The Frighteners (1996) | Almost Cult Classics
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ต.ค. 2023
- The Frighteners is owned by Universal Pictures.
Written, Presented & Compiled by Joe Ramoni
/ joeramoni
/ hatsoffjoe
Please consider supporting me on Patreon:
/ hatsoffentertainment - บันเทิง
![[4K] BABYMONSTER(베이비몬스터) “FOREVER” Band LIVE Concert “영원히” 베몬만을 사랑하게 되…💗 [it’s KPOP LIVE 잇츠라이브]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TQfC0xdpiw4/mqdefault.jpg)
What I love so much about Michaels performance is that there are a few moments when you can kind of see of early Parkinson's symptoms, but because the character is supposed to be a paranoid spirit whisperer, it reads like the mannerisms of someone who can just never chill out, always stressed out and on edge.
I thought exactly that! When the Frank character is at the end of his tether in the prison cell while Lucy visits him, that dead-eyed, taut, teary desperation somehow says to me this is played by a man who has been dealt a bad hand in real life. Very happy we still have Fox with us almost thirty years later.
Saw it recently and thought the same.
He would adopt this style of mini manic acting as a way of masking his symptoms into his performance on his series Spin City the following year. As an avid watcher of him on Family Ties, I remember watching Spin City from the pilot on and knew immediately that something with him was off. I didn't think it was anything like the life changing medical issue it was that he hid at the time still, but I used to study his comedic timing on Ties and Back To The Future, Secret Of My Success, even the dramas Light Of Day and Bright Lights, Big City and, yes, there were manic moments in the scripts of all these projects, to be sure, that Michael excels at. He's actually a phenomenal athletic performer. But, my point being, he used to be a comedic sevant at this one certain comic acting ability trait which was what I called Coiled Spring-Money Line which was to have another character opposite him do the set up where they give a long winded diatribe about something absurd. When said person stop talking to let the moment then just hang there in the air and the inane ridiculousness of the words seem to grow more palpably absurd with each awkward silent passing second, while the rest of the cast would be buying time till the cringe of the moment passed on its own, Michael would already be mischievously sizing up the person and situation perfectly still like a silent assassin waiting to pounce. Which just the anticipation of waiting for what smart ass retort he was going to say would get a laugh. Sometimes he would have some stage prop business like his usual go-to was holding a glass with a beverage he was about to sip. When his co-star began their tirade, Michael would raise the glass right to his lips, stop, hold, wait till speech was done, still hold, eyes would dart around like, WTF was THAT?, then slowly lower glass, look down, pretend to be thinking about the plight of mankind and space-time, look up at person, lock in with the thinest of smirks and Lazer lock eye contact with scene partner and then---BLAMO!--deliver the death blow money shot punchline and lay waste always to thunderous studio audience applause. And then resume his beverage and finally sip. Bam, boom, cut, check the gate, scene! But the key element to its tension ratcheting success was Michael's insane level of craftsmanship and talent to perfectly pace out the wait and hold of the bit, the discipline and restraint, and pitch perfect inherent timing to hit the money line at the exact right time, every time. It was the stillness of him in wait like an apex predator crotched and poised ready to pounce on its outmatched prey. That was Michael's bread and butter for seven years on Family Ties. But, by the time Spin City hit the airwaves, that stillness of acting choice to keep an audience on the meat hook excruciatingly in suspense waiting for the shoe to drop and Michael to lower the boom. Yeah, that instrument of destruction was no longer in his arsenal. He would do a watered down version of it, still attempting to hold the moment and delay of punchline gratification thing, but in place of stillness was him moving around, fidgeting, gyrating for no apparent reason, then punchline. That's what gave it away for me something was sus about Michael. At the time, I would yell at the TV telling an imaginary stage hand 'somebody sit on him.' Eventually I got used to it and he was remarkably good at concealing the physical side effects of Parkinsons the first few years of it and the four years he was on the show. He's really one of the all time great comedic great of television and film. Legend.
