WITH THE original 1985 film being so iconic and attracting a huge cult following it was a big task to produce a film that would live up to the name of Fright Night, and although there have been mixed reactions, the directing and of course the casting of yummy Colin Farrell helped to make a remake which is a great watch and I will certainly be getting the DVD when it is released.
As a fan of vampire genre flicks I was worried that an absolute mess would be made of the remake, but director Craig Gillespie and screenwriter Marti Noxon did a good job, bringing the story by Tom Holland to a 2011 audience. However there are many who maintain that this film will never be as good as the original, starring Chris Sarandon as the vampire Jerry, but I believe the remake is not half bad with the right mix of horror, suspense, and black comedy.
Putting all those fangs and bloodshed aside, this film gets another thumbs up for the casting of Irish actor Colin Farrell who is just so hot in his role as the villain. There were only a few let downs, including too much time given to Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin ) in discovering that his neighbour is a vampire, charming, but a killer nonetheless, the audience gets this early on. Also, unlike the original, Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse ) was not given enough screen time which is a pity because he is brilliant later on, playing evil and funny at the same time. Another annoying factor was David Tennant who played Fright Night TV show star, and proclaimed vampire expert Peter Vincent with a kind of Captain Sparrow or Russell Brand feel to it; less is often more.
Something is not quite right in a quiet little housing estate on the outskirts of Las Vegas, where visitors come and go and it is the norm to work nights. It is perfect for vampires, Jerry (Farrell ) obviously thinks so when he moves in next door to Charley Brewster and his mom Jane (Toni Collette ).
There are some suspect dissappearances but Charley refuses to believe his old friend Ed, who is convinced that Jerry is a vampire. It is only when Ed mysteriously goes missing followed by a few close encounters of a non-neighbourly kind that Charley sees the truth. When no one believes him, Charley turns to Peter Vincent for help. Under attack by Jerry, Charley must find a way to protect his mom and save his girlfriend before it is too late.
Forget Twilight, there are no nicey nicey vampires here. Fright Night has the right mixture of gruesome, sexyiness - in the form of Farrell (well, for the girls anyway ) - and plenty of black comedy and action. Go see it.
Verdict: 4/5
