The Frighteners

Starring:Trini Alvarado, John Astin, Jonathan Blick, Angela Bloomfield, Jake Busey, Jeffrey Combs, Peter Dobson, R. Lee Ermey, Troy Evans, Michael J. Fox, Jim Fyfe, Elizabeth Hawthorne, Desmond Kelly, Chi McBride, Julianna McCarthy, Todd Rippon, Michael Robinson (II), John Sumner, Dee Wallace-Stone
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Customer Reviews:

frighten again.......2007-06-28

this is once of those off the wall films,that will blow you away.i love this film,ever since i saw it on laser disc[remember those]!this also afilm you could watch again and again.this movie has everthing you could ask for.its funny,its drama.michel j fox is wonderful and a great supporting cast behind him.directed by peter jackson,yes that peter jackson!this hd dvd version with its 1080p avc-vc-1 video is first rate.audio is dolby digital plus,anew audio code.universal released this movie on vhs,laser disc,sd dvd and now hd dvd,there must be a good reason.get this hd dvd you will be glad you did!

HD-DVD version.......2007-06-22

Suffice to say that if you are into HD and especially HD-DVD and have a big screen, I mean 100" or above then this is why you got into HD.

The video transfer is superb, a couple of very minor film artifacts here and there but nothing to write home about.

The audio transfer is also a knockout.

Just get it you will not be dissapointed.

Very good film and a good disc.......2007-06-17

I'm not going to comment on the film itself as you can read up on the film elsewhere but i'll let you know a little about the HD DVD disc itself. If your in the UK, the disc works perfectly on my Xbox 360 Add On so don't worry about buying from the US.

On the disc, there is the film itself (14 minutes extra as it's a director's cut), peter jackson's (first) feature commentary and also a trailer. There is also a 240 minute documentary about the making of the film from start to finish. I started watching it last night not realising how long it was, so i had to turn it off and i'll watch the rest tonight. Nice Layout of the disc (same as any other Universal disc) and the quality of the film is great.

I've not seen this compared to the Standard Def version of the special edition so i cannot compare them, but the HD DVD version is definately one i'd recommend.

Hope this helps...

great movie but.......2007-06-12

This is a great movie, and the previous comment gives youthe storyline. But Im disappointed with amazon not listing aboutthe actual product. as far as whats ont he HD DVD version that's not on the already released regular DVD version. no reviews have been written about such information.

Wicked fun!.......2007-03-10

Just before doing "Lord of the Rings," director Peter Jackson (who can be seen in a cameo as "Man with Piercings") made an off-kilter horror/comedy movie called "The Frighteners," the tale of the undead and the guy who makes a living off of them. Though "Frighteners" was barely in theaters at all, this cult flick is funny, creepy, well-acted and wonderfully directed.

Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox) has seen spirits and apparitions ever since the car crash that killed his wife. Now he operates an amateur "ghostbusting" operation that is supposed to exorcise ghosts from people's houses -- the problem is that the ghosts who haunt those houses are in league with him (Chi McBride as the opinioated afro-ed Cyrus, Jim Fyfe as the nerdy Stuart, and most of John Astin as what is left of The Judge).

Frank's business certainly isn't hurt by the fact that for years after a serial killer's murderous spree, people have died mysteriously of heart attacks. Then Frank starts seeing fiery numbers emblazoned on the foreheads of people who will die, including the husband of doctor Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado). As if trying to stop a specter of death weren't hard enough, crazed FBI agent Milton Dammers (Jeffrey Combs) believes that Frank is the one murdering people. But the evil specter is still killing -- and Lucy is the next victim.

Peter Jackson once said that he has a "moronic" sense of humor, and it shows up in all its glory here -- from bug spray dissolving a ghost's face to a piece of talking oily sludge to a drill sargeant ghost with submachine guns, this is weird and absolutely hilarious. It's the perfect blend of comedy and horror.

