
The Frighteners
1996 · Movie · R · 110 min
★ 7.0(1,743)unSUB Rating
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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Streaming on AMC+ and Shudder — or rent from $3.99.
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Details
- Years
- 1996
- Release date
- 1996-07-19
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 110 min
- TMDB rating (input)
- 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