Fright Night (1985)

It's safe to say that Charley Brewster has a short attention span. In fact, that's probably an understatement. But, when Charley oversees his new neighbor committing murder through his bedroom window, he finally gets some focus in his life. Much to the dismay of his family and friends, however, his new focus is on vampires. After a violent confrontation with Jerry, the creature next door, Charley is desperate to destroy the monster, and he attempts to enlist the aid of local "Fright Night" horror host Peter Vincent, the fearless vampire killer, to do it. Unbelieving Peter is reluctant, but Charley's girlfriend Amy and creepy-geek friend, Evil Ed, convince him with a bit of financial persuading. Their intention is to prove to Charley that Jerry Dandrige is not a vampire at all, but they are in for the scare of their lives, and it's anybody's guess who will survive the real "Fright Night!"

"Fright Night" is an 80s vampire flick for the classic horror fanatic! Paying homage to such staples as Dark Shadows and the Hammer Dracula franchise, this surprising little horror film supplies vampire lore and cliches aplenty, put together so skillfully that the result is this horror fan's favorite vampire indulgence. Of course, this favoritism is in no small part due to spectacular effects and performances! The cast seems tailor made for their roles as they play them, even if some choices seem a bit odd superficially. Hard to imagine this vampire pining away over the centuries for Married With Children's Marcy D'Arcy, but Amanda Bearse plays the role of the teenage object of Chris Sarandon's desires to perfection. Chris, himself, is powerfully convincing and menacing as the hip, 80's vampire. Extremely well adjusted to the times, too. His slave-boy zombie, Billy Cole, is played by an excellently creepy Jonathan Stark, but he's out-creeped by the always somewhat disturbing Stephen Geoffreys as Evil Ed. Of course, William Ragsdale IS Charlie Brewster, and his portrayal is what propels the film. The icing on THIS cake, however, aside from the teenage victim in the window that I've had a crush on all my life, played by someone named Irina Irvine, is the brilliant performance of one of my all-time faves, Roddy "Bullwhip" McDowall, as Peter Vincent, vampire killer! The late, great Roddy McDowall is definitely the yeast that raises this film from vampire movie mediocrity. Despite the nearly bare bones disc, featuring only a trailer and double-sided widescreen/fullscreen selection, this DVD is a must own for vampire, horror, and McDowall fans alike. Be prepared for some cheezy 80's music and a great time that you'll want to experience again and again! Also, be sure to check out "Fright Night 2," one of the best sequels ever made!

"Fright Night" stands the test of time as an entertaining and often surprisingly disturbing scare-fest from the mid 80s. A teenaged boy discovers to his horror that a vampire master has moved in next door, with his creepy half-human sidekick. Can the teen convince his friends the threat is real, and recruit famed movie "vampire killer" Peter Vincent to help dispatch the demonic creature? You'll have fun finding out. Highly recommended for Halloween party viewing I watch it each year with a group of friends, and we have a blast every time. Well worth the modest purchase price. Five stars!

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At first glance, Fright Night looks like another cheesy vampire film: a young man figures out that a vampire has moved next door, no one believes him, the vampire comes after him, his only hope is an old horror actor, etc. It's pretty predictable, right down to the whole thing about the boy's girlfriend bearing a striking resemblance to one of the vampire's old flames. So yes, in its own way, Fright Night is cheesy. At the same time, though, it is oh so much more than you would expect an entertaining, somewhat creepy vampire film that features some great acting and some really impressive special effects. You expect to see really bad, noticeably cheap special effects in a film like this, but Fright Night hits a home run in this department.

William Ragsdale plays Charley Brewster, a typical horror-loving kid who just so happens to find out that his new neighbor is a vampire naturally, no one believes him, including his friend Evil Ed (Stephen Geoffreys in a truly annoying performance) and his girlfriend Amy (Amanda Bearse, who went on to play Marcie on Married With Children). For some reason, Charley decides to be open about his suspicions, thus letting the vampire know that he knows his little secret not a smart move, as Charley soon learns courtesy of a little visit from the new guy in town. This vampire, I must say, looks nothing like your typical Count Dracula; he actually looks like a reject from Dance Fever, making it a little hard for me to take him seriously (although the threat of "Deney Terrio" busting out some disco moves in the film's one night club scene certainly had me feeling uneasy). In desperation, Charley goes to the only man he thinks can help him Peter Vincent, Vampire Killer (Roddy McDowall). Vincent killed many a vampire in the movies and he is now the local host of Fright Night, a late-night horror show. As you might expect, Vincent doesn't really believe in vampires and, once he sees that Charley is telling him the truth, he isn't too anxious to fight them, either. McDowall is really great in this movie; he is the lynchpin upon which most of the movie's success depends.

I can't say enough about the special effects, especially those in the film's climactic moments. As a horror fan, I really appreciate the filmmakers spending the time and money to give me such an impressive show. The plot features a number of clichés as well as a couple of "oldest tricks in the book," but the inspired performance of Roddy McDowell combined with the fantastic special effects leads me to bump my rating up from four to five stars. This probably won't be the best vampire film you've ever seen, but I am sure that fans of the genre will not fail to get quick a kick out of Fright Night.

