The Frighteners - 1996

I'm trying to decide what would make the big film companies such a huge chance on Peter Jackson. Sure, he had done some cool effects stuff in The Frighteners. Heavenly Creatures he proved he had some dramatic strength. But these were small scale, relatively unsuccessful movies. Besides those, he had only done small indie horror films. I started Bad Taste the other day. I had to turn it off. My time is more valuable than that.

The Frighteners stars Michael J Fox as Frank Bannister, a ghostbuster-like likable psychic who is revealed to be able to see ghosts. He has a couple friend ghosts that go haunt places and then he shows up and cleanses the house, thus securing a good little existence for himself. This is all well and good except for there is another ghost in town, and this eerie specter is looking like the traditional view of Death, long flowing robe and a scythe. Death is squeezing people's hearts and making them die before their time and Frank is the only one who can do anything about it since he is the only one who can see the undead.

I don't know bro. It was kinda stupid. Hence my wondering about Peter Jackson. This movie felt like it was trying to hard to be funny, like it was trying too hard all around really, and many plot elements are telegraphed or feel so hackneyed and "whatever" that it leaves you feeling a bit cold. Michael J Fox is doing the lords work here, selling the shit out of this, and he elevates it a bit, but the pieces don't mesh as well as they could. I wasn't thrilled with it.

Cut it short with 2 stars.