The Frighteners

[Bada0Bing]

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I just watched it. Somehow I had never heard of this movie until it was mentioned on the mental hospital thread. I’d call it a very underrated movie. R. Lee Ermey was hilarious spoofing his role from Full Metal Jacket. Jake Busey plays the creep character so well that it’s a little scary.


Amazon:
Plot Summary

Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Tagline: No Rest for the Wicked.
Plot Synopsis: A psychic private detective who consorts with deceased souls becomes engaged in a mystery as members of the town community begin dying mysteriously. While investigating, he is aided by a friendly doctor who believes in his psychic abilities and is hindered by a crazed G-Man, a woman involved in an old serial killing, and what may be the spirit of Death itself.

 

[Chaplin]

I could have sworn there was already a thread on this.

 

[PortlandCardFan]

I love this movie!!

I think your right Chappy.

 

[Bada0Bing]

I searched, but couldn't find one.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Watched it last night with Linder.

Full of plot holes, and the attempt at comedy was severely lacking. I probably won't watch this one again. Linder seemed to like it though.

 

[Linderbee]

Yep, I liked it. Didn't think it was fantastic, but it was funny in parts. I love Michael J Fox, too, so that was a plus. I generally remain ignorant to plot holes, unless they're so big you can drive a truck through them. Of course, my couple of Coronas with dinner may have helped make the experience more enjoyable, too.

 

[Gaddabout]

Watched it last night with Linder.

Full of plot holes, and the attempt at comedy was severely lacking. I probably won't watch this one again. Linder seemed to like it though.

It's against the law to look for plot holes in silly movies.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

It's against the law to look for plot holes in silly movies.

I thought that the movie was going to be much different than it was. I don't know why I got that impression, as I haven't even read a review of the movie....... thank goodness it was free.

 

[Gaddabout]

I thought that the movie was going to be much different than it was. I don't know why I got that impression, as I haven't even read a review of the movie....... thank goodness it was free.

If it makes you feel any better, it was Peter Jackson's last movie before Lord of the Rings. Maybe he was distracted. hehe

If you care to follow the line of inspiration, I'm fairly certain Frighteners was inspired by another spoof-like horror flick called House, starting William Katt, George Wendt, and Richard Moll (Bull from Night Court).

 

[Assface]

I loved The Frighteners. It's one of my favorite movies.

 

[SuperSpck]

They've been showing this on one of the HD channels.
Dynamite movie, it's fun to watch Jackson's progression as a director, but there is something very cool about this flick.
It's a popcorn movie, but very enjoyable.

 

[dodie53]

nice effects

 

[Chaplin]

I love the Frighteners. No, it's not high class cinema, but it's certainly enjoyable. It's not quite a horror movie, but in that vein. Funny and serious at the same time.

 

[Linderbee]

I think dcr was expecting an outright horror flick (or something closer to that) and that's why the disappointment.

Sucks when expectations ruin a movie for you.

 

[Chaplin]

I think dcr was expecting an outright horror flick (or something closer to that) and that's why the disappointment.

Sucks when expectations ruin a movie for you.

What, did he never hear of it before? The Frighteners has been around a long time, and it's funny that he expected a movie with Michael J. Fox to be an outright horror flick.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I think dcr was expecting an outright horror flick (or something closer to that) and that's why the disappointment.

Sucks when expectations ruin a movie for you.

I'm sure that is part of it.

What, did he never hear of it before? The Frighteners has been around a long time, and it's funny that he expected a movie with Michael J. Fox to be an outright horror flick.

I do that on purpose. I do my best to stay in the dark about movies, before I see them. I want to form my own opinion of a movie, vs. reading reviews and the like.

I thought the dialogue was lacking and didn't really find it funny at all.

Ah well.

 

[Linderbee]

What, did he never hear of it before? The Frighteners has been around a long time, and it's funny that he expected a movie with Michael J. Fox to be an outright horror flick.

dunno...

I thought that the movie was going to be much different than it was. I don't know why I got that impression, as I haven't even read a review of the movie....... thank goodness it was free.

 

[Gaddabout]

thought the dialogue was lacking and didn't really find it funny at all.

Which one are you?

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Ohhhh I could do this all day. Sorry DCR. This is like the time I made a passing comment about uptight women in a room full of feminists in college. Just slowly back away and pretend like it never happened. LOL

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Which one are you?

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Ohhhh I could do this all day. Sorry DCR. This is like the time I made a passing comment about uptight women in a room full of feminists in college. Just slowly back away and pretend like it never happened. LOL

Nah, its ok. I can understand why people like it. Maybe if I had seen the movie that it was spoofing. Then again, most of these spoof movies don't interest me much.

 

[Gaddabout]

Nah, its ok. I can understand why people like it. Maybe if I had seen the movie that it was spoofing. Then again, most of these spoof movies don't interest me much.

Ah ha! That's the catch. It wasn't a parody of a movie or even a satire. It was a weird, light-hearted dark comedy. Sort of. It wasn't over-the-top satire like Army of Darkness, which I love, or "send-up" style like Zucker/Abrahams, which has gone in the toilet since Kentucky Fried Movie and Airplane!. It was somewhere in the middle, just serious enough and enough EFX to be taken as a bigger budget movie, but glib enough to allow "wink wink" at obtuse nature of most horror films.

In the growing category of satire, I think this movie stands out as better written, better cast (Peter Dobson!), and better directed (Peter Freakin' Jackson, people) than most others. You also have to look at the subtext ... it's a little more clever than Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice, two movies which rely entirely on larger-than-life characters and EFX. The EFX in Frighteners were more subtle but -- believe it or not -- considered somewhat groundbreaking at the time. Not bad for a little comedy/horror flick. Also, the ghosts really aren't the villains in this movie. Peter Dobson, the health freak, is cast as the bad guy. Clever turn on the genre and some mild social criticism.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Ah ha! That's the catch. It wasn't a parody of a movie or even a satire. It was a weird, light-hearted dark comedy. Sort of. It wasn't over-the-top satire like Army of Darkness, which I love, or "send-up" style like Zucker/Abrahams, which has gone in the toilet since Kentucky Fried Movie and Airplane!. It was somewhere in the middle, just serious enough and enough EFX to be taken as a bigger budget movie, but glib enough to allow "wink wink" at obtuse nature of most horror films.

In the growing category of satire, I think this movie stands out as better written, better cast (Peter Dobson!), and better directed (Peter Freakin' Jackson, people) than most others. You also have to look at the subtext ... it's a little more clever than Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice, two movies which rely entirely on larger-than-life characters and EFX. The EFX in Frighteners were more subtle but -- believe it or not -- considered somewhat groundbreaking at the time. Not bad for a little comedy/horror flick. Also, the ghosts really aren't the villains in this movie. Peter Dobson, the health freak, is cast as the bad guy. Clever turn on the genre and some mild social criticism.

I could definitely tell that the EFX were really good for the time. Like I said, I just expected something different.