One of the last Michael J. Fox film I had seen him in. He plays a man who can see the dead, after losing his wife in a car accident, and has been communicating with the dead ever since. Now he is going up against one of the hardest beings ever know, and that is Death. What will it take for him to save the day? 3 of his ghostly friends, and a woman that believes in him when no one else does. Only they have on other person standing in their way, and that is an FBI agent who seems to be one screw lose than the other town folk.
I was quite surprised that this film is more recent than I had suspected as it has an older look to it and I tend to associate Michael J Fox with the 80's.
It's a likeable ghost horror comedy, on a similar sort of lines to Beetlejuice.
Easy watching, non thinker, predictable yet enjoyable.
omg i love this movie so much its awesome i could watch it everyday i saw this movie when i was little i saw it like 15times and iit never gets old and when i was a kid i did not know that Jeffrey Combs was in here the only person i knew that was in here was Michael J. Fox and he looked hot in this movie well i thought he did but this is such a great movie and i though it was funny to even though it was horror
In 1990, "Frank Bannister" (Michael J. Fox) and his wife (Angela Bloomfield) are in a horrific car accident which takes her life. "Frank" is found dazed miles away, and unable to recall what happened. He also couldn't account for a missing pocket knife that was inside the trunk, or why the number 13 was carved into his wife's forehead.
A few years later, "Frank" becomes a paranormal con artist, who gets help from three ghosts: the nerdy "Stuart" (Jim Fyfe), a 1970's African-American (Chi McBride) and an Old West lawman (John Astin). The three ghosts cause hauntings for "Frank" to investigate, when in reality, he is just trying to make a buck. And the funniest part, the ghosts leave "Frank's" business card for people to find to call him.
To anybody who is paying attention, it is obvious that "Frank" is a fraud. However, when bodies begin turning up in a similar fashion to that of his wife years ago with a number carved into their foreheads, "Frank" must use his powers to find the evil entity that is killing the people.
OK, first of all, I have to ask one question -- why the heck is this movie Rated R? There is absolutely no extreme gore, nor is there any real strong language to even warrant an R. When the movie first came out, the people behind it were targeting a PG-13 rating and were seriously perplexed as to why the Motion Picture Association of America gave the movie an R. And I have to agree with them. This movie really should have been PG-13.
One thing you can't help but notice is the ghosts. It is pretty obvious that they had a big problem trying to align the ghosts and the humans when they talked with each other. I find that, when a character is added into a scene during post-production, it is impossible to make the people in the scene to look directly at the ones inserted into the scene. You can really see what I am talking about if you pay attention to where the people in the scene is looking. Add to that when the special effects become dated, like in this film, and it really shows.
One big problem with this movie is character development. The audience is told very little about the three ghosts, who really aren't in the movie a lot with exception of the beginning of the movie.
You also have a problem with the blossoming romance in the movie between two main characters. In fact, there isn't even a hint in the entire movie that they are getting together until the end of the movie.
This movie is a mix between comedy and horror, and does a pretty good job at mixing the two. Like I said earlier, there is very little gore in this movie to warrant the R rating this movie received. The worst that we get is some pretty graphic looking wounds in the victims' foreheads. When the poltergeist which is killing its victims, you get it reaching into its victims bodies and the attacks look really tame for a R rated movie.
Most of the comedy comes from the three ghosts which team up with "Frank". However, when they disappear from the story, the movie becomes a tame horror flick with no real scares.
I also found the paranormal villain (Jake Bussy) not scary at all. In fact, he came off as more comical than anything.
When it comes to the movie's score, I don't remember any music or song that happened at all. I can't even tell you what the songs were that played over the closing credits.
I think that if there is nothing else on, you should check this movie out when it comes to HBO. I just can't recommend renting it.
This movie is great, very odd, but the idea of murder from beyond the grave, all for the sick game of topping the greatest killers in recorded history, it's interesting... no? Gotta love the Judge though, how can you not laugh at a ghost fucking a mummy, and all the burninig numbers in the foreheads of who's next on the list, I'd lose my mind too seeing all that and the spectre of Death flying and moving in for the kill. Good stuff...
Excellent movie and the last "true" Peter Jackson movie. Great performances from some of my favorite actors headed by a story from one of my favorite directors.
