The Frighteners (R, 1996)
common sense media says
Violent, frenzied, foul-mouthed ghost comedy.
parents & educators say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this horror-comedy includes over-the-top violence, with glowing ghosts (some in various stages of decomposition) dismembered, squished, slashed, mashed, and shot. Abundant gunfire includes a Columbine-style massacre, with multiple fatalities. One shotgun blast blows up a head off. Nightmarish visuals include zombie-like rotting-corpse ghosts and mummies and one closeup of a recently dead, worm-eaten face. Don't-try-this-at-home stuff ranges from reckless driving to drug-induced comas and falls from high places. Swearing is pretty constant. Off-color jokes refer obscurely to sex and hemorrhoids (not at the same time, at least).
Positive role models:
Except for the selfless physician-heroine Lucy, nobody here is very admirable, with even Frank, the hero, a practicing con-artist at the outset. One of the ghosts is a comically stereotyped, big-afro black dude (he died in the 1970s). An FBI agent, constantly bragging that he represents the US government, is a clueless, dangerous jerk (though local cops are okay).
Violence:
Cartoonish/CGI-ish violence, as ghosts are dismembered, sliced, flattened, shot to pieces, sometimes twisted and mashed into oozing goo. Demonic elements assail and torture two characters. Many guns and pistols are brandished; flashbacks detail a bullet-riddled massacre in a hospital. One shotgun blast that takes a character's head off. People killed by induced heart attacks. Characters fall, get threatened with knives, and are beaten or strangled. Reckless driving stunts.
Sex:
Double-entendres spoken by the ghosts, most particularly the rotting old Judge, who also goes through the motions of sex with a mummy.
Language:
"Ass," the s-word and its variations, "bastard," "bitch," "a-hole," "hell," "pissed-off," God's name in vain.
Consumerism:
Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
One ghost smokes cigars (well, he's dead already); drinking in a fancy-restaurant setting.
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popking565
kid, 11 years old
kid, 11 years old
A Fright :)
A great thrillified and comedic movie. Some ghostly grahic violence though. VIOLENCE: ( Possible SPOILER alert!) An old lady is found stabbed with blood all over [ disturbing ]. A crazy woman shoots a FBI agent in his head which explodes everywhere. A Dementor-like ghost grabs 4 peoples hearts killing them, 2 shown 2 not : No blood. A ghost jaw falls out repeatedly. SEX: A married couple flirt ( mostly the sleazy boyfriend just trying to make his scared wife feel better with sex ). Hugs and a ghost humps a mummy, no nudity. POSITIVE: Not much. A con man tricks people that they have ghosts so they pay him for "excorsisms". LANGUAGE: s**t, d**n, B***h. All in all a great movie :)
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parent
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A disaster
Idiotic. Jackson has no skill as a screenwriter and should stick with directing. Even that is lacking in this odd-scripted, badly acted trash. It really is amazing to think Jackson started off so badly. It isn't scary, and although better than the disastrous "Bad Taste," it still fails to deliver laughs. Overall, a terrible film that can neither be classed as a horror or a comedy.
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