\ **** Good, memorable film \
\ *** Average, hits and misses \
\ ** Sub-par on many levels \
\ * Unquestionably awful \
|------------------------------|

-Christopher Null / nu...@filmcritic.com / Writer-Producer
-Visit the Movie Emporium at http://www.filmcritic.com/
-and Null Set Productions at http://www.filmcritic.com/nullset.htm

[W. Graves]

THE FRIGHTENERS
A film review by W. Graves
Copyright 1996 W. Graves

I don't know how or why, but Michael J. Fox (why does the "J" have to be said
anyway?) has the lead in this non-leader. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Fox's
acting. I just haven't seen him in a strong comedy/drama since the "Back to
the Future" series ended. I saw a brief reincarnate when I saw "Greedy" and
"The American President," but this ends the streak. Frighteners has some
dazzling effects, and the script wasn't too shabby, however, the humor failed
to come from Fox. The cast of ghosts got most of the laughs, and the R rating
is what kills them all. It's hard to tell at first what type of movie this is.
The comedy/horror/drama mix is extremely lopsided and awkward. There are
several parts of this film that are excessively violent, and could have made
the movie much better if they were deleted. I'm not against violence in films,
but it just doesn't fit with this script. Michael did the best he could as
this character, but the part should have been focused more on the Fox we know
and love, and not the corny jokes and effects the ghosts offer. What you get
is a half serious horror/ half "Casper" mix that simply doesn't do the job. It
would have done better as a kiddy movie, but the big "R" will prevent that.
Fox plays a con who has befriended several spirits he can see and communicate
with after a traumatic accident. They help him scare customers into paying for
his bogus services as a ghostbuster. The twist comes when a deceased serial
killer continues his mayhem as a spirit, and must be sent to the "other side"
to end the murdering spree and prevent Fox from being framed for the killings.
I'd seriously consider waiting on this one...either for the video release, or
indefinitely. Either way you won't miss much.

AS SEEN AT: http://www.txdirect.net/users/aaron/toad/movie.html
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