Peter Jackson made his American studio debut back in 1996 with a horror-comedy called The Frighteners that should have done better…. But it came out the same month as the biggest film of ‘96, Independence Day, and the same day as indie powerhouse Trainspotting. As such it died almost on arrival, both commercially and critically. But The Frighteners holds distinction because its production made The Lord of the Rings possible. That’s mostly why we re-watched it, since some folks seem to enjoy this cult-favorite. It is a career bridge for Jackson, mos def - and if anything else, it’s a good example of what can go wrong when a studio gets its hands on an up-and-coming director with talent to burn, but one with very little industry clout. In the end, that’s probably the most frightening thing about this odd movie.