Review Detail

9.4 2 10
FanFix October 04, 2013 4078
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.

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