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Those of you who think or are making the statements that another release with more extras and at a much lower price is not on the horizon are, in my opinion, the people trying to sell this item for the considerably profit margin. Whether or not this practice is morally repugnant is one of personal choice, but to suggest, by proxy, that they better buy at this price or forever be "out of luck" is suspect.

As for the movie itself, I like it. It has a tongue and cheek feel with some great gore. Roddy Mcdowall hands in an excellent performance and the vampire next door story runs well from beginning to end. It's an 80's movie that was on the "B" shelf with mostly unknown actors, barring of course Mr. McDowall, it transcended its genre and budget. When I saw it as a teenager when released to theaters I was very surprised by it and I think it has withstood the test of time.

FYI, for those who know what I am talking about, an HD Quality version is available online for free!

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Fright Night is a horror movie in its most simplistic form. A teenage boy named Charlie Brewster (William Ragsdale, "Herman's Head") believes that his next door neighbor Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon, "The Princess Bride") is a vampire. Of course no one believes him, especially his girlfriend Amy (Amanda Bearse, "Married with Children") and his buddy "Evil" Ed (Stephen Geoffreys, "Heaven Help Us"). Oh by the way, Evil Ed's classic line in this movie is, "Oh you're so cool Brewster."

Amy and Ed are concerned about Charlie's well being and figure humor his claims that his neighbor is a vampire. So Amy and Ed go to speak to Peter "The Great Vampire Killer" Vincent (Roddy McDowall, "Planet of the Apes"), a burnt out horror movie star turned late night T.V. show host for campy horror films (mainly his own). Charlie is a huge fan of Peter Vincent's work and conceders him a hero. This is why Charlie's friends seek Peter out. On the flip side, Amy and Ed are thinking Charlie's imagination is running amuck about Jerry because of all of his Peter Vincent viewing. Anyway I digress; Amy and Ed talk to Peter about their friend Charlie and the obsession that Jerry is a vampire. Now how two teenage kids are able to convince a movie star (burnt out or not) to speak with their "potential" insane friend, still befuddles me. Anyway, after some pretty definitive proof, it is discovered that Jerry REALLY IS A VAMPIRE! Charlie's confirmation is now fact and the other characters are quite shocked at this finding.

I will not give away any details or spoil this flick for anyone who hasn't seen it yet. Fright Night is really a fun movie and yes it does have some creepy and scary parts to it. I will also add that the movie has some pretty good special effects, they really aren't that cheesy. This movie was also made in 1985, which is the zenith of the 1980s, however this movie really doesn't seem dated. As a matter of fact, it is quite possible this movie is as relative today as it was back in 1985. The one part of the movie that could be abased for having a 1980s flare is the night club scene. There is the peachy music, "colorful" outfits and the hair sprayed hair. Then again, 1980s fashion is somewhat neo in these contemporary times, so it might not seem so dastardly. Ultimately, this movie isn't overshadowed by the fact that it was made in the 1980s.

Now when I say that this is the best vampire movie ever made, that is exactly what I mean. This movie has nothing to do with Dracula it is a basic vampire movie, so any comparisons with a Dracula is dubious. Hence Fright Night it is a marvelous vampire movie, not a marvelous Dracula Movie.

The acting in this movie is also really good; Chris Sarandon is smooth and suave as a vampire. He makes being a creature of the undead look like a lot of fun. Roddy McDowall is awesome as Peter Vincent (I love the throwback to Peter Cushing and Vincent Price in the character's name); he is dichotomy in his grapples with believing in vampires and faith. I think this was a bold performance by McDowall. William Ragsdale did a good job as Charlie. He looked a bit older than a 17 year old teenager, but then again this type of realism isn't why I am watching Fright Night. If that was the logic, then Elizabeth Shue was way too hot to be a hooker in Leaving Las Vegas. Consequently, these are the little persnickety thoughts I place into the box labeled "it is only a movie". Amanda Bearse was also fine as Amy, being both reserved and sexy. Stephen Geoffreys was also quite vexing in a jovial sort of way in his performance as Evil Ed. I also like how Jerry's "roommate" looks like a Xerox of Bill Paxton. Did anyone else notice that or was it just me?

As for the DVD itself, it is presented in letterbox/widescreen. There are several subtitles that can be utilized, so it is foreign speaking friendly. The original preview/trailer is included, which is somewhat a disappointment. It seems rather a mundane promotion for such a great movie. Nevertheless, it is cool that the trailer itself is included on the DVD.

Fright Night is great horror movie period. It also spawned a pretty good sequel in Fright Night 2. However, Fright Night stands fine by itself and I wish future vampire movies would use this movie as a paradigm. Mainly by having a basic story, good characters/acting performance and special effects that don't totally rely on computer graphics. Overall, a timeless piece of horror cinema which I am sure will still be enjoyed for many years to come.