No rest for the wicked.
Once an architect, Frank Bannister now passes himself off as an exorcist of evil spirits. To bolster his facade, he claims his "special" gift is the result of a car accident that killed his wife. But what he does not count on is more people dying in the small town where he lives. As he tries to piece together the supernatural mystery of these killings, he falls in love with the wife of one of the victims and deals with a crazy FBI agent.
The Frighteners (1996) is a horror and comedy film directed by Peter Jackson, released on July 19, 1996 with a runtime of 1h 50m. It stars Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson and John Astin. Viewers rate it 7.0 out of 10 across 1,815 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for The Frighteners before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for The Frighteners.
Trailer
Trailer
Michael J. Fox
as Frank Bannister
Trini Alvarado
as Lucy Lynskey
Peter Dobson
as Ray Lynskey
John Astin
as The Judge
Jeffrey Combs
as Milton Dammers
Dee Wallace
as Patricia Bradley
Jake Busey
as Johnny Bartlett
Chi McBride
as Cyrus
Jim Fyfe
as Stuart
Troy Evans
as Sheriff Perry
Julianna McCarthy
as Old Lady Bradley
R. Lee Ermey
as Hiles
Directed by Peter Jackson, written by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, produced by Jamie Selkirk and Peter Jackson.
Average viewer score of 7.0/10 from 1,815 ratings.
When a man's jawbone drops off it's time to reassess the situation. Peter Jackson's The Frighteners is an odd blend of outright comedy and supernatural thriller, if able to get onside with that then there's a whole lot to enjoy. Plot essential has Michael J. Fox as a psychic who really can see dead people, so much so in fact that he has befriended three ghosts and makes a living out of setting up hauntings and…
Reviewed on December 25, 2018
Has maybe not aged flawlessly, but it's very silly and very involved in a good kind of way. Kind of feels like a spoof but I'm honestly not sure what of, so I think that it's maybe just a light toned take on some pretty dark subject matter. It's been about 20 years since I last watched The Frighteners and I think I could probably go about that long before I watch it again, but I still do think it's worthwhile.…
Reviewed on June 18, 2020
### **Review: *The Frighteners (1996)*** **Score: 7/10** *The Frighteners* is a fascinating, energetic, and gloriously uneven goulash of a film—a horror-comedy-ghost-mystery that showcases Peter Jackson's wild imagination in full bloom during his transition from gross-out splatter to blockbuster fantasy. It's a film brimming with brilliant ideas and technical wizardry, hamstrung slightly by a tonal identity crisis,…
Reviewed on January 7, 2026
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The Frighteners (1996) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of The Frighteners (1996) includes Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, John Astin and Jeffrey Combs. The film was directed by Peter Jackson. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Frighteners was released on July 19, 1996 and runs for 1h 50m.
The Frighteners (1996) holds an average rating of 7.0 out of 10 from 1,815 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy horror and comedy films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official The Frighteners trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