Wow, it's true great minds do think alike.
I too, among you all, noticed the very same thing. 💙💯👍
This is a textbook film for me. I love how he sets it up as a comedy and you instantly accept the goofy premise because it’s a comedy. And then he pulls the rug out and it’s not funny anymore, but you’re already invested in it. Brilliant bait-and-switch that circumvents suspension of disbelief.
Yep. It’s baffling to me how few “horror” directors understand that you must do ALL THE WORK to set up genuine characters for the audience or else nobody is scared by or invested in the horror that comes.
Jeffrey Combs is one of the MVPs of horror movies, and actors in general especially when you see all the characters he plays in the Star Trek shows and all and his voice roles.
I could have watched an entire Star Trek series, or film, built around his Commander Shran character.
"ohh my! That is *quite* toxic."
Jeffrey Combs matches the intensity and weirdness of the CGI and makeup in the film, but just using his own face...
@@JoelJessuphe is Soo good of a actor that made me endure transformers prime
There are actors who act the same in every movie, Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger etc, and then there are actors who transform their entire being it's almost impossible to recognise them, Jeffery Combs is one of them...
Michael J. Fox accidentally screaming “Doc!!!”, several times, is pretty damn hilarious.
As a kid I thought this movie was a fever dream then years later I rediscovered this movie in high school and realizing it was a Michael J Fox movie, I really loved this movie.
The part with him walking through the hospital with the flash backs cut in is some of the most compelling and cool stuff.
No joke. I'll watch that 5 hour making of documentary in a heartbeat.
Dee Wallace and Jeffery Combs are two of the nicest actors I've ever met and they are at their absolute best in this movie.
I kinda wish they had gotten Christopher Lloyd to play the Judge. Not just as a callback to his Judge Doom character in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but also because the chemistry between him and Michael J Fox cannot be denied. Would also make the "Doc" outtakes funnier.
Also head cannon is that R. Lee Ermey's character in this movie is the ghost of his character in Full Metal Jacket.
I assumed that the R Lee Ermy ghost in the Cemetery was the same drill sergeant from Full Metal Jacket. I was hoping Private Pyle would be amongst the ghost in those Graves.
For me its him lol
I was lucky enough to see The Frighteners at an actual drive-in theater when it premiered. Such a fantastic experience! I watch this movie every year around Halloween. It's a classic!
So happy to see you cover this! Our family considers Frighteners a classic. We've watched it god knows how many times at this point. My parents even had the novelization, which I also really enjoyed. The concept of a grifting psychic who actually can see ghosts, but uses those spirits as part of an elaborate con, is just hilarious to me, and a nice twist on the old scheming medium trope. And it does have some genuinely creepy scenes in the last half. Great story, great actors, great director... Thanks for giving it a spotlight. I hope this helps more people discover it.
I’ve always loved The Frighteners. Such a fun movie. Jake Busey plays a great psycho.
I will forever be grateful to this movie for introducing me to the great Jeffrey Combs.
I absolutely love this movie. Somehow did not realize that it was a Peter Jackson movie.
Avoiding spoilers
Jake Busey is terrific and terrifying in this film.
The Frighteners is such an underrated gem, it’s the perfect mix of horror, comedy, heart, and creativity. And one of Michael J. Fox most underrated performances
I absolutely LOVED this movie. I rented it randomly as a teenager looking for a horror movie not realizing it was horror comedy or even noticing that it starred Michael J. Fox, who I was a huge fan of. It's a shame they didn't even bother to put his face on the poster or cover.
It blows my mind how little attention this film gets. I just watched it again for the first time after many years and it was just as good as I remember. It’s truly a fun, scary and thrilling movie
The Frighteners was superb! So inventive and well done.
Watching this video has reignited a memory from my childhood. It turns out that I did see this film, but only the scene of Ray witnessing his funeral. I had no idea what it was about and wanted to see the rest to see what it entailed. Then my parents came into the room, and changed the channel to put on something that wasn't "daft" (They have such limited imagination).
