← Back to films
The Frighteners

The Frighteners

7,0 /10 (1,792 Votes)
1996 EN 110 min

Overview

Once an architect, Frank Bannister now passes himself off as an exorcist of evil spirits. To bolster his facade, he claims his "special" gift is the result of a car accident that killed his wife. But what he does not count on is more people dying in the small town where he lives. As he tries to piece together the supernatural mystery of these killings, he falls in love with the wife of one of the victims and deals with a crazy FBI agent.

Rent

Buy

Powered by JustWatch via TMDB

Release date

19/07/1996

Votes

1,792

Popularity

8.0

No rest for the wicked.

Genres

Status

Released

Language

EN

Runtime

110 min

Budget

$30,000,000

Revenue

$29,359,216

Michael J. Fox

Michael J. Fox

Frank Bannister

Trini Alvarado

Trini Alvarado

Lucy Lynskey

Peter Dobson

Peter Dobson

Ray Lynskey

John Astin

John Astin

The Judge

Jeffrey Combs

Jeffrey Combs

Milton Dammers

Dee Wallace

Dee Wallace

Patricia Bradley

Jake Busey

Jake Busey

Johnny Bartlett

Chi McBride

Chi McBride

Cyrus

Jim Fyfe

Jim Fyfe

Stuart

Troy Evans

Troy Evans

Sheriff Perry

Julianna McCarthy

Julianna McCarthy

Old Lady Bradley

R. Lee Ermey

R. Lee Ermey

Hiles

Elizabeth Hawthorne

Elizabeth Hawthorne

Magda Rees-Jones

Angela Bloomfield

Angela Bloomfield

Debra Bannister

No photo

Desmond Kelly

Harry Sinclair

Jonathan Blick

Jonathan Blick

Steve Bayliss

Todd Rippon

Todd Rippon

Deputy

John Sumner

John Sumner

Deputy

Michael Robinson

Michael Robinson

Deputy

Jim McLarty

Jim McLarty

Deputy

Anthony Ray Parker

Anthony Ray Parker

Deputy

Paul Yates

Paul Yates

Deputy

Melanie Lynskey

Melanie Lynskey

Deputy

John Leigh

John Leigh

Bryce Campbell

No photo

Nicola Cliff

Young Patricia

Ken Blackburn

Ken Blackburn

Dr. Kamins

Stuart Devenie

Stuart Devenie

Museum Curator

No photo

Genevieve Westcott

TV Presenter

K.C. Kelly

K.C. Kelly

Doctor

Leslie Wing

Leslie Wing

Mrs. Waterhouse

No photo

Leslie Klein

Maid

Frank Edwards

Frank Edwards

Resuscitating Man

No photo

Alan O'Leary

The Waiter

Danny Lineham

Danny Lineham

Barry

No photo

Charlie McClellan

Reporter

No photo

William Pomeroy

Jacob Platz

George Port

George Port

Orderly

Billy Jackson

Billy Jackson

Baby in Bouncer

No photo

Sophie Watkins

Nursery Baby

No photo

Taea Hartwell

Nursery Baby

No photo

Max Grover

Nursery Baby

No photo

George Grover

Nursery Baby

No photo

Tony Hopkins

Hospital Patient

Lewis Martin

Lewis Martin

Hospital Patient

No photo

Clay Nelson

Passerby

Matthew Chamberlain

Matthew Chamberlain

Passerby

No photo

Vivienne Kaplan

Nun

Liz Mullane

Liz Mullane

Nun

Matt Aitken

Matt Aitken

Cowboy Ghost (uncredited)

Grae Burton

Grae Burton

Guest (uncredited)

Michael Elsworth

Michael Elsworth

Undertaker (uncredited)

No photo

Nic Farra

Ray's Friend (uncredited)

Peter Jackson

Peter Jackson

Man with Piercings (uncredited)

Fran Walsh

Fran Walsh

Passerby (uncredited)

No photo

Paul Kingdom

Museum Guest (uncredited)

No photo

Jason Te Patu

Dr. Thomson (uncredited)

Original Soundtrack

Loading soundtrack videos…

John Chard

John Chard

2018-12-25

⭐ 7

When a man's jawbone drops off it's time to reassess the situation. Peter Jackson's The Frighteners is an odd blend of outright comedy and supernatural thriller, if able to get onside with that then there's a whole lot to enjoy. Plot essential has Michael J. Fox as a psychic who really can see dead people, so much so in fact that he has befriended three ghosts and makes a living out of setting up hauntings and charging people to exorcise the spirits. However, things turn decidedly deadly when he encounters a grim reaper like spirit that is killing people and putting a number on their forehe…

Read full review →
Gimly

Gimly

2020-06-18

⭐ 6

Has maybe not aged flawlessly, but it's very silly and very involved in a good kind of way. Kind of feels like a spoof but I'm honestly not sure what of, so I think that it's maybe just a light toned take on some pretty dark subject matter. It's been about 20 years since I last watched The Frighteners and I think I could probably go about that long before I watch it again, but I still do think it's worthwhile. _Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go._

Read full review →
misubisu

misubisu

2026-01-07

⭐ 7

### **Review: *The Frighteners (1996)*** **Score: 7/10** *The Frighteners* is a fascinating, energetic, and gloriously uneven goulash of a film—a horror-comedy-ghost-mystery that showcases Peter Jackson's wild imagination in full bloom during his transition from gross-out splatter to blockbuster fantasy. It's a film brimming with brilliant ideas and technical wizardry, hamstrung slightly by a tonal identity crisis, but ultimately winning you over with its sheer creative verve and a game cast led by a perfectly cast Michael J. Fox. **What Works (The High Points):** * **Michael J. …

Read full review →