Fright Night (1985) – Review

Fright Night – 1985 – Horror, Thriller, Comedy

Directed by: Tom Holland
Written by: Tom Holland
Main Players: Chris Sarandon; Roddy McDowall; William Ragsdale; Amanda Bearse; Stephen Geoffreys

Fright Night Xlg

Cool kid Charley Brewster (Ragsdale) lives the typical high school life. He juggles friends like Evil Ed (Geoffreys), his girlfriend Amy (Bearse) and his nosey mother. He is obsessed with the occult and loves ‘Fright Night’ movie evenings of horror flicks hosted by local TV movie star and vampire killing expert Peter Vincent (McDowall).

As new neighbor Jerry Dandridge (Sarandon) moves into the home next door, along with his live-in carpenter Billy that fixes the home up. Charley views Jerry moving in with his coffin during the night, and immediately assumes the worst, however during the following day Billy assures him nothing is wrong.

Days later as a well-dressed lady of the night arrives via Taxi, Charley assures her that he, the high school kid, is not her date, and sends her to Jerry’s house. When the local news shows her as a victim, along with several others, Charley knows his neighbor is involved and lets his vampire theories run wild.

As a game of cat and mouse ensues, Jerry and Charley face off, and new alliances must be formed. Naturally, a cheesy TV show host and movie star is the perfect partner, so Charley looks to the mighty Peter Vincent to team-up. Will Charley be successful in protecting his friends and family from a possible monster next door, or will he be overpowered by creatures of the night?

Fright Night is a fun 80s horror comedy, for real. It has some good characters and some good lines, along with some solid practical special effects. It’s a bit cheesy, somewhat on purpose, and has a nice groove to it. While personally Charley is not my favorite main character of all time, the movie remains a fun watch.

I have not seen the sequel, but will likely track it down eventually.

See This If You Liked:

Fright Night (2011); An American Werewolf in London; Abigail; From Dusk till Dawn; Night of the Creeps; Tucker and Dale vs Evil; The Lost Boys; 30 Days of Night; Rear Window; Disturbia; Your Monster; Warm Bodies

Score:

7.0

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