In his early days, Peter Jackson produced, directed and starred in many comedies horror films. The Frighteners, 1996, staring a young Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado and Peter Dobson.

After screening the film the MPAA (Motion Pictures Association of America) automatically gave the film an “R” Rating due to some mildly frightening and possibly disturbing scenes, the amount of violence and blood was deliberately kept to a minimum in order to obtain a PG-13 rating and reach a broader audience