Rish's Reviews
I'm not one of those fans who faithfully proclaims everything Peter Jackson touches to be made of gold. I didn't appreciate Bad Taste and I plain didn't like Dead Alive. But I loved The Frighteners from the first time I saw it, back in 1996 with my poor will-less roommate who I dragged to anything Horror-related. I still remember the neat-o moving-image poster that had the grinning skull-face and the tagline "Dead yet?" they had in the theater.
In the days before we began this website, tyranist and I sat down and watched Frighteners, and I'm pretty sure the man loved it. But until yesterday, I hadn't seen the film since 1998 and it surprised me...it was better than ever! Tyranist aptly reviewed the film below, and there's not much I can add to it. It struck me as very well written, with an excellent script that manages to be sad, funny, and scary (though not necessarily in that order). Although I've always believed (and continue to do so) that the story is what counts, there are many, many treats throughout.
The unusual New Zealand locale is cool. It had really nice special effects, not at all dated these half-dozen years later. Michael J. Fox is great in a role that's multi-faceted, adult, and clever. Jeffrey Combs had me laughing out loud. Trini Alvarado's character is refreshingly different from the usual 'love interest' or 'girl in peril' characters. And Troy Evans who plays the town sheriff is one of my favourite character actors (he and I actually had a conversation about horror films once, in which he encouraged me not to give up my dreams). Dee Wallace-Stone's performance brought the hair on my arm to a dancing salute...truly chilling. Like Unca Tyranist said, there's not a single negative thing I can say about this film.
I'd Recommend It To: You. This is easily one of the best horror films of the '90s, and you owe it to yourself to see it again.
Posted: February 24th, 2003

The tyranist's thoughts
When I realized that review number 500 was coming up, I spent some time trying to come up with the perfect movie for the review. Rish's choice of Bride of Frankenstein for number 400 perhaps couldn't be topped. After all, you'd think we'd watch the movies we loved most somewhere between 1 and 499. It was actually Rish who finally made the suggestion that this be it. Thank you, Rish. And thanks to all the loyal readers who for some reason or another have been reading the reviews on this site for a very long time.
I first saw The Frighteners just before the HFC started up. I was instantly in love, both with the movie and with Peter Jackson's work. I've often said that this movie is what Ghostbusters could have been if they had pushed things darker instead of making it a comedy. Don't get me wrong, I love Ghostbusters, I just think that there is a time and a place for a darker, edgier humor in the world.
So a down-on-his-luck architect is running his own psychic investigation business when the strange deaths that have been occurring in his little town start happening more often and to people that he has been seen around. Calling on his abilities to see the deceased souls wandering around town, he is finally going to find out what is going on as well as trying to unravel the years old mystery of his wife's death.
Michael J. Fox and Trini Alvardo really make this movie what it is. Add to their fine performances a nicely twisted government agent played ably by Jeffrey Combs and the evil of all evils played by Jake Busey and the movie is endlessly captivating. Shot in New Zealand even though it is supposed to be a little American town, the scenery is stunning and perfect for the atmosphere that Peter Jackson manages to evoke.
I really don't have a bad thing to say about the movie. It changed the way I viewed horror and opened up the possibility that there was entertaining and engaging horror outside of the slasher genre. Few can mix the comedy and horror to this perfect pitch and I would say that other than An American Werewolf in London no one has done it so successfully.
Please see this movie. It doesn't seem to be as popular as it deserves and I think you'll really enjoy your time spent in Peter Jackson's twisted little head.
Posted: March 12th, 2002