Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Frighteners, The - 4.5/5

"When a man's jawbone drops off it's time to reassess the situation." --Judge

Is it just me or is this film massively underrated? Yeah, sure its not "Lord Of The" Fucking "Rings", but this is perhaps the last 'true' Peter Jackson film out there in my opinion. It has classic Jackson all over it: dark humor, fucked up sense of humanity, lots of tongue in cheek Horror elements, and a solid dose of 'what the fuck'. All of which lead to a great film and entertainment experience.

Perhaps most people just don't understand this film. I guess I could get where people don't find it funny at all...but I, for one, find this film ridiculously funny and outrageous. From its clever and witty script (with amazing quotable lines like "I'm an asshole...WITH AN UZI!") to its odd concept of a con man with the ability to see the dead that hires two ghosts to help him con people this film is an essential in the dark comedy spectrum. Super violent, super over the top, and super funny can't even begin to describe how much fun I have watching this film.

So not only is the script a prime example of 'awesome', but the casting is top notch too. Michael J Fox nails his role as the con man with a heart and odd sense to save humanity from death, Jeffrey Combs steals the movie as a quirky (and might I add fucked up) FBI paranormal investigator with ticks and over righteous sense of justice, and even the fairly minor role of Busey as the killer is ace. Not a weak casting in here.

Throw in a some great behind the scenes work of Jackson (as I mentioned before, this being what I consider the last 'true' Jackson work) as he makes this baby memorable with awesome over the top camera shots but just enough seriousness to make it a stable suspense film too. This is my fav film of his (although "Dead Alive" comes in close second) and it stands up the test of time nicely.

I can't praise this film enough. If you like dark comedy or any of Jackson's work prior to "Lord O The Rings" then definitely check this out...you won't be sorry.

"Sheriff! You are violating my territorial bubble." --Dammers 


Written By Matt Reifschneider

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