 The Frighteners is a 1996 New Zealand @-@ American horror comedy film directed by Peter Jackson and co @-@ written with his wife , Fran Walsh . The film stars Michael J. Fox , Trini Alvarado , Peter Dobson , John Astin , Dee Wallace Stone , Jeffrey Combs , and Jake Busey . The Frighteners tells the story of Frank Bannister ( Fox ) , a man who can see ghosts and uses his ability to make a living exorcising haunted houses . When a series of murders begin occurring in his small town , Frank tries to find out who is responsible and discovers that the murderer is a ghost .
The film was released