The Frighteners

Directed by Peter Jackson, The Frighteners follows Michael J. Fox’s Frank Bannister as he’s forced to use his ability to communicate with the dead to battle a demonic, deadly apparition. There’s ultimately little doubt that The Frighteners is at its best in its briskly-paced and thoroughly entertaining first half, as Jackson, along with cowriter Fran Walsh, does a superb job of immediately luring the viewer into the stylish proceedings and enhancing the compelling vibe by emphasizing Bannister’s engaging exploits. (Fox’s predictably charismatic and affable work only perpetuates the compulsively watchable atmosphere, as does the solid work from an eclectic periphery cast that includes Trini Alvarado, Chi McBride, and John Astin.) It’s only as The Frighteners shifts into its increasingly erratic midsection that one’s interest begins to flag, as Fox’s protagonist is relegated to the sidelines on a progressively frequent basis and, in a far more problematic development, much of the movie’s third act is dominated by special effects to an extreme and decidedly less-than-enthralling degree. (And it doesn’t help, either, that Jeffrey Combs’ larger-than-life turn as an eccentric FBI agent grows more and more grating as the movie unfolds.) The final result is a decent yet palpably uneven endeavor that’s never quite able to live up to the promise of its engrossing opening stretch, although it’s clear, in the end, that Jackson’s gleefully over-the-top sensibilities go a long way towards compensating for the movie’s various faults.

**1/2 out of ****