Scanlines

D: Peter Jackson; with Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, John
Astin, Jeffrey Combs.
VHS Home Video

One of the most underrated films of the year, The Frighteners has
zipped its way to home video in record time. Directed by New Zealander Peter
Jackson, the man behind Bad Taste, Dead Alive, and 1994’s masterpiece
Heavenly Creatures, The Frighteners was supposed to be Jackson’s
entr�e into the U.S. mainstream. It didn’t quite work out that way, as
the plot — regarding a scam artist/ghostbuster (Fox) who becomes the prime
suspect in a rash of deaths in a quaint New England town — proved a little too
inapproachable for the Twister crowd. However, if you’re a
discriminating film fan, this is one of those gems that slips through the
cracks now and again, and the picture really deserves a much larger audience
than it received during its theatrical release. Of special note is the
culmination of Jackson’s experimentation with computer morphing effects, plus
the true pleasure of show-stealer Trini Alvarado’s performance as Fox’s
doe-eyed charge. A must-see for fans of Jackson.

— Christopher Null

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Lyrical Nitrate

If your impression of silent film consists of images of Charlie Chaplin, or
even Clara Bow, then this collection of clips produced between 1905 and 1915
will change that view forever. Printed on nitrate stock, which is fragile and
highly flammable, the collection was found deteriorating in a closet in the
Netherlands. Now restored and pieced together here, with an added soundtrack
from turn-of-the-century recordings, the overall effect is mesmerizing and
intense. Obviously, the filmmakers and audience for these works saw themselves
as hyper-modern members of an already futuristic world. The exploration and
mastery of color tinting, lighting, camera angles, slow motion and other
technical aspects of film are fantastic, especially when the novelty of the
medium at that time is taken into account. This all-too-brief stroll into human
history will leave you wishing for the discovery of another forgotten closet of
film treasure.

— Kayte VanScoy

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Final Doom

That Doom is one of the greatest phenomena ever to hit the electronic
gaming industry is undeniable; that it’s still alive and kicking (particularly
in light of the fact that much better games such as Duke Nukem 3D and
id’s own Quake are now available, though not for the PlayStation), is
nothing short of amazing. There are no new monsters or weapons to be found
here, but there are plenty of new levels, and they’re designed to be especially
murderous. Gamers who live for the sound of a cocking shotgun probably won’t be
disappointed in Final Doom, but they won’t be surprised, either.
— Bud Simons

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The Canterville Ghost

Charles Laughton — large, lovable, and, yes, invisible — plays “the
most fearsome of all English phantoms” in Jules Dassin’s 1945 version of the
Oscar Wilde short story. After being walled up in 1643 in an alcove of the
Canterville family mansion upon the orders of his father for unutterable
cowardice, Sir Simon Canterville (Laughton) is cursed to haunt the estate until
a kinsman does a brave deed in his name. Fast-forward 300 years later to WWII,
when an American platoon is stationed at the mansion and the lady of the house,
enchanting six-year-old Jessica de Canterville, discovers that one of the randy
Americans, Robert Young of Father Knows Best fame, bears the
unmistakable Canterville birthmark. Is he also plagued with the indelible
Canterville cowardice? Jessica and Sir Simon’s quest for the answer makes for a
hilarious comedy. — Clay Smith

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Tomb Raider

Lara Croft may do for action-adventure computer games what Sigourney Weaver
did for sci-fi flicks. She’s the lead in the latest game from Core Design and
she kicks! When she’s pumpin’ lead from her pair o’ pistols she’s a woman no
man dare scorn, but you’ll need more than firepower to finish the game. The
puzzles grow more complex and challenging as you play through each level, and
the levels themselves also seem to become larger and more beautiful. The game
looks great, but you’ll need a powerful computer to fully appreciate the
fantastically smooth animation of Lara and the beasts she encounters. The only
other drawback to this game is that it doesn’t feature a multiplayer mode.
— Kurt Dillard

This article appears in December 27 • 1996 and December 27 • 1996 (Cover).