Fright Night (1985)
One of the most well-known of 80’s vampire films (partially due to the remake in 2011) is Fright Night. Charley Brewster notices that his new neighbors have some strange practices, and women that he’s seen in the house are reported missing the next day. When he begins to suspect that one of them, Jerry Dandrige, is a vampire, no one else believes him. Charley talks to the police, his mother, his girlfriend, and his obnoxious friend whom he’s nicknamed ‘Evil’. Eventually he even goes to his favorite television vampire hunter, Peter Vincent. Vincent is the first to notice that Charley’s story may have some validity, but he is too scared to do anything about it. Meanwhile during all of this, Jerry has vowed to kill Charley for discovering his secret.
What makes this film so enjoyable is its lighthearted approach to the subject. There was obvious intent to have almost as much comedy as horror. Unfortunately, most horror-comedies overdo the comedy portion. Fright Night does not fall into this trap, and finds a great balance. The cast is led by William Ragsdale (The Reaping) as Charley and Chris Sarandon (The Sentinel, Child’s Play) as Jerry. And the supporting cast includes sci-fi legend Roddy McDowall (Cornelius in the original Planet of the Apes series).
The makeup and effects are top-notch (and very 80’s). Better yet is the fact that each vampire has a different feel. Not only do their appearances differ, but they have different methods, personalities, and even varying animal forms. It takes vampire lore and expands upon it, while keeping a foothold in traditional stories. Not many vampire films tie their own original ideas into the traditional lore smoothly, Fright Night does. The diversity makes this a consistently entertaining watch, especially for viewers that are tired of the ‘same old vampire film’.
Most people who actively seek out vampire movies will be well aware of Fright Night. It is certainly one of the most popular, at least in 80’s horror. Its popularity is with good reason, as it is certainly one of the greatest vampire horror films in cinematic history. That being said, if you hate vampires and you don’t enjoy campy 80’s horror visuals, then you may still not enjoy this movie because it obviously centers on those two elements. Everyone else, see this film, you shouldn’t be disappointed.
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