The Frighteners - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Frighteners



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:

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Movie
I may catch some flak for this, but The Frighteners is probably Peter Jackson’s most enjoyable movie to date. I know Lord of the Rings fans everywhere basically stood up and looked around in shock and horror, but (for me) it's true. While I think the Lord of the Rings films were more epic, more spacious, and technically better done, The Frighteners is just more fun at the end of the day. Featuring longtime writing collaborator Fran Walsh, The Frighteners is a quirky take on the horror genre, blending highbrow comedy with old-fashioned quirky ghost tales (reminding me a bit of Casper or Beetlejuice) and cutting-edge CGI to make a film that just stands the test of time. Supposedly Jackson had pitched the idea to studios for several years, but was cut down for quite a while, being that the powers that be thought of it as something better for a short tale (à la Tales from the Crypt), but had Roger Zemeckis helping him out by bending Universal’s ear to give him a full-fledged budget to work with for a feature film. Whatever the situation, this is 100% Peter Jackson cheekiness, with a large budget (Jackson’s first big budget film) and memorable performances by some of the greatest actors of that time in what would become a bona fide classic film.

HOWEVER, The Frighteners wasn’t a classic straight out of the gate. For some reason,n Universal decided to give it an R rating (even though Jackson was meticulous in making sure to keep swearing to a minimum, and cutting out 99% of the gore in the film), and it was released right during the Summer Olympics instead of a Halloween opening, so a vast majority of the potential audience was busy watching other stuff. As such, it didn’t really make a profit, grossing $29.4 million off of a $30 million budget. But that’s where the enormous surge of DVD and VHS came into play, as the film sold like wildfire on VHS (and then on DVD after it came out in 1998), surging it from a failed box office film to a classic nearly overnight.

Now, onto the film itself. Fairwater, California, is getting haunted by a poltergeist that no one can seem to figure out. A specter who only comes for one reason. To end the life of seemingly random people in town. It started a decade ago in 1958, when an asylum orderly named Johnny Bartlett) gunned down twelve people for no reason, before being put down for his gruesome murder. And like many serial killers, Bartlett had a teenage girlfriend named Patricia Bradley (Nicola Cliff) who was imprisoned as well, and then out of the public mind.

But in today’s world, people are still dying. This time, starting with the wife of architect Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox), who ended up dead with the #13 carved in her head. And ever since then, people have been randomly dying of seeming heart attacks, but with no physiological symptoms of a heart attack. Thus enters Frank Bannister once more. Giving up his high-paying architect position, he now works as a poltergeist exorcist, though he’s a bit of a fraud. Instead of actually getting rid of “ghosts”, he can commune with the dead after the car accident that killed his wife (and he was blamed for), and he uses that influence with the dead to “create” poltergeist incidents, and then comes in to exorcise the very same ghosts he introduced to the house. An easy scam, but for a guy who can commune with the dead, it’s easy money.

But things are getting weirder. After going over to doctor Luncy Lynskey’s (Trini Alvarado’s) house and seeing a ghostly number appear on her husband Ray’s (Peter Dobson) forehead, and then subsequently watching him die the next day, Frank starts to become suspicious. His fears are confirmed when he sees numbers appearing on other people’s heads, only to actually SEE the specter of death come for him, and he realizes something terrible is afoot. A ghost serial killer, who seems to be following in the footsteps of Johnny Bartlett and Frank, is the only one who can possibly stop him before it's too late.

The Frighteners is more than just a fun movie with a good script. Its real shining moments come from the character actors themselves. Back in 1996, Michael J. Fox was an absolute superstar, and he really does well as Frank Bannister. Trini Alvarado is a solid female foil to him, but it’s really Jeffrey Combs and his quirky portrayal as the supernatural FBI agent Dammers that steals the show. Combs has been an indelible part of cinema history with his Star Trek performances, as well as cult films like Re-Animator, but he absolutely steals every scene he’s on screen here. The cheeky nature of the film, combined with great performances, a stunning musical score by Danny Elfman, and a KILLER script (pun intended) with collaborator Fran Walsh, and you have the recipe for a fun supernatural romp that transcends time.

