When a teenager (William Ragsdale) learns that his next door neighbor (Chris Sarandon) is a vampire, no one will believe him.
What do you do when a vampire moves in next door and starts killing people? Well, if you are Charlie, you get your friends and a local B-movie actor to help you stop the vampire. But of course it is not going to be easy, because your parents and the police are not going to believe you. Such is life...
"Fright Night" is an 80s horror film, not unlike "Monster Squad" and "The Lost Boys". It has that feel where kids (or teenagers) are capable of fighting monsters while parents look the other way. Heck, throw "The Gate" in there, too. Similarities exist between this and "Lost Boys" -- the vampires, the mother's involvement with the local vampire leader, a close friend or family member turning evil...
And we get this from Tom Holland, who has a sketchy record. Sure, he has got this and "Child's Play" (both excellent). But "The Langoliers"? And "We All Scream For Ice Cream"? Holland has a strong connection to Stephen King, and for some reason seems to bring out the worst of King's work. Luckily, this is a notable exception -- one of the defining films of the 1980s horror scene. And that is how Holland became a "master of horror" (a title he earned, but is quickly losing).
This film is full of odd things. Christopher Sarandon (an amazing actor) is constantly changing clothes, and in one occasion wears a very metrosexual turtleneck. He keeps eating apples (although I do not know why). One of the main characters, Evil Ed, looks like Beavis (from "Beavis and Butt-Head"). And there is a hero named Peter Vincent (an obvious homage to Peter Cushing and Vincent Price).
There is a lengthy dance club scene, with a really cool mirror effect. Dance clubs are so 1980s. Think "Adventures in Babysitting" or even "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II" (early 1990s, when the fad was still wearing off). It was the thing to do -- have the action move into a musical environment to showcase a band. And I love it every time a film does this, so thank you "Fright Night" (although the scene does run a bit long).
The effects in general are good, and I have o give a lot of credit to the person who designed the monsters. The werewolf creature (actually a vampire in wolf form) is great, the vampire bat is pretty good, and just the regular vampire makeup is better than average. I did not find it scary, but I certainly did not think it was cheesy.
If I had to say anything negative, I would concede the running time is a bit long and some scenes could be trimmed a few seconds or a minute to pick up the pace. The music and clothing also dates the film, but that may not necessarily be a bad thing.
The 1980s were the time for horror. Watch this one. Get this and "Monster Squad", put in some butter lovers' popcorn, grab some A&W root beer. Maybe invite your significant other or a group of friends over. This is a casual party movie, and one I think the whole family can love if that is your preference. Another 1980s horror trait -- good horror without the excessive nudity or violence. I dare any film maker today to make such a film.
What do you do when a vampire moves in next door and starts killing people? Well, if you are Charlie, you get your friends and a local B-movie actor to help you stop the vampire. But of course it is not going to be easy, because your parents and the police are not going to believe you. Such is life...
"Fright Night" is an 80s horror film, not unlike "Monster Squad" and "The Lost Boys". It has that feel where kids (or teenagers) are capable of fighting monsters while parents look the other way. Heck, throw "The Gate" in there, too. Similarities exist between this and "Lost Boys" -- the vampires, the mother's involvement with the local vampire leader, a close friend or family member turning evil...
And we get this from Tom Holland, who has a sketchy record. Sure, he has got this and "Child's Play" (both excellent). But "The Langoliers"? And "We All Scream For Ice Cream"? Holland has a strong connection to Stephen King, and for some reason seems to bring out the worst of King's work. Luckily, this is a notable exception -- one of the defining films of the 1980s horror scene. And that is how Holland became a "master of horror" (a title he earned, but is quickly losing).
This film is full of odd things. Christopher Sarandon (an amazing actor) is constantly changing clothes, and in one occasion wears a very metrosexual turtleneck. He keeps eating apples (although I do not know why). One of the main characters, Evil Ed, looks like Beavis (from "Beavis and Butt-Head"). And there is a hero named Peter Vincent (an obvious homage to Peter Cushing and Vincent Price).
There is a lengthy dance club scene, with a really cool mirror effect. Dance clubs are so 1980s. Think "Adventures in Babysitting" or even "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II" (early 1990s, when the fad was still wearing off). It was the thing to do -- have the action move into a musical environment to showcase a band. And I love it every time a film does this, so thank you "Fright Night" (although the scene does run a bit long).
The effects in general are good, and I have o give a lot of credit to the person who designed the monsters. The werewolf creature (actually a vampire in wolf form) is great, the vampire bat is pretty good, and just the regular vampire makeup is better than average. I did not find it scary, but I certainly did not think it was cheesy.
If I had to say anything negative, I would concede the running time is a bit long and some scenes could be trimmed a few seconds or a minute to pick up the pace. The music and clothing also dates the film, but that may not necessarily be a bad thing.
The 1980s were the time for horror. Watch this one. Get this and "Monster Squad", put in some butter lovers' popcorn, grab some A&W root beer. Maybe invite your significant other or a group of friends over. This is a casual party movie, and one I think the whole family can love if that is your preference. Another 1980s horror trait -- good horror without the excessive nudity or violence. I dare any film maker today to make such a film.