The 1985 horror film Fright Night has its fair shares of problems, but overall it’s effectively entertaining vampire horror that manages to get a few scares from audiences to this day. Its success derives not from a widespread fear of vampires (especially since most people seem to want to have their babies nowadays) or from brilliant performances, but from a story that builds on the right elements of pacing, characterization, and a few twists that defy expectations. Equally defiant of expectations is the 2011 Fright Night remake by Craig Gillespie which successfully captures the essence of what made the original an enduring horror staple while adding a few brilliant touches here and there and upping the ante with a terrific cast of Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, David Tennant, Toni Collette, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Will it scare the pants off of you? No, but it’s as entertaining as anything else that came out this year and on top of a few thrills there are some pretty solid laughs.
A lot of kids have been disappearing from Charley Brewster’s school lately, and now, with his childhood friend Ed joining that list, his suspicions about his new neighbor Jerry are starting to seem justified. And though it started as a geeky theory of Ed’s, Charley’s pretty sure Jerry’s a vampire; it’s a concept he can hardly believe himself and which draws a fair amount of entirely valid skepticism from his too-hot-for-him girlfriend (Imogen Poots) and his mother (Collette), who thinks Jerry’s quite attractive. Eventually though, the truth about Jerry comes out and Charley must enlist the help of the self-proclaimed vampire expert, Peter Vincent (Tennant) to hunt Jerry down and end his blood-sucking evangelism.
You can’t help but appreciate a film that doesn’t waste the audience’s time bouncing them back and forth trying to figure out whether the situation they’re showing us is or isn’t actually happening or whether or not the people around the protagonist believe them when they insist there’s a monster living next door (or under the bed, in the swamp, etc.). The supposed thrill of the revelation of monstrosity plays second fiddle to that of said monstrosity ruthlessly chasing a character down and inflicting a sinister torment. The fact of the matter is that a scare that elicits goosebumps will never measure up to one that inspires adrenaline and a bit of cringing. Fright Night might not always achieve the latter, but when it does it never has to use screeching loud noises or people suddenly appearing where there was previously nothing; it paces itself right and builds to its pay offs, an unfortunately rare occurrence in horror today.
However, depending on your take on what a good horror movie should include, it’s also a bit silly thanks to the presence of David Tennant and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Tennant, who may be the best part of the film, brings the right kind of silly, playing his vampire expert as something of a geek posing as a vampire expert posing as an egotistical showman. Watching him shift between the three personalities gives the film it’s finest comedic moments and in a great showdown scene in his suite, his well-established ability to juggle drama and humor gives the film a push to elevate it beyond just another horror remake. The effect of Mintz-Plasse on the film is nowhere as beneficial, with him essentially playing the same character he did in Kick-Ass only with vampire teeth. His permanent state of teenage awkwardness gives a nice contrast to our expectations of vampire suaveness, but beyond that it’s the same old Mintz-Plasse.
Anton Yelchin and Colin Farrell don’t play their parts as the traditional horror teenager and vampire, respectively, and Fright Night is all the better for it. Yelchin, like Mintz-Plasse, still has that semi-permanent air of geekiness that he’s used to his advantage in past roles, but he’s also a bit more confident than what you’d expect from the part, another quality we’ve seen from in before. This isn’t just a nerd-role or a reluctant teenager-role, there’s a bit more filling it out than that. Similarly, Farrell’s vampire isn’t just the ladies’ man vampire who seduces on a whim, drinking blood and leaving a trail of corpses. There’s an air of blue collar malaise in his sit around the house in suburbia routine that makes him more fleshed out a bloodthirsty killer than most vampire flicks ever deign to give the audience.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
Though the back of the cover makes it look like 5 deleted and extended scenes are the only Blu-ray exclusive, featurettes with David Tennant in character as Peter Vincent and Craig Gillespie’s guide to making a funny vampire movie are also only to be found on the Blu-ray. The featurettes shared by the Blu-ray and DVD versions include a pretty great blooper reel, the extended and uncut take on Squid Man (an in-film film), and Kid Cudi’s “No One Believes Me” music video which still doesn’t really fit with the movie considering Charley’s mother and girlfriend are skeptics for too long.
"Fright Night" is on sale December 13, 2011 and is rated R. Comedy, Horror. Directed by Craig Gillespie. Written by Marti Noxon (screenplay), Tom Holland (story). Starring Anton Yelchin, Christopher Mintz Plasse, Colin Farrell, David Tennant, Toni Collette, Imogen Poots.
