Peter Jackson blends horror, comedy and fantasy in this film about a psychic (Michael J. Fox) who initially works with spirits to con money out of customers but then becomes a legitimate paranormal investigator when the spirit of a mass murderer begins attacking both the living and the dead.
Shot in Wellington, this is Jackson's first Hollywood-funded film, backed by Universal Studios and producer Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future).
A two-tone scarefest, the first half a facetious, aggressively jokey send-up of the supernatural, the second an attempt at some legitimate thrills. After his brilliant breakthrough two years ago with "Heavenly Creatures," new pic reps a step back into infinitely less interesting genre work for New Zealand auteur Peter Jackson, with an added reliance on elaborate, almost continuous special effects.
Full reviewThrills, sight gags and tasteless one-liners abound as Michael J Fox, Trini Alvarado and assorted spectral allies take on an evil spirit... Go see it - it's great.
Full reviewAs directed by Peter Jackson, whose "Heavenly Creatures" looks sedate by comparison, it's a technically impressive horror-comedy-romance in desperate need of a story editor or a cold shower.
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Last year, I reviewed a nine-hour documentary about the lives of Mongolian yak herdsmen, and I would rather see it again than sit through ``The Frighteners.''
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Director Peter Jackson, at home with all kinds of excess in New Zealand, keeps everything spinning nicely, not even losing a step when the mood turns increasingly disturbing.
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