Over the years, I've been meaning to revisit it, though I've heard that the director's cut is the version that's supposed to be the "good version", seeing as how The Frighteners got mixed reviews back in 1996.
It's sad how the stress of those HOBBIT movies stopped Peter Jackson as a narrative filmmaker for the immediate future. After LOTR, he could have gone back to horror like Raimi has and done some incredible stuff.
IMO he should have suggested Raimi as the Hobbit director. Raimi had done fantasy-with-comedic-elements in Army of Darkness.
*HELL YEAH!!!* I will never pass up an opportunity to praise this movie. Perhaps a bit overstuffed, but amazingly inventive, technically jaw-dropping, and loaded with good character actors. Plus, on reflection, I think Michael's offscreen pain helped the movie. There's an authentic weariness to Frank. It's not just in the performance but his eyes and skin. It helps the character. Without words, you relate and you empathize.
Love this film, probably my favourite of Jackson’s original films. It’s funny, but has such a dark tone with the mass shooter/killers backstory. Jeffrey Combs’ character is a highlight
One of my favorites. Highly underrated.
Peter Jackson is a true visionary and fantastic filmmaker. His pre-Lord of the Rings films are truly remarkable. Thank you for talking about this Joe, take care!
Dead Alive is a good one
@@andrewgrove1691that it is. It’s really good.
I LOVED DEAD ALIVE!!!! I consistently rented when I was 14 years old. Hilarious and always a go to Zombie film.
@@andrewgrove1691
Bad taste (his 1st movie)
is good too.
It doesn't compare to
Braindead/DeadAlive
but considering it's a
thrown together first effort
with virtually no budget,
it's pretty decent.
....or indecent,
depending on how you look at it.
Brain-dead and bad taste were amazing but LOTR and King Kong sucked so hard
The director’s cut is the way to go. There’s even MORE character development. The story is so well-constructed and has a truly genuine emotional core from many angles. This could’ve made an EXCELLENT mini series or short run high quality hbo series. There’s that much weight to the various characters, which only slowly gets revealed. I think this is becoming not just a cult classic but a classic in its own right, like A Christmas Story did over decades. Like The Thing did over decades. People know quality film and writing when they see it…eventually.
Since I was a kid this has been a favorite of mine to watch this time of year!
Spielberg and Zemeckis thought this was going to be a huge hit. They had everyone locked up into multiple pictures deals and saw a huge franchise in the making They just don't always know
A Halloween favorite for sure. I bumped into Jeffery Combs and I got to say how much I loved him in this movie and he was really cool about it. :)
Really sad this was one of the last movies Micheal J Fox was able to do in live action before his Parkinsons really started to affect him. After this and Mars Attacks he mostly stuck to voice work. Dude's a fun actor.
My friend and I have always championed this film to our friends. It's such a good comedy thriller. The whole cast of ghosts were amazing and creative, the Rick Baker practical effects and the wall stretching effects was INCREDIBLE back when this released. Also agree, the backstory portion is still super chilling. RIP R. lee Ermy
I saw The Frighteners at a drive-in theater when I was 11. My sister told my mom she was taking me to see The Hunchback of Norte Dame, but we actually saw The Frighteners. I still haven’t seen Hunchback.
One of my earliest horror films that I watched with my mom, this will always be one of my favorites.
Frighteners is on my watch list every Halloween
When I was a kid I was scared of the dark because of ghosts and shit and when I saw this movie it kinda helped me not be so scared because some ghosts are actually cool and can be your friend.
This felt more like a Ghostbusters movie. Underrated.
The Frighteners is Ghostbusters if it was directed by Sam Raimi, instead of Ivan Reitman.
Except ghostbusters technically has no real plot arc. Four dudes start a business to catch ghost, then they catch ghosts. That’s pretty much it. The Frighteners is MULTIPLE genuine plot arcs.
