By Geno McGahee
In 1985, the original FRIGHT NIGHT was released and it was an immediate classic. The next door neighbor of a teen turns out to be a vampire, leading to a showdown between the unlikely hero and the near invincible creature of the night. So, in 2011, when FRIGHT NIGHT, a remake or re-imagining was released, I wasn’t particularly eager to see it. There are too many remakes as it is and to remake something that was such a classic didn’t make much sense, but they remade TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, and FRIDAY THE 13th, so why not?
The first thing that stands out in the new movie is that everyone looks like a model for the most part. There was no average looking people. Even the high school teacher was attractive and when I went to high school, the women were all elderly or pigs…there were no hot teachers. Everyone in the classroom, with the exception of the intentional geek, Ed (Christopher Mintz – Plasse), could have been on the cover of a magazine. You see this all the time now. They don’t even take fat extras anymore.
Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) is a teenager that lives in a little community in the desert of Las Vegas, Nevada. His next door neighbor, Jerry (Colin Farrell), makes a bad impression immediately by having a huge dumpster parked in his driveway. Charley’s mother, Jane (Toni Collette), makes a fuss, but when she is charmed by Jerry, she lets it go. He just seems like a nice guy that she wouldn’t mind banging.
Ed is a hilarious character, much like the first. This time, Charley used to be best friends with him, but the pressure of high school has prompted him to cut ties. He is now with the “in crowd” while Ed is an outcast, but he is not a quiet one. I thought it was hilarious how he kept blackmailing Charley with pictures and video of the past, where they were battling Dungeons and Dragons style. Unfortunately, Ed’s time on the screen isn’t much, and Jerry takes him out quite early. It was a surprise, which is part of this film’s charm. You think one thing is going to happen, but something else does.
One of the coolest scenes in the film is when Charley goes looking for Ed, who is missing. He goes to his house and starts fishing around on his computer, finding video that Ed recorded. Jerry doesn’t appear on the video. Vampires don’t cast a reflection and to see the vehicle drive up and the door open without anyone visible getting out was quite cool. Ed saying “I got you,” made the scene even better. It was a nice variation of the original where Peter Vincent realized that he didn’t see Jerry in the mirror.
In the original, Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) was a cheesy horror host that you would see all the time in the 1970s. Considering the differences in time, the character had to be changed and so now we have Peter Vincent (David Tennant), a Mindfreak sort of magician in Vegas that is known as the “Vampire Killer.” You can’t replace McDowall and the character isn’t nearly as charming, but I still found Tennant’s portrayal very amusing.
Charley and his girlfriend, Amy (Imogen Poots), approach Peter after Jerry turns vampire and attacks the duo and Charley’s mom on the road. The CGI look of the full-fledged vampire wasn’t so great. He looked reptilian and cartoonish, but CGI is winning over traditional make up, and here is another example. The look of the first vampire in the 1985 flick was way better.
Jerry kidnaps Amy and now Charley and Peter Vincent are off to kill Jerry and save her. It is a big showdown in the house in Vegas.
FRIGHT NIGHT isn’t as good as the first, but it is not without its charm. It moves a little quickly and the look of the vampires was pretty mediocre, but the characters are very likeable, especially Ed, and the movie is different enough to stand alone as a good horror entry. I recommend it.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7/10.
