Plot
After a car accident in which his wife, Debra, was killed and he was injured, Frank Bannister develops psychic abilities allowing him to see...
Release Year: 1996
Rating: 7.1/10 (37,777 voted)
Director:
Peter Jackson
Stars: Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson
Storyline After a car accident in which his wife, Debra, was killed and he was injured, Frank Bannister develops psychic abilities allowing him to see, hear, and communicate with ghosts. After losing his wife, he then gave up his job as an architect, letting his unfinished "dream house" sit incomplete for years, and put these skills to use by befriending a few ghosts and getting them to haunt houses in the area to drum up work for his ghostbusting business; Then Frank proceeds to "exorcise" the houses for a fee. But when he discovers that an entity resembling the Grim Reaper is killing people, marking numbers on their forehead beforehand, Frank tries to help the people whom the Reaper is after!
Writers: Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson
Cast: Michael J. Fox
-
Frank Bannister
Trini Alvarado
-
Dr. Lucy Lynskey
Peter Dobson
-
Ray Lynskey
John Astin
-
The Judge
Jeffrey Combs
-
Milton Dammers
Dee Wallace
-
Patricia Ann Bradley
(as Dee Wallace-Stone)
Jake Busey
-
Johnny Charles Bartlett
Chi McBride
-
Cyrus
Jim Fyfe
-
Stuart, Bannister's Ghostly Assistant
Troy Evans
-
Sheriff Walt Perry
Julianna McCarthy
-
Old Lady Bradley
R. Lee Ermey
-
Sgt. Hiles
Elizabeth Hawthorne
-
Magda Rees-Jones
Angela Bloomfield
-
Debra Bannister
Desmond Kelly
-
Harry Sinclair
Taglines:
No Rest for the Wicked.
Release Date: 19 July 1996
Filming Locations: Camperdown Studios, Camperdown Road, Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand
Box Office Details
Budget: $30,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $5,565,000
(USA)
(21 July 1996)
(1669 Screens)
Gross: $29,359,216
(Worldwide)
Technical Specs
Runtime:|
USA:
(director's cut)
Did You Know?
Trivia:
During Ray Lynskey's funeral you can see Frank Bannister's house burning down in the background (not clearly, you can see a large orange blur directly behind Lucy). It was burned by the film crew because they had finished filming there.
Goofs:
Incorrectly regarded as goofs:
Ray's ghost runs past a sign saying "Lyttelton Liquor." Lyttelton, New Zealand is playing fictitious Fairwater, California. We can say that within the movie, Lyttelton is the name of the store, not the town.
Quotes: Frank Bannister:
I thought guys like you rotted in Hell. Johnny Charles Bartlett:
I got out.
User Review
Surprisingly Dark
Rating: 8/10
What sets out to be a comedy movie with ghosts, (and anyone could be
forgiven for thinking this is what it would be given that Michael J Fox
has the lead) rapidly becomes a very dark supernatural thriller.
The special effects still look good even by todays standards, and the
story is solidly written, good characters and good direction, there is
not much to criticise in this movie.
The film itself is one that you should not miss, and certainly not
because you think its something that it isn't.
8/10 A surprising film, that has probably been overlooked by too many
movie lovers.
0