But he's also good during the more serious moments, such as Bannister's flashbacks to his wife's death, or the eerie sight of homicidal young lovers dancing with a gun. The opening shot is pure Jackson, with the camera swooping through a window, past fluttering curtains, and though a hole in the attic floor to a screaming woman below.

Jackson also takes the opportunity to poke a bit of fun at more conventional ghost movies: the big Gothic house, crazy old lady, ghost in '70s clothes, and Fox's hilarious turn as a ghostbuster. Nothing horrific is sacred. "There ain't nothing worse than a bunch of pissed-off brothers... that's ALREADY DEAD!" Cyrus yells at one point.

Does it have a flaw? Yes -- the opening scene doesn't seem to make much sense later on in the movie. But Jackson makes up for that with a surprisingly tight, coherent plot, and a satisfying finale that makes more sense than most other horror movies do.

The cast is brilliant, whether it's the twitchy, wild-eyed FBI agent, or the three weird ghosts. Michael J. Fox does an excellent job as Frank, with the right combination of cockiness and pathos, while Alvarado is solid as the idealistic young doctor. But the scenes are reallystolen by Dee Wallace-Stone and freaky-eyed Jake Busey, as homicidal young lovers.

"Frighteners" might not make you believe in ghosts, but it will make you laugh, shiver, and maybe even shed a tear or two. Wildly funny, weird, gross, and sometimes really peculiar, this is Jackson's splatter-gore at its best.

Average customer rating:

A must-see for fans of the genre!
Very entertaining and humorous horror flick
Brilliant movie!
An over-the-top romance featuring Patricia, Johnny and big, sharp knives, with a fine Michael J. Fox and lots of special effects
Funny and Scary

The Frighteners (Director's Cut)
Starring: Trini Alvarado , John Astin , Jonathan Blick , Angela Bloomfield , and Jake Busey
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Sin City - Unrated (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
The Brothers Grimm
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Batman Begins [HD DVD]
War of the Worlds (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000ASATYO
Release Date: 2005-11-29

Amazon.com essential video

One movie lover's nightmare is another's raucous joyride, and this special effects-laden horror comedy is bound to split both camps right down the middle. (Or, as Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide puts it, "definitely not for all tastes but a wild time for those who get into it.") Michael J. Fox plays a psychic investigator who can actually see ghosts, and lives with a trio of undead spirits who scare people to promote Fox's ghost-busting business. In a town infamous for serial killings, a new series of deaths prompts Fox to induce his own out-of-body experience so he can battle death in a spirit-plagued netherworld where evil reigns supreme--or something like that. So much happens in this chaotic film that you might feel like you're watching several movies at once--a slasher pic, a supernatural thriller, and a black comedy all rolled into a nonstop showcase for grisly makeup and a dozen varieties of special effects. It's an odd but wildly inventive film from New Zealand director Peter Jackson, who earned critical acclaim for his previous film Heavenly Creatures and would later create the ingenious pseudo-documentary Forgotten Silver. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

A must-see for fans of the genre!.......2007-06-04

This is one of the most entertaining horror flicks of all time! It has humor, horror and great effects that make it a compelling & fun movie. Michael J Fox plays Frank Bannister, who claims to be able to see ghosts and ekes out a living by chasing ghosts out of homes. In actuality, he has a couple of ghosts working for him, and he sends them off to unsuspecting victims homes where for a fee, he 'exorcises' the homes. The story picks up when Frank senses some ghostly activity that is not of his doing, and tries to figure things out. The characters are all well-fleshed out, and the effects are just spectacular. A great blend of humor and horror!

Very entertaining and humorous horror flick.......2007-04-05

This movie was alot of fun from start to finish. It was very brilliant and very humorous story. The commentary in the beginning of this movie by the director gives a little history about this movie and others about the special effects. A person just seeing this movie would not think about how much effort goes into a movie like this until you are told about it. Michael J. Fox gives an outstanding performance as the "paranormal researcher and exorcist". This is not a scarey horror movie, instead it is a very funny, alot of laughs kind of horror movie. I highly recommend this movie that really likes alot of fun in horror movies.

