REVIEWS

EMPIRE CINEMA REVIEW
Reviewed by Adam Smith

Having garnered much critical respectability with Heavenly Creatures, New Zealand director Peter Jackson makes a welcome return to the world of hectic horror hokum and delivers a deeply sick, weird and enjoyable romp,
        Using his familiararity with threesome of third-rate ghouls to haunt houses, Frank Bannister (Fox) is running a spook extermination scam clearing up the mess after the ghouls have scared everyone witless.  However, a series of unexplained deaths - the victims pooping their clogs after massive heart attacks - draws the laws's attention to Bannister, and makes him wonder if he has anything to do with with the spiralling mortality rate.  In factthe culprit is a 'soultaker', an expensive looking piece of CGI, who reaches into people's chests to give their tickers a good squeeze.
        Thrown into the brew is a serial killer (Jake Busey), a nutty FBI agent (Combs), and a love interest in the form of recently widowed Lucy (Alvarado).
        Since Jackson was responsable for Bad Taste and the majestically sick Meet The Feebles, this may come as shock to people who have only witnessed Heavenly Creatures.  But here he displays his talent for juxtaposing truly disturbing imagery - particularly in a graphical reconstructed sequence of of a killing spree in a hospital - with light hearted comedy in the form of the spook threesome.   And anything which contributes to the reinvention of Michael J Fox - who displays a couple of moments of depth that we've never seen before - is more than welcome.  Huge fun.