@@Madbandit77the plot of frighteners is light years beyond the plot of ghostbusters . Ghostbusters was great, but essentially just a theme park ride. No character development, no real narrative interest. It’s funny and fun and loud, but it doesn’t have any meaning. Frighteners is fully loaded with narrative.
Another thing that this movie had going against it was that it was released exactly when the '96 Olympics started airing on TV. As a kid, I felt terrible for this sad timing and made sure to seek this movie out at Blockbuster months later. One of my all-time favorites.
We also gotta give it up for Troy Evans at 1:47 who plays Sheriff Perry in this. Guys pops up in so much stuff and is always recognizable and great.
Throughout the years my love grows for The Frighteners. I definitely appreciate it more now than did when I was younger. It's a very creative film(and Peter Jackson is one of the greatest to ever do it🏆)
This is one of my childhood favorites and any time i meet a horror fan I'm always quick to recommend it. Nice to see it getting some love.
I loved this movie when it came out because the trailer gave me Casper vibes but towards a more mature audience and being a "cool" teenager at the time was right up my alley, I was plesently surprised at how dark AND funny it was.
Great vid. I saw this movie on TV back in the day and fell in love with it. I call it a classic.
The casting in this movie is simply outstanding. Easily the best of Michael J. Fox and Dee Wallace but I especially loved Trini Alvarado. She plays the "damsel in distress" perfectly, her acting is so believable and full of passion. A true genius!
This really is the perfect example of the almost cult classic
I personally love this movie, and I don't think it was overlooked so much as it was forgotten. I mean, 56k views and counting with almost 500 comments and this video is only 2 months old; that tells me plenty of people still remember it... Anyhow, I love it, still own it on blu ray, and still enjoy flipping it on once or twice a year. On a side note (and I know I'm not alone in this), this movie makes me desperately miss the mid-90's, grunge/post-grunge styles, and overall just how the world was back then... I even went as far as to identify, track down, and aquire the granite faced tag heuer watch Michael J. Foxx wore in this movie. I think it deserves the status of "cult classic" without a doubt... Has my vote
I wouldn't call it an almost cult classic; I'd call it an outright classic. I first saw it a couple years ago, and despite its tonal flaws, it's become a staple of my spooky season since.
I remember seeing commercials for this movie when I was younger. The tv spots made it seem like horror, not a dark comedy
I had the novelization as a kid, and absolutely loved the movie!
My buddies and I must have rented Dead Alive (Brain Dead in other regions) countless times. When someone asks me what is the bloodiest horror movie you’ve ever seen I point to this one.
Me and my grandma, mom and sister saw it at the theater when I was 8. I'm 35 now and remember it so well. Great film!
I haven't seen this in years, nice to be reminded of it. Not sure it looks like a sleepy New England town though, you can definitely tell it's New Zealand. Maybe the Maritimes, at a stretch.
Saw this movie a lot as a kid and saw it recently and I feel it still is an enjoyable experiance.
I finally have the occasion to share this.
After watching this movie as a kid, for a good while I was always on edge when I had to open the fridge alone at night and closets were no better lol.
I liked the movie quite a bit.
The "fun cut" is the way to watch this movie. It turns it from adequate to hidden gem
I love the tonal change in this movie. This movie is for sure a classic to me.
I'm pretty sure The Frighteners is a legit cult classic. Folks really didnt appreciate it until years later. Theres some that are still just discovering it today.
I love this movie. I remember when I saw it for the first time when I was in high school, I thought it was the coolest movie.
Brain Dead/Dead Alive, Bad Taste, Meet The Feebles, Heavenly Creatures & The Frightners are my favorite early P Jackson films.
I bloody-love this film. It is a real treat and lots of fun. Thank you for including this. A pity it has fallen between the cracks and has to be called an "Almost". Thank you for singing The Frightener's praises.
This movie is so underrated and overlooked it kinda hurts. Nice to see it get its due from a popular channel. I hope it gains a few new fans from this video.
