Fright Night (1985)

Director:

Tom Holland

Writer:

Tom Holland (written by)

Release Date:

2 August 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

There are some very good reasons to be afraid...of the dark.

Plot:

When a teenager learns that his next door neighbour is a vampire, no one will believe him.

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Undead | Death | Actor | Teenager

Awards:

5 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Chris Sarandon	...	Jerry Dandrige
William Ragsdale	...	Charley Brewster
Amanda Bearse	...	Amy Peterson
Roddy McDowall	...	Peter Vincent
Stephen Geoffreys	...	'Evil' Ed Thompson
Jonathan Stark	...	Billy Cole
Dorothy Fielding	...	Judy Brewster
Art Evans	...	Detective Lennox (as Art J. Evans)
Stewart Stern	...	Cook
Nick Savage	...	Bouncer #1
Ernie Holmes	...	Bouncer #2
Heidi Sorenson	...	Hooker
Irina Irvine	...	Teenage Girl
Bob Corff	...	Jonathan (as Robert Corff)
Pamela Brown	...	Miss Nina

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (cut) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Netherlands:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Australia:M | France:-12 | Italy:VM14 | Norway:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Laid Studios, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Tom Holland had total control in the casting decisions. The only suggestion he got was from Guy McElwaine who asked Holland to meet his friend Roddy McDowall, who'd be cast. In an interview Holland said that "it was a terrific suggestion".

Goofs:

Plot holes: Charlie is supposedly a fan of vampire movies, but he learns from Evil Ed about things like stakes, garlic, crosses, etc., things which should be familiar even to casual horror fans.

Quotes:

[Peter Vincent has just hurt the vampire Evil Ed with a crucifix]
Evil Ed: The master will kill you for this! But not fast. Slowly! Oh, so slowly!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Marty Jenkins and the Vampire Bitches (2006)

Soundtrack:

GOOD MAN IN A BAD TIME

offbeat, cool, sexy and very 80s vampire tale (my favourite yet)

Before I first watched Fright Night, I admit I was unsure about what to think about it. All I knew about it was from what I had been told from my Dad (though his likes/dislikes are generally on par with mine, they sometimes border on plain stupid). But when I saw it to the end, I was almost totally converted.

Although the beginning is a bit cheesy and reminiscent of stereotypical horror B-movies, it soon becomes clear that this is part of what makes Fright Night so original. All the typical horror film genres are there: horror, romance, comedy (well maybe comedy isn't a typical horror element); but what makes this horror flick stand out a mile-and-a-half from the rest is that it's a very offbeat tale. It's creepily cheesy but gets away with it because it's atmosphere is so good.

All this and I haven't mentioned the acting or special effects yet. Sarandon seems to give such an effortless performance as the vampire and as a result is almost perfect. I had thought of what a modern day vampire would be like before I saw Fright Night; but Jerry Dandridge just blew all these ideas away and has to be the coolest (and I don't often use that word) and sexiest vampire ever, and is one of my favourite movie villains. Roddy McDowall can't hold a candle to Sarandon but is still very good, and Stephen Geoffreys is one of the funniest and memorable movie characters ever to grace a film screen too.

The special effects are good for 1985 and unlike where in modern films the SFX are the main point in the movie, here they add to the already present chilling atmosphere. And although on the one hand, Fright Night is quite dated, it also captures the atmosphere and the essence of the 80s. The soundtrack is excellent for the film, but paradoxically not very memorable (apart from one or two good songs).

[I wish I'd been born before 1981 (maybe 1961) so that I could have lived in the late-70s and 80s, and would have memories of the best music from that time, and not the boybands/Beatles clones/dance ditties (not decent tunes mind) we have now.]

All in all an (almost) perfect film: watch it and you'll (most likely) enjoy it and watch it again and again.