Brilliant movie! .......2007-02-20

The Frighteners is a thrilling, entertaining and overall great movie! I loved the characters, and would definitly recomend this movie.

An over-the-top romance featuring Patricia, Johnny and big, sharp knives, with a fine Michael J. Fox and lots of special effects.......2007-02-20

The room was full. Almost everybody had filled their white styrofoam cups with black coffee and had taken their seats. When I finally got the nerve to stand I felt so self-conscious I wanted to crawl under my chair. "My name is Charley DeRiemer," I finally said, "and...I...uh...I'm a fan of...uh...The Frighteners."

But I'm disappointed in a lot of it, too. This horror-comedy has too much humor and wit and not enough cheese to qualify as a cult flick. All the film's Computer Generated Flatulence, for me, eventually loses impact. The CGF so clutters up the story-line, which already is complicated, that I think Peter Jackson, the director, must have fallen in love with his computer toys and forgotten there was a story to tell. It doesn't help that while most of the movie is over-the-top funny, the last part sinks into to an old-fashioned scare-um gore-fest without cleverness, just Jake Busey grinning with a lot of teeth and people jumping out with big knives in their hands. So why is this movie so likable?

First, most of the time the script is funny and clever. Second, several of the sequences manage to create a great blend of humor, raunchiness, special effects and drama (the funeral and cemetery, the museum party in the Egyptian wing) or a real jolt of dread and foreboding (Lucy in the mansion with Patricia Ann, the beginning of the psychiatric hospital scene). Third, the movie has some fine, grotesque acting that is weird and unsettling (Jeffrey Coombs, Dee Wallace, Jake Busey) or weird and funny (John Astin, Chi McBride, Peter Dobson). Fourth, you can't beat a love story that reaches beyond death into eternal devotion. For Patricia (Dee Wallace) and Johnny (Jake Busey), love is forever and means never having to say you're sorry. Fifth, and to my mind most importantly, it has Michael J. Fox as Frank Bannister. Fox has the personality and star firepower to be able to turn a typical nice-guy character into a man we really like. Fox has been a master in portraying flawed, vulnerable nice guys we almost instantly sympathize with. It's a rare talent. For me, he manages most of the time to overcome the continual show-off intrusion of all that Computer Generated Overkill. The exception is when he's involved with a massive tube to heaven that looks like a Slinky on steroids. When he's on screen, even when he's enmeshed with silly blue-screen aerobics, he makes the film human and grounded. It's a shame Jackson had all that money and all those computers to play with. He didn't really need them. Just watch how he builds dread when Lucy arrives at the creepy old mansion to whisk Patricia away to safety. It's one of the best, most skillful scenes in the movie, and there's hardly a computer effect to be seen until the last of it...when the dread and suspense are swept out and the "wow" stuff is swept in.

There's a lot of great stuff in this comedy about serial killers, demonic possession and a scamming psychic investigator who brings along his own ghosts. There's a lot to be frustrated by, too. For the most part, I just use my fast-forward button now and them. I do like the movie even with its faults. Now if only someone would make, "Johnny and Patricia versus Mommy and Daddy," featuring the knife-wielding Mommy and leather-suited Daddy from The People Under the Stairs. That would make a tag-team match worth watching.

The original, basic DVD has the 110-minute theatrical release. There is a director's cut at 122-minutes which was probably the brainchild of the production company's marketing department, division of double-dips development. The DVD transfer looks just fine.

Funny and Scary.......2007-01-04

This has got to be the best Michael J. Fox movie I have ever seen (and I love M.J.Fox) .
This movie has it all, Scares!Laughs! Romance!
The Ghost are great.
I could watch this movie every day.
I watch alot of movies and I own alot of them.
This is one of the few that I have on both VHS & DVD.
I have the original and the Directors cut.
The extras are great.
If you like Michael J. Fox movie's you will love this one,
Even if you don't like his movies this is a must see for Horror fans and Comedy lovers a like. Enjoy!!!

