This past summer I watched the original Fright Night for the first time and I have to say it was extremely dated and laughable. From jump cuts not matching up to horrible "B movie" style acting to "Evil Ed" changing into a Werewolf after being bitten by a vampire, it was in desperate need of a remake. From the first blood sucking scene to the last, the new Fright Night drives a stake through the heart of a successful action/horror/comedy film.
The cast of the film is absolutely perfect! Colin Farrell is great as the new neighbor (and vampire) Jerry Dandrige (portrayed by Chris Sarandon in the original). Farrell brings the perfect balance of charm, scary, and funny capturing the tone of the movie perfectly. Anton Yelchin and Christopher Mintz-Plasse play Charlie Brewster and "Evil Ed" Lee respectively, both of whom are amazing. But the real show stopper is David Tennant as Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall in the original). In this film, Peter Vincent is a Criss Angel type character, rather than a "local yokel" public access film host. Tennant brings a Jack Sparrow type energy and wit to the role. Toni Collette and Imogen Poots round out the cast as Charlie's mom and girlfriend.
Written by vampire veteran Marti Noxon of Buffy fame and directed by Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl) this movie is full of non-stop action and a lot of really funny humor.
Fright Night is the best example of the reason a movie should be remade and also how great one can be if it is well executed! Movie theaters are plagued with remakes and reboots, all of which are notoriously terrible and mostly in the horror genre. Hopefully, Fright Night won't get lost in the "remake shuffle."
I give Fright Night a frightening 8 out of 10 stakes!
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