Flashback: The Frighteners (1996)

The 1996 horror comedy The Frighteners starred Michael J. Fox as Frank Bannister, a man running a kind of “Ghostbusters” scam. Yes, he can see real ghosts, but they’re actually his accomplices: They haunt a place until someone pays Bannister to, um, “bust” them. But when the spirit of a mass murderer can attack the living and the dead, Frank and his ghost friends have to stop him.
The Frighteners was directed by Peter Jackson and co-written with Fran Walsh. The film also starred Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, John Astin, Dee Wallace Stone, Jeffrey Combs, R. Lee Ermey, and Jake Busey. The Frighteners was Fox’s last leading role in a live-action feature film.
The 1957 sci-fi horror movie called the “worst film ever made” has a new book version coming for the 100th birthday of Edward D. Wood Jr., the man who wrote, directed, produced, and even edited the movie.
British studio Hammer kicked off their classic monster movies with their Dracula films often starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Find out about all nine movies in their series.
Continuing our comparisons between the Fantastic Four and The Munsters—why do the FF and The Munsters fight crime? This is another example that THEY have in COMMON—but very few others would also have this in their description.
Bram Stoker’s novel DRACULA has left a lasting mark on the vampire genre. Published in 1897, the book also explores superstition, sexuality, and the clash between modern POVs with ancient evil.
In the latest episode of our show, we go over the uncanny similarities between the influential comic book legacy of the FANTASTIC FOUR and the monstrous (but beloved) television sitcom THE MUNSTERS!
The Rondo Awards honor the best in classic horror research, creativity and film preservation. This year's winners include the reissue of ROBOT MONSTER, the movie GODZILLA: MINUS ONE, the TV series WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, and more! Find out the details here.
Over the decades, there have been LOTS of robots on TV. We look at robots from a couple dozen TV shows, including sci-fi series, cartoons, and sitcoms.
The founder of 3D Film Archive talks to Monster Complex about the reissue of 1953 alien horror movie ROBOT MONSTER—including why he’s following it with a 3-D comic book anthology.
With tech so common now, we take a look at some of the best movie robots of all time—from charming co-workers who just want to help us out to menacing monsters planning to stomp on us.
Graphic novel horror trilogy The Night Eaters is an epic tale of family—as well as magic and monsters. We share more info about the series, plus co-creators Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda.
Influential genre author Tanith Lee won lots of awards, published inventive fiction, and was probably responsible for the Sandman comic book series. (Even if her name was never mentioned.)
In this exclusive interview, the award-winning horror author, editor, and publisher tells us about his zombie P.I. fiction series. “I love detective stories. I also love zombies. So, I mashed them together.”
Find out the story behind the epic hit from Michael Jackson, info from the band Toto about working on the blockbuster album, plus 13 AMAZING cover versions of the title track.
Here at Monster Complex, we talk about giant monsters a lot! Find links to several stories we’ve posted about Godzilla—plus other giant monsters, including Kong, Gamera, Ultraman, and more…
A new monster family movie aims to recapture the strength of 1980s family movies. “The movies of our childhood, they were not pulling punches. They were scary.”
Classic genre magazine Weird Tales has returned as a regular magazine, plus a novel imprint, and more. “One big focus for me is to explore as many different kinds of storytelling as possible,” says Weird Tales editorial director Jonathan Maberry.
Charlaine Harris talks about the end of Gunnie Rose series. “I thought, ‘I wanna write a story about someone who shoots a lot of people.’ But she’s not going to shoot you for the hell of it.”
The authors of The Real Ghostbusters: A Visual History talked with us about what inspired their book, their personal history with Ghostbusters, and why they interviewed more than 30 people.
Let’s talk about that Outer Limits episode that asked you to laugh. And love. Even though it will eventually destroy the, well, universe. You can also watch the episode or listen to the original score.

Chris Well been a writer pretty much his entire life. (Well, since his childhood.) Over the years, he has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio, and books. He now is the chief of the website Monster Complex, celebrating monster stories in lit and pop culture. He also writes horror comedy fiction that embraces Universal Monsters, 1960s sitcoms, 1980s action movies, and the X-Files.
Find out the story behind the epic hit from Michael Jackson, info from the band Toto about working on the blockbuster album, plus 13 AMAZING cover versions of the title track.