Average customer rating:

A must-see for fans of the genre!
Very entertaining and humorous horror flick
Brilliant movie!
An over-the-top romance featuring Patricia, Johnny and big, sharp knives, with a fine Michael J. Fox and lots of special effects
Funny and Scary

The Frighteners
Starring: Trini Alvarado , John Astin , Jonathan Blick , Angela Bloomfield , and Jake Busey
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Sin City - Unrated (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
The Brothers Grimm
Serenity (Widescreen Edition)
Batman Begins [HD DVD]
War of the Worlds (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: 078322799X
Release Date: 1998-08-18

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

A must-see for fans of the genre!.......2007-06-04

Very entertaining and humorous horror flick.......2007-04-05

Brilliant movie! .......2007-02-20

The Frighteners is a thrilling, entertaining and overall great movie! I loved the characters, and would definitly recomend this movie.

An over-the-top romance featuring Patricia, Johnny and big, sharp knives, with a fine Michael J. Fox and lots of special effects.......2007-02-20

Funny and Scary.......2007-01-04

Average customer rating:

A must-see for fans of the genre!
Very entertaining and humorous horror flick
Brilliant movie!
An over-the-top romance featuring Patricia, Johnny and big, sharp knives, with a fine Michael J. Fox and lots of special effects
Funny and Scary

The Frighteners [Region 2]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Sin City - Unrated (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
The Brothers Grimm
Serenity (Widescreen Edition)
Batman Begins [HD DVD]
War of the Worlds (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B00004D2WH

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

A must-see for fans of the genre!.......2007-06-04

Very entertaining and humorous horror flick.......2007-04-05

Brilliant movie! .......2007-02-20

The Frighteners is a thrilling, entertaining and overall great movie! I loved the characters, and would definitly recomend this movie.

An over-the-top romance featuring Patricia, Johnny and big, sharp knives, with a fine Michael J. Fox and lots of special effects.......2007-02-20

Funny and Scary.......2007-01-04

Average customer rating:

The Frighteners, (DIVX) DVD

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

The Frighteners starring Michael J. Fox, John Astin.THIS IS A DIVX, NOT DVD.

Average customer rating:

Wicked fun
The last movie Peter Jackson made before "LOTR"

The Frighteners [Region 2]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Customer Reviews:

Wicked fun.......2006-08-28

Just before doing "Lord of the Rings," director Peter Jackson (who can be seen in a cameo as "Man with Piercings") made an off-kilter horror/comedy movie called "The Frighteners," the tale of the undead and the guy who makes a living off of them. Though "Frighteners" was barely in theaters at all, this cult flick is funny, creepy, well-acted and wonderfully directed.

Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox) has seen spirits and apparitions ever since the car crash that killed his wife. Now he operates an amateur "ghostbusting" operation that is supposed to exorcise ghosts from people's houses -- the problem is that the ghosts who haunt those houses are in league with him (Chi McBride as the opinioated afro-ed Cyrus, Jim Fyfe as the nerdy Stuart, and most of John Astin as what is left of The Judge).

Frank's business certainly isn't hurt by the fact that for years after a serial killer's murderous spree, people have died mysteriously of heart attacks. Then Frank starts seeing fiery numbers emblazoned on the foreheads of people who will die, including the husband of doctor Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado). As if trying to stop a specter of death weren't hard enough, crazed FBI agent Milton Dammers (Jeffrey Combs) believes that Frank is the one murdering people. But the evil specter is still killing -- and Lucy is the next victim.

Peter Jackson once said that he has a "moronic" sense of humor, and it shows up in all its glory here -- from bug spray dissolving a ghost's face to a piece of talking oily sludge to a drill sargeant ghost with submachine guns, this is weird and absolutely hilarious. It's the perfect blend of comedy and horror.

