The Frighteners (1996)

Michael J. Fox was well known for his comedies like "Back to the Future" and "The Secret of my Success" as well as his role on the series "Family Ties". He is an actor that you would never consider starring in a horror film ("Teen Wolf" doesn't count) but here he is, starring in Peter Jackson's "The Frighteners". The film does have plenty of comedic moments but the horror elements outnumber them pretty quickly. Michael J. Fox delivers a great performance and has plenty of help with horror veterans Jeffery Combs and Dee Wallace. This would turn out to be Fox's last major starring role in a movie before he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

It's crazy to imagine the fact that if Peter Jackson had not wrote and directed his ghost story "The Frigheners", he most likely would have never gone on to direct "The Lord of the Rings"! This is because he bought and used so many new computers in order to create the special effects and CGI that appear in "The Frighteners" that he had to figure out what the next project could be that would require just as many effects; a few years later he secured the rights to "The Lord of the Rings" and the rest is history.


Frank Banister is able to see and communicate with the dead spirits around him, those spirits that have not gone through the "Great White Light". He uses this ability to scam the locals of the town he lives in; his two ghost friends go to a house and start "haunting" it and he comes along and exorcises the "bad spirits" away for a hefty fee. He has his fair share of critics, including Ray, one of his most recent customers. But Frank is stunned when he sees a number scratched on Ray's forehead; Ray soon dies of a heart attack. After a rash of unexplained deaths in town, a disturbed occult expert working in the FBI comes to town and investigates Bannister, believing he is the one responsible. The agent connects the death of Bannister's wife and a series or numbers as his main proof. The real killer turns out to be the disembodied spirit of a teenage serial killer named Johnny Charles Bartlett, who has taken the guise of the Grim Reaper and is intent on becoming the most famous killer ever! Only Bannister and Ray's wife Lucy can stop the renegade spirit while trying to deal with the insane FBI agent....

Se7en (1995)

"Se7en", also known as just "Seven", is David Fincher's second full length movie that he directed after creating a name for himself as a music video director. He almost passed up the chance to direct "Se7en" after having such a horrible experience working on "Alien 3". "Se7en" is about a serial killer who kills people whose lives best represent one of the seven deadly sins. Unlike most serial killers, he doesn't kill because of some ill seeded sexual drive or the need to control others, but instead he kills to prove that the world is full of sin and that it influences everyone, like it or not. The killer is very precise and patient, taking over a year to implement his plan so everything lined up just right. The only aspect that I find difficult to understand is how he was going to complete the seventh and final sin before Brad Pitt's character, Detective Mills, moved to the unnamed City and became an unknowing player in the killer's game.

The movie is one of the best filmed features that I've ever seen, taking full advantage of the dark, wet City and turning it into a character itself. It's big and ugly and real. Coupled with the intense soundtrack, pairing certain points in the film with a particular song or classical piece, made the film complete.


Detective Somerset is about to retire and move away from the City, a run down, crime riddled metrolpolis. During his last few days, he is partnered with the brash young Detective Mills who just transferred to the City. They are soon dispatched to investigate the crime scene of an obese man that was found in his kitchen, killed by a blunt blow to the stomach after being forced fed for hours while a gun was pressed firmly against his head. This turns out to be just the first in a series of cruel and violent killings that claim people from all walks of life within the city, including a high profile lawyer and a famous local model. Somerset is the the first to notice that the killings are related to the different seven deadly sins from the bible, so with that knowledge they begin their search for the killer before he can complete all seven murders.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

The original “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” was such a unique movie that it’s difficult to imagine any other version. But low and behold a remake was made in 2003, a version that takes a few of the original ideas and adds plenty of new ones to flesh out the story. I will admit that I enjoyed watching the 2003 version for what it is; a reboot of the series because as a remake, it simply pales in comparison and is in no way anywhere near as frightening or chaotic as the original. It’s still a strong movie if it was an original itself so its’ cruel to try and compare the two films too much.

Let’s break down some of the differences -

1.       The reason why they are in the middle of Nowhere, Texas.

In the original, siblings Sally and Franklin are checking out their grandfather’s gravesite because there has been a rash of grave robbing and other acts of vandalism at the cemetery. While they are in the area, Franklin convinces the group of friends (2 girls and 3 guys) to stop by his dad’s run down childhood home, which happens to be right next door to where Leatherface and his demented family live.

In the new version, the number of friends and their genders are the same but the names are different and no one is bound to a wheel chair. The group is coming back from Mexico after sneaking a piñata full of pot across the border to sell at a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert in Dallas.

2.       The hitchhiker.

In the original, the group picks up a weird looking guy who begins telling them about his family and their work in the slaughter houses before pulling out a knife and cutting himself. The group kicks him out and he retaliates by smearing blood over their van. He ends up being Leatherfaces brother.

In the new version, the group picks up a girl who begins freaking out when they drive in the direction of the house where Leatherface lives. She pulls out a gun and kills herself in the back seat.

3.       R. Lee Ermey. He’s not in the original and he makes the remake awesome!

These three points are enough to distinguish the two films because before R. Lee Ermey is introduced, the story takes a different path from the original. There is more expansion in the remake but just enough to keep it interesting and not overly explained.