THE FRIGHTENERS
A film review by W. Graves
Copyright 1996 W. Graves
I don't know how or why, but Michael J. Fox (why does the "J" have to be said anyway?) has the lead in this non-leader. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Fox's acting. I just haven't seen him in a strong comedy/drama since the "Back to the Future" series ended. I saw a brief reincarnate when I saw "Greedy" and "The American President," but this ends the streak. Frighteners has some dazzling effects, and the script wasn't too shabby, however, the humor failed to come from Fox. The cast of ghosts got most of the laughs, and the R rating is what kills them all. It's hard to tell at first what type of movie this is. The comedy/horror/drama mix is extremely lopsided and awkward. There are several parts of this film that are excessively violent, and could have made the movie much better if they were deleted. I'm not against violence in films, but it just doesn't fit with this script. Michael did the best he could as this character, but the part should have been focused more on the Fox we know and love, and not the corny jokes and effects the ghosts offer. What you get is a half serious horror/ half "Casper" mix that simply doesn't do the job. It would have done better as a kiddy movie, but the big "R" will prevent that. Fox plays a con who has befriended several spirits he can see and communicate with after a traumatic accident. They help him scare customers into paying for his bogus services as a ghostbuster. The twist comes when a deceased serial killer continues his mayhem as a spirit, and must be sent to the "other side" to end the murdering spree and prevent Fox from being framed for the killings. I'd seriously consider waiting on this one...either for the video release, or indefinitely. Either way you won't miss much.
AS SEEN AT: http://www.txdirect.net/users/aaron/toad/movie.html The ALTERNATIVE page.
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