Peter Jackson, the man that you are. Whatever you think of his filmography as a whole, there’s no denying The Lord of the Rings trilogy is among the greatest cinematic achievements of all time. Not only is the scale enviable, but Jackson and company helmed what is and will always remain the definitive adaptations of Tolkien’s seminal works. Real ones know Jackson’s start was in the horror genre, of course. That’s why Cate Blanchett signed onto The Lord of the Rings in the first place—she wanted to “work with the guy who made Braindead.”
King Kong is a masterpiece, The Lovely Bones is a deeply felt serial killer flick, and The Hobbit trilogy… actually, we won’t talk about those. So, Peter Jackson, genre icon, and also an influence on none other than contemporary horror maestro James Wan. James Wan first stormed onto the scene with the Leigh Whannell-scripted Saw, and from there, he’s almost singularly responsible for shaping the modern, mainstream horror scene. Wan considers this criminally underrated Peter Jackson gem among his favorites, and now, you can catch this cult-classic streaming free. Learn more about The Frighteners below:
Per Tubi: Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson’s trippy ghost story is about a self-made ghostbuster who becomes overwhelmed by the Grim Reaper himself.
The Frighteners is heaps of fun. This digital masterpiece was a critical success but a financial failure, despite strong hope from Universal executives. It’s a shame, but at least The Frighteners is in good company. In the streaming era, luckily, more fans have had a chance to either check out The Frighteners for the first time or revisit it for the dozenth. Our own Tyler Doupé, writing about the film a few years ago, wrote, “All-in-all, The Frighteners is a riotous good time, which serves as the perfect bookend to Jackson’s early horror period. Hopefully, it won’t be long before the director returns to his roots and turns out another horror project.”
James Wan personally laments how inextricable Jackson’s legacy is with The Lord of the Rings, sharing with The New York Times, “In his gory horror comedies, his horror set pieces are so over the top — blood spraying everywhere — it’s just hilarious. And that’s what I see in The Frighteners, a little bit of that cheekiness peppered throughout.” Wan is absolutely right, and with The Frighteners streaming free, make sure to find the time to revisit one of the last century’s ultimately forgotten gems.
What do you think? Are you a fan of The Frighteners? Which Peter Jackson movie is your favorite? Let me know either way over on Twitter @Chadiscollins!
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