The Frighteners

Although Peter Jackson scored a critical hit with his last outing (Heavenly Creatures), he's back to his juvenile tricks with this tale of a seedy ghostbuster (Michael J. Fox) who crosses paths with something that looks like the Grim Reaper, himself. Some pretty cool special effects can't compensate for the fact that the plot is hokey (lumbering from one gee-whiz scene to the next), the acting a pale substitute for the real thing, and the characterizations thinner than the ghosts who pop up frequently (often without logical reason) throughout the film. Not a necessary purchase. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review—Dec. 13, 2005—Universal, 123 min., R, $26.98—Making its second appearance on DVD, 1996's The Frighteners (Peter Jackson's Director's Cut), which adds about 14 minutes, sports a great transfer with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. DVD extras on this double-side disc include a new DVD introduction by Jackson (3 min.), audio commentary by Jackson (billed as his first feature commentary ever),  a 46-minute storyboarding segment of key scenes with commentary by Jackson, and an exhaustive 225-minute “making-of” documentary, which includes deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, special and visual effects segments, and bloopers. Bottom line: although the film itself remains so-so, this is a fine edition, packed with extras, and well worth picking up for those collecting the Jackson oeuvre, which includes the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the new remake of King Kong.]