But he's also good during the more serious moments, such as Bannister's flashbacks to his wife's death, or the eerie sight of homicidal young lovers dancing with a gun. The opening shot is pure Jackson, with the camera swooping through a window, past fluttering curtains, and though a hole in the attic floor to a screaming woman below.

Jackson also takes the opportunity to poke a bit of fun at more conventional ghost movies: the big Gothic house, crazy old lady, ghost in '70s clothes, and Fox's hilarious turn as a ghostbuster. Nothing horrific is sacred. "There ain't nothing worse than a bunch of pissed-off brothers... that's ALREADY DEAD!" Cyrus yells at one point.

Does it have a flaw? Yes -- the opening scene doesn't seem to make much sense later on in the movie. But Jackson makes up for that with a surprisingly tight, coherent plot, and a satisfying finale that makes more sense than most other horror movies do.

The cast is brilliant, whether it's the twitchy, wild-eyed FBI agent, or the three weird ghosts. Michael J. Fox does an excellent job as Frank, with the right combination of cockiness and pathos, while Alvarado is solid as the idealistic young doctor. But the scenes are really stolen by Dee Wallace-Stone and freaky-eyed Jake Busey, as homicidal young lovers.

"Frighteners" might not make you believe in ghosts, but it will make you laugh, shiver, and maybe even shed a tear or two. Wildly funny, weird, gross, and sometimes really peculiar, this is Jackson's splatter-gore at its best.

The last movie Peter Jackson made before "LOTR" .......2005-12-05

When his growing legions of fans work their way back through the early films of Peter Jackson to determine how the man who started off directing comic gorefests like "Bad Taste" and "Dead Alive" ended up being entrusted with "The Lord of the Rings," this 1996 film will be the last link in the chain because it was after "The Frighteners" that Jackson devoted himself to bringing Tolkien to the big screen. Like every film he has ever made, "The Frighteners" shows a relentless creativity, although ultimately the story is not up to the impressive special effects. Consequently, while enjoyable, the film is also somewhat disappointing because we really expected something better in a film where Jackson finally had money to play with.

"The Frighteners" is a horror-comedy that falls a bit short of both halves of the equation although it starts off strong enough. Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox) is a paranormal investigator who shows up in the small town of Fairweather, California. Bannister is a most unusual con artist, because not only can he really see ghosts, he has three of them working for him: Stuart (Jim Fyfe), Cyrus (Chi McBride), and the Judge (John Astin). The ghostly trio put the fear of the undead into someone and then Bannister shows up and drives them away: for a small fee (with a money back guarantee). But then the husband of Lucy Lynsky (Trini Alvardo) drops dead and so do a lot of other people in town, all from heart attacks, and usually after seeing Bannister. He knows that the killer is the Soul Catcher, because he can not only see it attack, he can see the numbers that appear on the foreheads of his intended victims. Then things get complicated.

By the time we find out what the opening scene of the film, where unseen spirits are terrifying loony old Patricia Ann Bradley (Dee Wallace-Stone), the contrivances are too mind-numbing to really care. Apparently there is a point to all this having to do with the competitiveness of Americans even in the realm of serial killing. Bannister's attempts to play the hero are consistently thwarted by Milton Dammers (Jeffrey Combs), an F.B.I. agent who is equal parts hardcase and nutcase. Every time he did something weird I found myself saying, "Well, okay then." His antics usually engendered a laugh, but it was just never quite the right type of laugh, having too much of a skeptical edge to it. If there is one think you do not want you audience to be when you are doing a horror movie with ghosts, it would be skeptical.

Despite the problems with the convoluted narrative and the uneven tone of the comedy, this is still a film worth watching just to see what Jackson pulls out of his special effects bag of tricks next. Clearly the best of the pre-LOTR movies from Jackson is definitely "Heavaenly Creatures," which speaks to the director's strengths in terms of not just special effects but also with adaptations, whether from a literary classic or from infamous historical events. This means that his announced next project, a remake of "King Kong," plays to these strengths as well.

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