The Frighteners (1996)

Calificación de los usuarios:

7.0/10   

Director:

Peter Jackson

Escritores (WGA):

Fran Walsh (written by) &
Peter Jackson (written by)

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

19 julio 1996 (USA)

Género:

Comedia | Fantasía | Horror | Suspenso

Frase comercial:

No Rest for the Wicked.

Plot:

After a car accident in which his wife, Debra, was killed and he was injured, Frank Bannister develops psychic abilities allowing him to see...

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Hell | Architect | Grim Reaper | Widow

Premios:

1 win & 10 nominations

Comentarios de los usuarios:

The definition of an overlooked film

Reparto

Michael J. Fox	...	Frank Bannister
Trini Alvarado	...	Dr. Lucy Lynskey
Peter Dobson	...	Ray Lynskey
John Astin	...	The Judge
Jeffrey Combs	...	Milton Dammers
Dee Wallace	...	Patricia Ann Bradley (as Dee Wallace-Stone)
Jake Busey	...	Johnny Charles Bartlett
Chi McBride	...	Cyrus
Jim Fyfe	...	Stuart, Bannister's Ghostly Assistant
Troy Evans	...	Sheriff Walt Perry
Julianna McCarthy	...	Old Lady Bradley
R. Lee Ermey	...	Sgt. Hiles
Elizabeth Hawthorne	...	Magda Rees-Jones
Angela Bloomfield	...	Debra Bannister
Desmond Kelly	...	Harry Sinclair

También conocida como:

Robert Zemeckis Presents: The Frighteners (USA) (complete title)
Agárrame esos fantasmas (Spain) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for terror/violence.

Duración:

110 min | USA:122 min (director's cut)

País:

New Zealand | USA

Idioma:

Inglés

Color:

Color

Relación de Aspecto:

2.35 : 1

Sonido:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Clasificación:

Finland:K-16 (1997) (video) (uncut) | Finland:K-16 (2000) (DVD) (cut) | Netherlands:12 | Germany:16 (director's cut) | Germany:18 (nf) | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-15 (2005) (uncut) (DVD) (director's cut) | UK:15 (re-rating) (2005) (uncut) | UK:15 (uncut director's edition) | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | USA:R (certificate #34656) | New Zealand:M | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Italy:VM14 | Norway:11 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (cut)

Locaciones de Filmación:

Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand

Compañía:

Universal Pictures

Trivialidades:

Right at the beginning, the picture of the dead man (Chuck Hughes) in the newspaper article is that of production designer Grant Major.

Errores:

Continuidad: During the scene in the museum the two guards fire at least 45 shots from their automatic pistols without reloading.

Citas:

[an Elvis statuette flies around the room during a Poltergeist appearance]
Ray Lynskey: He's alive!

Conexiones de Película:

Referenced in Behind the Bull: Forgotten Silver (2000) (V)

Banda de Sonido:

Superstar

The definition of an overlooked film

I don't know what it is with horror movies, and horror/comedies in particular. Either they are huge, blockbuster hits (GHOSTBUSTERS, SCREAM) or they are virtually ignored by theatergoers and critics (everything except for GHOSTBUSTERS and SCREAM). Unfortunately THE FRIGHTENERS falls into the last category, which is a shame because it's a great, original film.

Others like M.A. Rogers have described the plot in detail here, so I won't go into it. Suffice it to say that Michael J. Fox gives a terrific, believable performance here as the ghostbusting conman who gets more than he bargained for. The supporting cast is a hoot (especially the insane FBI agent). Peter Jackson, a man who has proven he can even make a good movie on a camcorder, was given a decent budget here and it really shows. The special effects are noteworthy and are actually put to good use rather than being eye candy. While the violence/gore factor in THE FRIGHTENERS is toned down in comparison to Jackson's earlier films, the comedy is still spot-on. Jackson can do no wrong it seems.

Even if you're not a total horror fan, there should still be something here for you to latch on to and enjoy. Heck, there's almost nothing missing from this movie--romance, comedy, scares, action... it's all there. What's not to like? But don't take my word for it, go rent it and see for yourself.

9/10