Fright Night (1985)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

hyped garbage

Absolutely Fantastic

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall), a B-class actor performing in the cheap TV show Fright Night, mentions that "the kids today, don't have the patience for vampires. They want to see some mad slasher running around and chopping off heads." This explains the fate of the vampire films in the 80s. Even though "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" saved them a little bit in 1996, they have outlived themselves. Throughout the history you can see a lot of vampire films. If I am not mistaken the first vampire film "Nosferatu" was made in 1922, and after that, vampires conquered cinema and became a trend in horror genre, but gradually lost their territory and replaced by some sick people with masks running around killing people. Directed by Tom Holland, "Fright Night" is a cult film in this genre. It has a runtime of 106 minutes, and promises you an action-packed horror film. "Fright Night" is also the directorial debut of Tom Holland who is mostly known for his directing career in Tv series. "Fright Night" is about a teenager who thinks his neighbor is a vampire and starts to follow him around until he gets himself into trouble.I have seen "Fright Night" and it's Sequel "Fright Night 2" several times because as I mentioned above, it is a cult film in its genre and always a pleasure to fill a rainy night with. Perception of a horror, of course, depends on a good story, location, soundtracks, effects and makeup. However, I have always believed, it also depends on the external factors like what time you are watching it or how is the weather outside. Even though you are watching the best horror film at a beach in the mid-summer day, most probably you are not going to get what the film is trying to give you. If you like to get the full picture of a horror film, you should watch it in late hours and possibly with a storm outside. External conditions are as important as the horror film itself. The last time I have seen "Fright Night" it was after midnight, and there was storm outside and I have enjoyed it like the first time. This is a film I would never get bored of. Because from the acting to the soundtracks, from makeups to costumes, "Fright Night" carries all the symptoms of 80s. Its sincerity is the film's best feature. You can find the sincerity principle in a lot of films that were made in 80s, and those films have heavily affected cinema today. This kind of films really want to give you something. They want you to share their story. Watching this kind of cult films are going to give you strong ideas about how cinema is shaped based on 80s. The same thing applies for 80s films as well, they have been shaped by earlier ages of cinema. This is an unavoidable circle and influence.Vampires are undead, they sleep during the day and hunt during the night, and if they suck your blood you also turn out to be a vampire. They don't like garlic, holy water or crosses if you hold them with faith and they don't cast a shadow in the mirror. Other than these, they are elegant creatures. They know how to dress and walk, they know how to smile and talk, they are charming and highly educated. These features make them perfect hunters because human beings are generally attracted to these virtues. Most of these distinctive marks are references from Bram Stoker's Dracula, and some of them have been developed by cinema and literature. Thanks to that brilliant novel, Vampires are born. It is important to have a general knowledge about vampires before having a look at the main vampire in the film, Jerry Dandrige (Chris Sarandon). I am sure his assistant is not human, but he is not vampire either. Chris Sarandon has all those features I have mentioned above. His charm as an actor makes him very suitable for the job. The way he looks, talks and dresses are all matching with the original description of vampires. I have enjoyed his acting, and I am very happy to see that director respects all the classic features of the vampires and doesn't do a thing to change them. The supporting roles have a way of completing the main character. Even though William Ragsdale, as Charley, has more scenes, Sarandon leads the film.Director tries hard to make a good horror film. He partially manages to achieve this by showing the transformation of the vampires or their death, with acceptable makeup, but I believe that could have been done better. "Fright Night" is also rich with soundtracks made by Brad Fiedel. It is a classic vampire film and one of the best of its own genre. To track the progress of vampire films, Fright Night is a must watch.

This was the time when effects still had to be done practically and not via CGI. And the effects are really awesome! Humor and suspense work so well together to bring us an unforgettable comedy horror that's neither silly or gory. The various elements blend together seamlessly. Chris Sarandon is excellent as the vampire, as is Roddy McDowall as reluctant vampire hunter Peter Vincent. The man is quite simply a legend. This is an amazing, entertaining film to watch again and again.

It's always fun when a movie is firmly set within a world in which movies exist. This is a light horror-comedy outing with some great transformation makeup and lots of self-awareness. More 80s teen dramedy than it is horror, it's as lightly fun as it is completely inconsequential.

"Fright Night" starts with an absorbing and rather fantastic plot idea. A vampire, that triggers a pleasant association with historical tales of Count Dracula and his dark, creepy castle in the heart of Transylvania, here in the middle of an urban area undoubtedly leads to a fantasy undertone and manages to add a touch of humor every once in a while.The first scene unconsciously brings to mind Roman Polanski's much underrated masterpiece "The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)" and with Roddy McDowall's remarkable resemblance to Alfred (Roman Polanski's character in the aforementioned movie), this comparison is further intensified. the movie begins with a comedy scene where two high school sweethearts are making love in the middle of watching a late-night horror movie. This scene is immediately followed by a horror one in which two men are seen carrying a coffin into the basement of the next-door house. This subtle shift of tones between comedy and horror has proved to be quite effective and as said before has a strong resemblance to Polanski's cinematic tour de force.however, it goes without saying that "Fright Night" is hardly comparable to Polanski's flick in terms of the plot, humor and the incredible Transylvanian mood that the latter has to offer. But watching it at 2 o'clock after midnight was an enjoyable experience thanks to the spirit of America's 80's movies that never lets you down.