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The Movie:
Sadly overlooked when it was first released in 1996, "The Frighteners" became a cult film on video and gained even further interest when director Peter Jackson was chosen to helm the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. The film was a critical jumping-off point for Jackson, who had not previously worked with digital effects, the studio system or had a major budget to work with. As he discusses in an introduction to this DVD edition, the computer equipment used to work on the effects for this film went to use for the "Lord of the Rings" films.
"The Frighteners" stars Michael J. Fox as Frank Bannister, a con artist with a hint of truth to his work. He goes around trying to rid homes in the area of spirits that have taken up residence. However, Bannister actually can see ghosts - Stuart (Jim Fyfe), Cyrus (Chi McBride), and the Judge (John Astin) are three spirits that Bannister works with: they haunt the house, he gets the fee for taking them out.
However, residences of the town have started croaking from suspicious heart attacks, and Bannister eventually figures out that his spirit friends aren't the only spirits lurking in the small town. Helped by local doctor Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado), Bannister must outwit a crazed federal agent (Jeffrey Combs) and try to figure out who - or what - is behind it all.
It's been a while since I've seen Jackson's film, and I appreciated it more now than I did then (and I've liked it when viewing it in the past.) Technically, it's a very fine piece of work, with some excellent CGI effects (for the time, as they still stand up pretty well) from Weta Digital, and superb cinematography and production design. The performances are also excellent, especially Fox as the troubled Bannister.
The film's one issue is that it never quite merges the dark comedy and horror elements seamlessly. Some of the comedy doesn't work, but most of the dark jokes do. Overall, while it's not the best of Jackson's pre-"Lord of the Rings" work, it is still a pretty creepy and imaginative flick that deserved a wider audience than it got.
The DVD
VIDEO: "The Frighteners" is presented by Universal in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. This director's cut presentation looks just terrific, with only a few concerns. Sharpness and detail are quite solid throughout, as the picture appeared mostly crisp and well-defined. Slight edge enhancement appeared at times, but it didn't cause much of a distraction. No artifacts were seen, and print flaws were limited to one or two minor specks. Colors looked a tad subdued by intent, but seemed nicely presented, with no smearing or other faults.
SOUND: The film's Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation is terrific, especially considering it's about 10-years-old at this point.
EXTRAS: Peter Jackson provides an audio commentary for the film, as well as an introduction (with all of the things Jackson has on his plate, how does he find the time?) As he did with the "Lord of the Rings" extended cut features, Jackson provides a very in-depth track, and discusses everything in surprisingly rich detail, given that the movie is about ten years old at this point. Jackson discusses shooting on location in New Zealand, working with the actors, trying to do the effects on a fairly mild budget, story details and more. Jackson keeps the discussion moving throughout the track, and provides a wonderful, thoughtful and insightful audio "tour" of the production.
On the first disc, we also get a feature offering a lengthy look through the storyboards of the movie, which runs for about 45 minutes. The storyboards play with Jackson's occasional comments behind them. Finally, the first side ends with the theatrical trailer.
The second side holds a major gem - the nearly 4-hour "making of" documentary that was included on the laserdisc. Jackson had a film crew following him around and then managed to go through all of the behind-the-scenes footage and cut together this remarkably in-depth piece. The documentary includes great looks at the effects work and location shooting, as well as discussions of script development and working with leads Michael J. Fox and Trini Alvarado. For those who've never seen the laserdisc edition, this is a major, major reason to pick up this release.
Finally, making this release an even better deal is the inclusion of a Movie Cash coupon (up to $10.50) for a ticket to see Jackson's new "King Kong" (see specially marked packages, valid 12/14-1/1/06.)
Final Thoughts: "The Frighteners" isn't without a few issues, but overall, it's an entertaining, inspired horror/dark comedy with great performances and direction. Universal's new DVD edition provides very good audio/video quality, as well as a fantastic set of supplements. Recommended, and even to those who own the prior release, as this set offers enough reason to upgrade in the nearly 4-hour documentary, as well as the free "King Kong" ticket.
Film Grade
The Film B+
DVD Grades
Video 91/A
Audio: 92/A
Extras: 100/A+
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