Frighteners Recut, The

Updated
Frighteners Recut, The
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Genre:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1996
Original Running Time:
123
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
113
Time Cut:
10
Available in HD?
Brief Synopsis:
After the tragic death of his wife, Frank Bannister discovers he can communicate with the dead. When a demonic spirit wreaks havoc on his small town, he may be the only one who can stop it.
Intention:
This is the third in my “Quick Fix” series. QuickFixes are simple fanedits of films I enjoy. The primary intention is to trim the movie here and there to improve pacing, tone or characters. These aren’t edits that substantially fix a bad movie. If you don’t like the source movie you won’t care for this fanedit.
Special Thanks:
TM2YC for inspiration.
Release Information:
  • DVD
  • Digital
Special Features
720p MP4
Editing Details:
Main goal was to tighten up the pacing in the Director’s Cut. Overall I prefer the Theatrical Cut but the DC has some nice additions. I focused mainly on cutting unfunny humor and lame scenes.

This is my second edit in HD and for right now I’m just making a 720 MP4 and a DVD5. I doubt in the future I’ll make a BD since you can easily hook up a laptop to a TV. Hell you could probably plug your phone into your TV and it’ll still look shiny.
Cuts and Additions:
Cut the cold opening between The Ghost and Patricia. Really doesn’t make any sense when you think about it and it’s just a pre-title teaser that tries to grab the audience by the boo boo.

Cut the “What’s this Shadow of Death thing…” exchange in the newspaper office.

Cut the walking chicken during the attack on Ray and Lucy. (DC Scene)

Cut Stuart throwing up.

Cut some of the ghost humor when we first meet them. Cut Cyrus’ “A-Double-A-C” rant (theatrical scene) and the ensuing DC scene of Stuart wanting to stand up to Frank.

Cut Judge’s bit about his ectoplasm drying up.

Cut the scene where Frank gets a letter from the bank and needs to get $15,000 nao and blah blah blah. (DC scene)

Cut Frank and Judge driving. (DC scene)

Cut Ray failing to open the door. (DC scene)

Cut the mummy bit in the museum fight. Cut the revolving door gag shortly after.

Cut Ray talking to Lucy in the car. (DC scene)

The second hour of the flick is pretty much the same.

Cut the epilogue scene. Sure it’s short and harmless and it’s usually good to end a movie with people happy and in love but meh whatever. I usually turn the film off right before this scene.
Cover art by Neglify (DOWNLOAD HERE) image

User reviews

2 reviews
Overall rating
 
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.5(2)
Audio Editing
 
9.5(2)
Visual Editing
 
9.5(2)
Narrative
 
9.0(2)
Enjoyment
 
9.5(2)
Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
This edit does exactly what it sets out to do: strips some of the worst humor out of a bad film. As the faneditor mentions, this is a pretty light edit, so your basic feelings about the movie are unlikely to change. I reviewed my feelings here: https://letterboxd.com/nottheacademy/film/the-frighteners/

Short version: I didn't like it. I was hoping it was just the humor I didn't like, but even with the edits here, there's still a lot of bad humor. I just don't think the same things are funny that Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh do. A ghost cowboy humping a sarcophagus and saying "I like it when they lie still" is just not my idea of humor. So, my bad for thinking this edit would make me enjoy this movie.

That said, if you like Peter Jackson's early work, this is well worth a shot. The edits are made seamlessly except for one frame frozen briefly on Fox's face...I would have thought it was just a stylistic choice if I didn't already know this was a fanedit. The cuts here don't really improve the narrative, but they are good choices. They did help me like the movie MORE...but I still didn't like it. I'd say that probably no edit could turn this into a movie I'd love, but if someone's interested in watching, this is the way to watch it.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 1
Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
Overview - Frighteners is one of those Horror films I watch every couple of years. Peter Jackson’s career was ascending rapidly at this stage, having nailed a hit with Heavenly Creatures and bracing for the challenge of Lord Of The Rings.
As a genre film, Frighteners remains the uneasy mix. Part Mystery, part Thriller, all Horror, it is undermined by bad comedy. Silliness, stupidity. Several cringe sequences make the Stooges look like Woody Allen. Any improvement on that score is well applauded.

Video - As expected, excellent work here. I never missed a single trim, though deep in the film I realized I had not winced yet. The moments I had hated were gone. The colours were fine, maybe subdued, but that is Jackson’s palette.

Audio - Highly dynamic 5.1 mix. Dialogue was clean and focused. There were no subtitles, but I never needed them. Just checked after the fact.

Narrative - Because this was a light edit, there was no alteration whatsoever.

Enjoyment - Oh, yeah. Won’t be watching my original any more. Neglify’s version is now my preferred Frighteners. The original never lagged for me. I saw it at the theater and it was fun. The ghost effects were excellent. In my mind, better than what was later rendered with the Dunharrow Shadow Host from Return Of The Kind.

No, my main problem was always the humour. Silly rather than clever, dull witted rather than razor sharp. Most of Jackson’s jokes are sophomoric at best. (Feebles, however, remains a brilliant exception.) Neglify excised all the stupidity. The trims might be light, but they are effective. Stellar job, total improvement.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
DVD
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 1 0