The Frighteners
1996 · Movie · R · 110 min · ★ 6.9 · 59% critics
An architect who claims he can exorcise evil spirits uses his “special” gift to scam and help people in a small town. But sudden deaths tied to a darker supernatural threat force him to investigate, while feelings grow with a woman connected to one victim and an intense FBI agent complicates matters.
Also known as Robert Zemeckis Presents: The Frighteners
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Details
- Years
- 1996
- Release date
- 1996-07-19
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Critic score
- 59/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.9/10 (1,743 votes)
- Box office
- $29,359,216
- Budget
- $30,000,000
About
You’ll like The Frighteners if you want a fast, offbeat horror-comedy mystery with ghostly mayhem and a darkly playful vibe; Not for you if you prefer consistent horror tone or tightly streamlined plots like Braindead or Ghostbusters.
Pros: clever horror-comedy blend; Michael J. Fox charm; fun ghost visuals | Cons: tonal shifts jarring; plot overstuffed; some effects dated
Themes
- daughter
- small town
- mother
- sheriff
- judge
- funeral
- widow
- fbi
- architect
- supernatural
- poltergeist
- hell
- +22 more
Cast & crew
Michael J. Fox
as Frank Bannister
Trini Alvarado
as Lucy Lynskey
Peter Dobson
as Ray Lynskey
John Astin
as The Judge
Jeffrey Combs
as Milton Dammers
Dee Wallace
as Patricia Bradley
Jake Busey
as Johnny Bartlett
Chi McBride
as Cyrus
Jim Fyfe
as Stuart
Troy Evans
as Sheriff Perry
Directed by Peter Jackson