Fright Night

Director - Tom Holland (Child's Play, Tales from the Crypt)

Starring - Chris Sarandon (The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Resurrected), William Ragsdale (Fright Night Part 2, Screams of a Winter Night), and Amanda Bearse (Married... with Children, Here Come the Munsters)

Release Date - 1985

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "There are very good reasons to be afraid of the dark"

Format - UHD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I first found myself becoming horror oriented at the tail end of elementary school I became obsessed with the book series Goosebumps and Shivers. This soon spilled over to the television adaptation of the Goosebumps series along with Are You Afraid of the Dark? Soon I was discovering Stephen King, serial killers, and classic horror. It was around this time that I watched Fright Night for the first time. It was on cable but I can’t remember the channel or the circumstances around it but I do remember becoming obsessed with it. A few days later it was playing again and I made damn sure that I recorded it on tape when it aired again. Since then I’ve upgraded to DVD but I never was able to snag the blu due to it going out of print so quickly. Lucky for me, I was able to secure a review copy of the UHD steelbook release of the film a few days ago. This was a perfect addition to my October horror binge. 

      The film follows teenager Charlie Brewster (Ragsdale) who suspects that his new neighbor is a vampire. His girlfriend and friend believe he is having a break down and confusing the real world with the horror films he is a fan of. He tries to enlist the help of horror host Peter Vincent but he declines. However, his girlfriend and friend is able to convince Vincent to go along with it and help convince Charley that his neighbor is not a vampire. This doesn’t go according to plan and they quickly realize that vampires are real and one just moved into their neighborhood. 

      Fright Night, and it’s underrated and not that well known sequel, are films that I fucking loved in my younger years. I watched them constantly with The Lost Boys, Return of the Living Dead, and Children of the Night to name a few. Fright Night is what shaped my love of 80 vampire flicks a few years before I discovered The Lost Boys and I’ve quoted this movie for most of my life. It’s a fucking classic and a movie that I truly believe is essential viewing for horror fans. The acting in this is great and it’s the cast that makes this movie as memorable as it is. Ragsdale and Sarandon’s chemistry is fantastic. Sarandon’s arrogant vampire and Ragsdale high strung teenage horror fan finally finding a creature that goes bump in the night is so much fun to watch. Seeing them interact is one of the best parts of the film. Roddy McDowall and Stephen Geoffreys’ performance in this is fucking iconic. McDowall channels his inner Peter Cushing and fucking destroys it. I always found it strange that Amanda Bearse was in the film. Sometime before I found Fright Night I was already a Married…With Children fan. I was familiar with her from the show and seeing her as a different character always caught me off guard regardless of how many times I’ve seen it. The story for this one is horror first and foremost but there is a hint of romance which is common in vampire flicks of the 80s. We have characters that are very well written, a story that is predictable but entertaining, and some seriously impressive death scenes. It doesn’t bring something knew to the sub-genre but it still finds a way to leave a lasting impression on the viewer. Finally, the film has several amazing death scenes with some of the best effects to come out of the 80s. The bat form near the end of the film and the death of the familiar are both fucking iconic. Overall, Fright Night is a fucking must own for genre fans. With Halloween just around the corner this is the perfect movie to get you in the holiday spirit. Check it out and be sure to snag the new UHD steelbook!