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Kenneth Turan of the "Los Angeles Times" stated "Director Peter Jackson, at home with all kinds of excess in New Zealand, keeps everything spinning nicely, not even losing a step when the mood turns increasingly disturbing." Janet Maslin from "The New York Times" enjoyed "The Frighteners", but "walked out the theater with mixed emotions," she commented that "Peter Jackson deserves more enthusiasm for expert, imaginative effects than for his live actors anyhow. These lively touches would leave "The Frighteners" looking more like a more frantic "Beetlejuice" if Jackson's film weren't so wearyingly overcrowded. "The Frighteners" is not immune to overkill, even though most of its characters are already dead." Jeff Vice of the "Deseret News" praised the acting in the film, with the performances of Fox and Alvarado in particular, but said that there were also "bits that push the taste barrier too far and which grind things to a screeching halt", and that if "Jackson had used the restraint he showed in "Heavenly Creatures", the movie could have "been the best of its kind". Critic Christopher Null praised the film, as he described it as a mixture between "Ghostbusters" and "Twin Peaks". Michael Drucker of IGN said that although the film wouldn't make Jackson's top five of movies, it "is a harmless and fun dark comedy that you'll enjoy casually watching from time to time". "The Frighteners" received mixed reviews from critics from Jackson's native country, New Zealand.