DVD Review: Fright Night

Time for a shameful admission. To this day I’ve not watched the original Fright Night. Even though I missed it (please, I was 5 years old in good ol’ 1985), it was one of those films I remember being around and part of that was due to that magnificent hand drawn poster featuring the ghoulish vampire face hovering above a house.

Skip forward to 2012, posters are now mostly photoshopped, nowhere near as effective and I’m now a cynical, grumpy 32 year old man, most likely to sneer at modern teenage vampire flicks than embrace them.

You can thank Twilight for that. As romantic as it may be, I can’t get past the sparkling vampires (that and Ed Cullen’s trademark emo frown thing that Pattison does) and quite frankly, I’m insulted that anyone would consider the twilight series a true vampire flick.

A feeling that happens to be clearly shared by one of the main characters in Fright Night and an early line that quite effectively grabbed my attention.

What Fright Night does best, is remind us that vampires are actually bloodsucking bastards and not misunderstood romantic teenagers.

Set in a small town just outside of Las Vegas, Anton Yelchin plays Charley Brewster, a typical teenager who suspects his next door neighbour, Jerry Danridge (Colin Farrell) may or may not be a blood thirsty vampire.

Toni Collette, Imogen Poots and Anton Yelchin

David Tennant and Anton Yelchin

Colin Farrell as Jerry Dandrige

There’s a certain whiff of The Lost Boys about Fright Night and it isn’t until David Tennant turns up as the flamboyantly theatrical self professed vampire expert Peter Vincent does the film really begin to take it’s own shape.

One of things that impressed me most with Fright Night was the camera work, particularly during a chase sequence shot all in one take from within a fleeing car, an impressive feat that I’ve not seen since The Children of Men.

There’s also some imaginative use with the mythology of vampires and the way they don’t reflect, with one shot showing a security guard attacked by an invisible to CCTV vampire.

The cast are all enjoyable to watch too. Anton Yelchin is suitable as the concerned teenager, David Tennant does his best Russell Brand impression as the borderline drunk Peter Vincent and Colin Farrell balances menace and charm perfectly as Jerry.

With a witty screenplay from Marti Noxon (from Buffy The Vampire Slayer fame) Fright Night is a worthy piece of comedy horror.

While never quite reaching the heights that it aims for, there are plenty of moments that will bring a smile to your face and Fright Night provides the perfect alternative to those fed up with sparkling vampires.

Special Features:
Gag Reel (unrated)
Kid Cudi Music Video (uncensored version) – “No One Believes Me”
Squid Man – Extended & Uncut