The Frighteners (1996) Limited Edition 4K UHD

4 stars of classic Peter Jackson mayhem.

The Frighteners is a 1996 American supernatural dark comedy horror film, directed by Peter Jackson (The Hobbit Trilogy, Bad Taste) who co-wrote with Fran Walsh (Braindead, The Lovely Bones).

Produced by Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Back to the Future), this gleefully chaotic romp has enjoyed a 4K restoration in is available to own for the first time in the UK on 4K from 26th October 2026, courtesy of Arrow Video.

“For decades, the name of Fairwater has been synonymous with death, following the infamous Bradley/Bartlett murder spree.”

Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox – Doc Hollywood, The Hard Way) is a former architect, living in the town of Fairwater. The town has something of a reputation, following a hospital shooting by local man Johnny Bartlett (Jake Busey – Starship Troopers, Enemy of the State) and his then teenage girlfriend Patricia Bradley (Dee Wallace – Cujo, The House of the Devil), who is now back home living with her mother.

Following the trauma of a drunken car accident which killed his wife, he finds himself able to see the spirit world. Sensing a business opportunity, he enlists some ghosts, Cyrus (Chi McBride – The Terminal, Gone in 60 Seconds), Stuart (Jim Fyfe – Full Grown Men) and The Judge (John Astin – The Addams Family (TV Series)), to help him in his new endeavor, as a psychic investigator. They create ‘hauntings’ and he steps in to save the day.

There has been a recent spate of unexplained heart attacks in the town, with seemingly healthy people dropping dead for no apparent reason. Following on of the funerals, he accidentally drives onto the lawn of Ray Lynskey (Peter Dobson – Hotel of the Damned, Paralysis), who he later has his ghosts haunt with a variety of strange measures, including a walking chicken carcass. Ray’s wife Lucy (Trini Alvarado – Little Women, Stella) calls him using the card he left, but something is different.

His team were not the only ghosts present at the house and Ray had a glowing number carved into his forehead, just like Frank’s wife. There is also super creepy F.B.I. Agent Milton Dammers (Jeffrey Combs – Re-Animator, Butch vs. SUndance) to contend with. What is going on in the town of Fairwater and can Frank get to the bottom of it in time to save the day?

“My daughter is not to be trusted. I can have her locked up any time I want to. They said she was an accessory after the fact. I know the truth. It was cold blooded murder.”

The Frighteners is a highly enjoyable watch from start to finish. Despite poor performance at the box office, it has since been recognised as an underrated jewel in Peter Jackson’s crown and rightly so. The performances are excellent and this release really brings everything to spooky supernatural life.

The conversion is very good, especially considering the amount of CGI involved which has stood up admirably to the 4K treatment. This release features both the Theatrical and Directors Cut as well as a host of special features. An excellent collection and well worth adding to your 4K shelf.

“Mrs Lynskey, you know nothing about Frank Bannister. You claim he’s a bonafide psychic, yet all I’ve heard is a lot of ill-informed, meandering waffle.”

The Frighteners is available to own now on Limited Edition 4K UHD.

4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• 4K restoration from the original camera negative
• Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options
• Collectors’ booklet featuring Peter Jackson’s 1998 introduction to the LaserDisc release, original production notes, and two 1996 articles from American Cinematographer

 

DISC 1 – THEATRICAL AND DIRECTOR’S CUTS (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation of both cuts in Dolby Vision (HDR10/compatible)
• Original lossless theatrical mix in DTS-HD MA 5.1 (theatrical cut only) and original lossless 2.0 stereo audio (both cuts), plus DTS-HD MA 5.1 home video mix (both cuts) and optional Dolby Atmos remix (director’s cut only)
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Optional English subtitles on all bonus materials
• Audio commentary by co-writer/producer/director Peter Jackson (director’s cut only)
• Peter Jackson’s 10th anniversary introduction to the film
• Theatrical trailer

 

DISC 2 – OPEN MATTE VERSIONS (BLU-RAY)

• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation of both cuts, with the same audio/subtitle options and extras as Disc 1

 

DISC 3 – EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)

• No Way to Make a Living: A Look Back at The Frighteners, a feature-length documentary produced in 2022, featuring new interviews with actors Dee Wallace Stone and Jake Busey, cinematographer John Blick, production designer Grant Major, creature and miniature effects supervisor Richard Taylor, visual effects supervisor Wes Takahashi, and producer/editor Jamie Selkirk
• The Making of The Frighteners, an exhaustive 225-minute documentary exploring every aspect of the film’s production, from script development and casting to post-production and release, produced in 1998 for the LaserDisc release, with a 2005 retrospective introduction by Jackson
• A Conversation with Richard Taylor and Alexandre Poncet, a 2022 interview with the man behind the film’s creature and miniature effects
• Image gallery