The Frighteners poster

The Frighteners

No rest for the wicked.

7.0(1,846)19961h 50m7

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.

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Status
Released
Budget
$30M
Box office
$29.4M
Language
English
  • daughter
  • small town
  • mother
  • sheriff
  • judge
  • funeral
  • widow
  • fbi
  • architect
  • supernatural
  • poltergeist
  • hell

Top billed cast

Behind the camera

Produced in

New Zealand, United States of America

Where to watch

All options

Availability for India. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.

Gallery

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Videos

Release dates

  • United StatesUS

    • Premiere17 Jul 1996
    • TheatricalR19 Jul 1996
  • United KingdomGB

    • Theatrical1524 Jan 1997
  • AustraliaAU

    • TheatricalM13 Mar 1997
  • CzechiaCZ

    • Physical15+27 Aug 1997
  • FinlandFI

    • PhysicalK-1618 Jul 1996
  • FranceFR

    • Theatrical1229 Jan 1997
    • Physical12DVD20 Jan 2000
    • Physical12Blu-Ray15 Nov 2011
    • Digital / OTTVOD5 Aug 2017
  • GermanyDE

    • Theatrical1831 Dec 1997
    • Physical16Director's Cut8 Dec 2005
  • HungaryHU

    • Theatrical1613 Nov 1997
  • IrelandIE

    • Theatrical1524 Jan 1997
  • NetherlandsNL

    • Theatrical1629 May 1997
    • TV16SBS 631 Aug 2002
    • Physical16DVD4 Sept 2003
    • Physical16Blu Ray29 Sept 2011
  • South KoreaKR

    • Theatrical1519 Jul 1997
  • SpainES

    • Theatrical1212 Nov 1996

Frequently asked questions

The Frighteners was released on 19 July 1996.

Audience reviews

3
  • J

    John Chard

    12/25/2018

    7/10

    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 cha…

  • G

    Gimly

    6/18/2020

    6/10

    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. _F…

  • M

    misubisu

    1/7/2026

    7/10

    ### **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 cri…

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