Movie Review: Fright Night

Sep 14 2011 by Ian Bunting, Airdrie & Coatbridge

Fright Night

FRIGHT Night tells the story of teen Charley (Anton Yelchin) and his fear that new neighbour Jerry (Colin Farrell) is a vampire responsible for a spate of neighbourhood deaths.

When no-one he knows believes him, Charley turns to magician and self-proclaimed vampire killer Peter Vincent (David Tennant) to help him stop Jerry once and for all.

Last week we had a horror sequel (Final Destination 5), now it’s the turn of a genre that often leads to plenty of head shaking; the horror remake.

I was a fan of the original 1985 version of Fright Night. It’s far from a classic but seeing Roddy McDowall’s vampire hunter taking on Chris Sarandon’s bloodsucker was a lot of fun... particularly for a young fan of horror (of course, I didn’t watch it till I was ‘of legal age,’ wink wink).

This ‘re-imagining’ is an uneven affair. For the first 40 minutes it’s mediocre stuff but then the film hits it stride and ends up being one of the better modern horror remakes.

Original Fright Night writer/director Tom Holland has a story credit alongside Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series writer Marti Noxon, so there should be plenty of bite for your buck.

And they ensure a new take on the Fright Night story. This is no Psycho or The Omen shot-for-shot, pointless remake and the writers deserve credit for that.

There’s the predictable incorporation of modern technology (Google, iPad, eBay) and references to Twilight but Holland and Noxon bring plenty more to the 2011 Fright Night table.

Examples? A closet ‘prison,’ one victim’s extreme sunburn, Vincent’s actual vampire back story (this one was a less successful story addition) and house explosion that leads to a second act chase/stalk ‘n’ slash (or should that be stalk ‘n’ gnash?) sequence as Jerry tails Charley across Vegas.

Farrell is a suitably menacing presence. Early on, one character says “He’s like the shark from Jaws,” minutes before a bloody underwater kill, and this is an apt description. Farrell’s Jerry doesn’t have much character depth but works as a heartless killing machine.

Director Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl) helms his first horror flick and proves he can set-up a scare and an action sequence; the highway scene is reminiscent of the T1000 chasing Arnie in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and features a fun Chris Sarandon cameo.

But not everything works. As I mentioned earlier, there are pacing issues and two of the lead characters are a disappointment.

Yelchin starts out as a bit of a douche and never becomes especially likeable.

Dr Who himself Tennant makes his big screen bow in a truly American production and, along with the behind-camera team, makes Vincent a sexually-charged, cursing, heavy drinking Russell Brand clone.

It doesn’t work and the Vincent character seems tacked-on, with little screen time; it’s a far cry from Roddy McDowall.

Fright Night 2011 is less fun and literally (murky colour palette) and figuratively darker than the original but works as a fresh spin on the story and an effective Friday night fright.

Rating - 6 out of 10.