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Fright Night
is a remake of the
1985 classic. Even
though the main
character is named
the same there are
some distinct
differences between
that movie and this
one. The biggest
difference is this
movie’s overall
production value. It
looks and sounds
fantastic. Pretty
much you haven’t
seen a vampire movie
that looks this
good, that includes
the
Twilight
series. The
production isn’t the
best part of the
movie, it’s the
witty script and
sense of adventure.
It’s an hour and a
half thrill ride
that’s slightly
scary but exciting
as hell and yes…
funny.
Charlie Brewster
(Anton
Yelchin) used to be
a geek. He dressed
up and made super
hero movies with his
friends in the back
yard. He used to be
that guy until he
started dating one
of the popular girls
in school, Amy
(Imogen Poots) and
became popular
himself. When he
became popular he
turned his back on
his friends and
wouldn’t speak to
them anymore lest
his reputation get
tarnished. When his
friend Ed approaches
him at school and
tells him his other
friend Adam has been
missing for days,
Charlie is forced to
go over to Adam’s
house to see what’s
up. At the house Ed
informs Charlie that
his neighbor Jerry
is actually a
vampire that killed
Adam and has killed
a number of families
in the neighborhood.
Charlie acts like a
jerk and leaves Ed
to become the prey
of Jerry.
After
Jerry gets his teeth
into Ed that leaves
Charlie feeling
guilty and worried
about his mom and
girlfriend and their
safety with a
vampire living right
next door. He tries
to tell them that
Jerry is a crazy
vampire, he even
calls the cops on
him, but nothing
seems to work and
nobody believes him.
Eventually things
come to a head and
Jerry and Charlie
have their big
showdown.
I
hate vampires and I
hate vampire movies.
We’ve been smothered
by it in music and
movies over the past
four years. This
however isn’t a bad
movie. It’s a
cleverly written
movie that has some
dark comedy similar
to the original and
classic scary movies
like
Night
of the Living Dead
and
The
Army of Darkness.
The script has
plenty of wit and
humor but it also
has plenty of room
for some thrills and
chills.
Fright Night
is funny and
exciting and even
though there are
several moments of
clichéd horror movie
traits, there’s
still plenty to be
had with some
excitement and
humor. That humor is
heightened by a
great cast.
Anton
Yelchin and Colin
Farrell headline a
great cast. Farrell
is particular great
in his role as Jerry
the vampire. He’s
dark, broody, and
terrifying and he
pulls the role off
as the villain very
well. Yelchin is
just as great as
Farrell as the hero.
Just like other
films he’s been in
like,
Charlie Bartlett,
Yelchin is
incredibly likable
in
Fright Night
and easy to root
for. Those two and a
hilarious
performance by David
Tennant push this
movie over the top
to supreme enjoyable
levels.
The
acting and script
for
Fright Night
are both great. As
is the direction by
Craig Gillespie, but
the movie is still
far from perfect. We
haven’t been treated
to a comedy horror
movie quite like
this in a long time
But special effects
lack in a big way.
If they were more
advanced this
wouldn’t be the same
movie but if they
were just a tad
better in places
this movie would
have been fantastic.
Instead what’s on
screen can be good,
just not great. If a
little more time was
given to vampire
design this movie
would have been
tremendous.
As
far as bonus
features on
Fright Night
there are a few
memorable add-ons.
The first is a fun
piece where David
Tennant plays Peter
Vincent again to
talk about the
character’s Las
Vegas show. There’s
an eight minute
piece on making the
movie with rules on
making a vampire
movie that’s
somewhat funny and
then there’s a good
gag reel that you
can watch and laugh
at more than once.
That’s about the
extent of what’s
available on this
release with bonus
features.
Fright Night
is a fun movie. You
can over think it
and say it’s
unoriginal all you
want but for fans of
movies like this
that beckon back to
the 80’s and films
like the original
Fright Night
and
Night
of the Undead-
they’ll love this
movie. It’s funny,
it’s produced well,
and it even has
amazing music. I’d
recommend this to
any old-school
horror buff.
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