Vampires have become such a cliché in today's pop culture, that it's not often that you find an original vampire flick that delivers. Ironically, the one vampire flick that does and one that I recommend, "Fright Night", is actually a spoof of the vampire myth, albeit a scary one. Instead of deviating from the classic lore behind the vampire legend, director Tom Holland is able to retain all the elements of the traditional myth and integrate them into 1980s America. "Fright Night" which was released in 1985 has gone on to be a cult classic. So much so, that DreamWorks recently revealed that they are in the process of making (you guessed it) a remake. More reason why you should see this one before it will be forever tainted by a remake.
Charlie Brewster loves two things; horror movies and his girlfriend Amy. In fact, the movie opens with the two together watching Charlie's favorite TV show "Fright Night", a campy horror show hosted by washed-up actor Peter Vincent (played by Roddy McDowall). As they're busy watching and making out, they are interrupted by two men moving in next door. Charlie thinks it odd that they would be moving in at night. In the nights that follow, strange occurrences happen that persuade Charlie that their strange behavior can only be explained by the fact that his new neighbors are indeed a vampire and his undead watchdog during the daylight hours.
Fright Night contains all the elements of a fun, scary movie; it's original, sexy, and full of comic relief. Ladies and men of a certain persuasion will ditch the "Edward" or "Jacob" camp of the "Twilight" series and opt for Jerry Dandrige played by actor Chris Sarandon. All audiences will enjoy watching Amanda Bearse' debut appearance who went on to play Al Bundy's neighbor Marcy in the 90s sitcom "Married with Children". She was a young actress in this film, and those who haven't seen "Fright Night" yet will be struck on how attractive she is in this film. Fright Night will also delight new audiences with its orginal soundtrack that remains a successful selling item on Amazon even today, 20+ years later!
Hey Pat! Technically I'm supposed to be offline, but apparently AT&T has not done it yet! Great, because it gives me a chance to comment on your post.
ReplyDeleteI love Fright Night. Chris Sarandon has to be the sexiest vampire since Frank Langella! The movie was scary, funny, and I love the way you write about the people who would love him. Do you know, I didn't even put together than the character Amy is the same actress as on Married With Children?! It just never occurred to me! She was a real little beauty in Fright Night.
Great recommendation for Halloween time!