Day 30: The Frighteners
This is the last film Peter Jackson made before making the Lord of the Rings movies, and it is weird with a beard.
Starring Michael J. Fox as a conman who can see ghosts, he becomes the only guy who can get to the bottom of a mysterious killing spree.
This script is so well-constructed and clever, it's clear that Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh spent a lot of time fleshing out this project.
While not all of the humorous dialogue works, the performances often sold it, especially in the case of Jeffrey Combs, who is delightfully over-the-top as always playing an FBI investigator the likes of which I don't think has ever been seen.
One element I simply couldn't get my head around was the occasional visit from R. Lee Ermey who is literally just playing Sergeant Hartman from Full Metal Jacket but as a ghost, and he's never particularly important to the story so it makes even less sense as to why he's there and causes him stick out even more.
The score by Danny Elfman is basically every score by Danny Elfman, but it perfectly fits the tone of the movie.
While the sets, make-up, and practical effects are great, the CGI is unfortunately dated and cartoony, which can sometimes be distracting, and a bit surprising considering how far Weta went with digital technology in Lord of the Rings, but the story and characters anchored my investment.
The movie is very fast-paced and has a lot going on at all times, especially since Michael J. Fox is always seeing ghosts so every scene he's in automatically has at least two layers going simultaneously.
It's a crazy movie, but it's a ton of fun, very well thought-out, and a great one to watch for Halloween.
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