Before 'LOTR', Peter Jackson was a true wunderkind of the horror/comedy genre, and this film represents what should have been a sure thing for him - as conceived, it would have been a blend of equal parts 'Tales From the Crypt', 'The Exorcist', and 'Back to the Future' by way of a high-concept, mega-budget action/horror/comedy. Regrettably, something went sour in the mix, and the end result is well-directed but overly self-satisfied, the kind of film that tries to browbeat you with special effects and smirky one-liners rather than just kicking back and actually having fun.
another peter jackson classic! a nice blend of horror and comedy. losts of good performances, but jeffrey combs stands out as the loony f.b.i agent. and r. lee ermey's character? an unexpected sight, but that is definitely a good thing - especially considering how off-beat this movie is.
Surprisingly cool movie. Beneath all the comedy, the story was substantial enough to keep you at the edge of your seat once all the jokes get old. Aside from that, the terrific story progression and great visuals and special effects really made this movie a success.
Good humor mixed with a creepy tone. I didn't expect a lot out of this movie when I saw it, but I was very impressed by the end. Of course if I had known Jackson was going to go on to screw up the Lord of the Rings I would have killed him then.
Ok, generally billed as a youth-friendly supernatural horror/comedy in the vein of Beetlejuice or Ghostbusters, the movie's an all around good watch...
wow what a movie..i think that this is a great comedy movie this is just so enjoyable 2 watch because its a whole load of funn throughout...i think that peter jackson has done an amazing job of directing this movie..this has loads of special effects throughout the movie..i think micheal j fox is brilliant in this movie...i think the soundtrack for this movie is really good because its done by blue oyster cult "Dont Fear The Reaper" which is a great song...this is really enjoyable 2 watch its got a great cast of charcaters throughout the movie..i think the special effects for the ghosts are really kewl throughout this movie because this is really funny...i really enjoyed this movie
An unholy mess rather than a 'blend' of comedy and horror. Unfunny and poorly paced. I'd expect those qualities from a recent eddie murphy movie, but the effects and fox cannot help this.
There are many questions that need answering but none more so than, "why does Michael J Fox still look about 12 years old"? Well he doesn't really look 12 but the man seems to bathe in the fountain of youth. You might also ask why his career never really took off the way it should have. Obviously he had a lot of success in the mid-eighties (TVs "Family Ties", Back to the Future trilogy, "Secret of my Success", "Casualties of War" for example) but that hasn't translated well into the ninties. Most of his hits have been straight-to-video in Ireland ("Give me a Break", "The Concierge", "Greedy") or else have only been minor roles ("American President", "Mars Attacks").
For my part, I have always found him a very good comedian and thoroughly enjoyable to watch. Imagine my delight when he was lined up to play the main character in Peter Jackson's new movie, "The Frighteners". Who is Peter Jackson? Hey folks, get down to the video store and rent the 1992 horror classic, "Braindead" (aka "Dead Alive"). It's a comedy horror which contains an insatiable amount of gore. It is so funny. So anyway, time to review the movie, eh?
Frank Bannister (Fox) is a psychic investigator but like all the good ones, he is a total fraud. After a car accident he adopted an amazing ability to see and talk to ghosts. For a living, Bannister sends his three best ghouls, Judge, Cyrus and Stuart, to spook out a family before turning up with his 'equipment' to exorcise the ghostly carryings-on. This serves him well until he begins to witness another force in attendance - an evil one that neither he nor his ghosts provided for. When people start turning up dead all over the city, Bannister is the prime suspect and his relationship with a local doctor, Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvardo) only helps to incriminate him further.
The reason I like "The Frighteners" is that it is not just a special effects extravanza. There is a worthy story to be told and even though it is one that is fixated in the world of the unlikely paranormal, it still manages to be real and tangible. The special effects are good - Bannister's ghostly helpers and the others graveyard dwellers are simplistic but effective. While their movements and jokes (falling through walls, not being able to smoke cigars/drink/eat) get a little 'samey', it never becomes a chore to enjoy. The most impressive special effect involves the 'bad guy' whom will genuinely spook you.
Jackson has done a good job here. He has created a film that has its fair share of mild frights and genuine tension. Many horrors make the mistake of having over-indulgent, complicated story-lines involving witchcraft and sacrifices where a dead spirit has returned thousands of years after it was killed. As much of a paradox as it is, this paranormal tale is as close to reality as something of this ilk can be. A quality mix of comedy and horror and once again I suggest that you find "Braindead".
Having seen this a good 40-50 times, I can honestly say it never ever gets old. As much as I love Lord of the Rings and King Kong, I really wish Peter would return to making movies like this.
MCT:August 13, 2008
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