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.
Looking for some monster movies worth checking out? Here are THIRTY creature features that deserve more attention—from undersea threats to weird city disasters to kaiju battles!
Japanese film director Ishirō Honda is one of the key figures who brought the world Godzilla—and the launch of kaijus as a whole movie category.
In the 1970s, rock band Blue Oyster Cult released their light-hearted tribute to Japan’s legendary monster. Since then, there have been MANY cover versions, including rock, bluegrass, rap, and more.
New documentary The Thing Expanded explores the history of the 1982 horror classic—with more than 30 interviews! In-depth analysis will feature memories, facts, and theories about the movie.
The first big bug feature, Them! is often considered the greatest of the genre. We share two videos that discuss the impact of the groundbreaking giant-bug-movie.
SF author Robert Sheckley’s only series featured an interplanetary decontamination service. “Basically Ghostbusters in space,” noted one reader. “What more could you want?”
Maybe the greatest monster movie ever, Bride of Frankenstein (1935) was directed by James Whale, and starred Boris Karloff and Colin Clive. The sequel also starred Elsa Lanchester in two roles.
A depressed, reclusive vampire musician is rejoined by his centuries-old wife in this off-kilter romantic drama. Watch the videos for info about the making of the movie.
In the new horror comedy novel Brokeula, what’s scarier—the monster or the marketing scheme? “Horror demands a sort of fiction-reflected-reality. Casted against zombies or vampires.”
Looking for some monster movies worth checking out? Here are THIRTY creature features that deserve more attention—from undersea threats to weird city disasters to kaiju battles!
Sword & sorcery icon Conan the Barbarian debuted in a 1932 issue of Weird Tales. In the decades since, Conan has appeared in more books, plus movies, comic books, and more.
When the original show was cancelled, Star Trek was going to come back a cartoon. Outlining the shaky beginnings—and surprising victory—of the 1974 show Star Trek: The Animated Series.
Holmes’ new novel blends historical fiction with Southern gothic psychological horror. “We survive and thrive in little pockets—but it’s always temporary when oppression is the rule of the day.”
Over his long career, the famed comedy storyteller’s works have included 1974’s Young Frankenstein, 1987’s Spaceballs, 1995’s Dracula: Dead and Loving It, plus so much more.
How the woman who wrote for Wonder Woman rethought the world of Sword & Sorcery. “I’ve been a fan of strong female characters and pulp and fantasy and all of that forever.”
What if a made-up story about invading alien snails comes true? “The challenge was cradling a bunch of little stories inside a few medium stories inside one overarching story. They all had to work together.”
If this is true, actor Dwayne Johnson tried working behind the scenes with his Black Adam movie. And his schemes to run the show made the whole DC movie series come crashing down…
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.
A depressed, reclusive vampire musician is rejoined by his centuries-old wife in this off-kilter romantic drama. Watch the videos for info about the making of the movie.