Rating: Rated R for terror/violence




Video:
Like usual, Universal has gone back and remastered the entire film with Turbine Medien GmbH, approved by Peter Jackson himself. And the results are quite stunning. The 2011 Blu-ray from Uni was quite the looker back in the day (15 years ago, wow, it’s really been that long), but this new remaster is head and shoulders above the old one. And while the differences may not be staggering, they ARE very noticeable indeed. Even comparing just this Blu-ray vs. the old Blu-ray isntead of the benefits of the 4K UHD disc, this is still a nice improvement. The old disc was top tier marks back in the day, but a new transfer adds some punch to things. Color timing is better, with a more cool blue look and more solid colors. Primary shades are saturated nicely, and the black levels never artifact in any major way. I noticed a FEW scenes that had a flicker of crush, but nothing too major at all. Fine details are excellent, whoing off tighter grain and a little more clarity compared to the old disc. Some of the CGI looks a bit wonky, but it's not that bad considering that this is 1996 CGI (which was notoriously weak back then). It may not be AS stunning as the 4K UHD disc, but this is a killer set and a nice upgrade over the 15 year old Universal Blu-ray


Audio:
Arrow delivers yet again with a killer set of audio options, though it might be a bit convoluted due to the unique options given to each variant. The director’s cut gets a Dolby Atmos track (on both the Blu-ray and the 4K UHD), as well as a 5.1 Cut specifically for the Director’s cut, and a 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix. While the Theatrical cut gets two 5.1 DTS-HD MA tracks. The first being the theatrical mix, and the second being the home video mix (which I’m assuming is based on the same mixing as the Atmos track, just in 5.1). Just like the Atmos track, the 5.1 Theatrical mix is a bit more restrained and tamped down than the Director’s Cut mixing, but it’s still a great-sounding track. But that enhanced Atmos track (and the 5.1 Home Theater mixing on the theatrical cut) is an absolute BEAST of a track. It’s aggressive, vicious, and just encompassing in all aspects. Gunny’s dual heavy machine guns literally blast all over the sound stage in the opening half hour, and the swoosh and heavy slam of the death ghost rippling through walls is intense. Bass is restrained when necessary, but absolutely blows the doors off when called out to play. This is probably one of the mixes I’ve heard in YEARS, and Danny Elfman’s score is eerie and intense throughout the whole track. 5/5, no questions.


Extras:
• Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options
• Collectors’ booklet featuring Peter Jackson’s 1998 introduction to the LaserDisc release, original production notes, and two 1996 articles from American Cinematographer

DISC 1 – THEATRICAL AND DIRECTOR’S CUTS (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
• Audio commentary by co-writer/producer/director Peter Jackson (director’s cut only)
• Peter Jackson’s 10th anniversary introduction to the film
• Theatrical trailer

DISC 2: OPEN MATTE VERSIONS (BLU-RAY)
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of both cuts
• Audio commentary by co-writer/producer/director Peter Jackson (director’s cut only)
• Peter Jackson’s 10th anniversary introduction to the film
• Theatrical trailer

• DISC 3: EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)

• No Way to Make a Living: A Look Back at The Frighteners, a feature-length documentary produced in 2022, featuring new interviews with actors Dee Wallace Stone and Jake Busey, cinematographer John Blick, production designer Grant Major, creature and miniat
• The Making of The Frighteners, an exhaustive 225-minute documentary exploring every aspect of the film’s production, from script development and casting to post-production and release, produced in 1998 for the LaserDisc release, with a 2005 retrospective
• A Conversation with Richard Taylor and Alexandre Poncet, a 2022 interview with the man behind the film’s creature and miniature effects
• Image gallery

Final Score: ​

I said it above, and I’ll say it again. The Frighteners is probably Peter Jackson’s most enjoyable movie to date. The Lord of the Rings nerd in me hates to say that, but this is just pure magic from beginning to end. And Michael J. Fox is firing on all 4 cylinders. The movie is a throwback to a time when horror could be both fun and quirky, without HAVING to be brutal and gory. The 1080p disc 15 years ago was solid, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the updated 30th anniversary Blu-ray, let alone the 4K UHD disc. And once again Arrow has outdone themselves with the extras by making this a 33-discset (for both the 4K UHD set and the Blu-ray set, only the 1st disc is different between the two sets) packed to the brim with goodies. Simply put, this is a must-buy even if you own the old Blu-ray.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, Jeffrey Combs, Jake Busey
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Written by: Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 AVC / 1.78:1 AVC (Open Matte version)
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core, Director's Cut Only), English DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Arrow
Rated: R
Runtime: 123 Minutes (Director's Cut) / 106 Minutes (Theatrical)
Blu-ray Release Date: October 27th, 2026

Recommendation: Must Own