An effects-heavy and action-packed adventure utilizing cutting-edge CGI that plunges a universally-popular star into the midst of a supernatural buddy caper sounds like a surefire box office success, but nobody seemed remotely interested in packing out theaters around the world when The Frighteners landed in the summer of 1996.
The always-engaging and eminently affable Michael J. Fox headlined a pre-Lord of the Rings Peter Jackson’s delightful romp as a former architect who now makes a living passing himself off as an exorcist. Inevitably, he ends up being plunged into a genuine tale of spectral intrigue when a spate of murders begin plaguing his small town home, forcing him to deal with both a potential love interest and the federal authorities along the way.
Despite winning strong reviews from critics and boasting visuals that were borderline groundbreaking for the time and still hold up well today, The Frighteners was a colossal flop that just about recouped its $26 million budget at the global box office. Ironically, studio Universal was so confident in the early cut they moved its release date up by three months to capitalize on the summer season, only to watch that decision go down in a ball of commercial flames.
It was a travesty then and it’s still a travesty now, especially when a celebratory Reddit thread has deservedly has seemingly found everyone that’s seen The Frighteners laud it as the unsung mini-masterpiece of afterlife shenanigans that it is. The best films are rarely the ones that make the most money, but that doesn’t mean a certifiable cult classic and sorely undervalued gem deserved to bomb so hard.