I LOVE THIS FILM!!
The Frighteners is so good! The premise is something I love, a Supernatural con man! And to see Fox in that role is an added treat, as it's slightly different to some of his more famous rolls. I have it on VHS, which I find is a great way to watch the movie, as the tape quality detracts from the quality of the early CG effects.
Again, thank you!😄 One of my favorites since I was eight years old christmas break and my brother rented it. Priceless.
I love this movie, very memorable to me.
I absolutely love The Frighteners
As a child Jeffery combs in this movie scared the hell out of me.
One of the best things about this film is the nearly pitch perfect casting. From Micheal J Fox to Jeffrey Combs, from Jake Busey to Not Andie MacDowell, it really is almost perfectly cast.
Very cute how Fox confuses Judge for Doc Brown.
Michael was such a incredible actor, so tragic how life can work out.
I bought Bad Taste in the mid 90’s from an Entertainment Outlet Store. Couldn’t believe it was the same guy when I watched LotR.
So happy to see u cover this underrated gem of a horror movie❤ one of my favorites growing up. I love how it perfectly balances that line between goofy comedy & just traumatizing horror. That hospital massacre scene still sends shivers down my spine til this day😨
Literally one of my favorite films of all time!!
I’ve been waiting for this, all my life..
all lord…
Also, *that actor who you avoided naming because of spoilers* was fantastic. could easily have been goofy, but came off as creepily unhinged in the best way.
Had Frighteners in my collection for some years and just watched Braindead for the first time last week.
Just watched this film again. Remember watching it as a kid and could never find it until much later. Adore this film.
One of my favorite films!
Love this movie and also I'm glad you highlighted Braindead! Up there with Evil Dead 2 as one of the greatest horror comedies.
LOVE this damn movie. Always have, always will. Great film.
Oh damn I forgot all about The Frighteners!!!! Thanks for reminding me of such a great childhood memory!!!!
#StayEpic
#NeverStøp
This is one of my favorite films of all time, and it was the movie that introduced me to the GOAT, Jeff Combs
I saw this on Tubi recently after a friend recommended it to me years ago. I ended up loving it _far_ more than I ever expected! The "reaper" is up there with the UFO from Nope as one of the most simple but effective (and terrifying) special effects put to screen.
4hrs 29mins of Peter Jackson telling us how he made The Frighteners?
Yes please!
My favorite Jackson movie by far
I LOVE this movie
I revisit this movie every couple years. It scared the crap out of me as a kid...
I LOVE this movie! It doesn’t get any of the attention that it deserves.
My body is a road map of pain.
The Frighteners is an outstanding movie. Genuinely funny and even seriously unsettling at times with a towering tragicomic lead performance from Michael J. Fox. Sure, The cgi may be a little dated but Peter Jackson directs the spooky set pieces with gusto and the script is fiendishly well constructed with some great twists.
Another banger of a retrospective from Hats Off Entertainment. Love these nostalgic walks down memory lane.
Just watched Frighteners again yesterday for October. Delightful movie.
I love The Frighteners.
I still really liked this movie even when it came out. Micheal J Fox still had it even when he was secretly fighting Parkinson. It had a strong Ghostbusters vibe behind it except it was more of the other side of that kind of dynamic with the ghost being part of the main focus of the cast.
I absolutely love this movie. It's a shame it wasn't a big hit, because it deserves to be. I could never watch this movie too many times.
This is a movie which I want to be real. I want to be a ghost just wondering the world. When I was a kid I watched this movie, and for years, I had this idea of a guy freezing himself to die, and be a ghost. Years layer, in 2019, I rented it, and was godsmacked that this was the film sitting in my brain. Love Mr. Jackson.
My favorite Peter Jackson movie, whenever I tell people that they look at me confused.
This is movie is so great... I watched when i was a kid and never forget it...
Frightners is on my top 10 favorite films!
I was a teenager when this movie came out and I loved the poster. Went to see it opening weekend!