Its a depressing indicator that I'm getting old when I'm able to note that this film is now close to being 25 years old and I remember it originally being released. I even remember Barry Norman reviewing it on Film 86 and, for some reason, also remember which clip they showed.
Lets get the plot out of the way first - a young man is intrigued with his new neighbours, two guys who moved into the big, ever so slightly foreboding looking house next door. He becomes even more curious when beautiful young women keep walking into the house. And he becomes extraordinarily curious when he hears that women are being found mangled and decapitated. And then even more curious when he recognises one of the dead women as a previous visitor to the neighbours place. That is, until one evening in which he spies on one of his neighbours, Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon) in bed with a woman. When Dandridge opens his mouth and reveals fangs, all starts to become a little clearer.
In most typical movies, the young man, Charlie Brewster (William Ragsdale) would go around telling everyone that a vampire lives next door and no one would believe him. And thats exactly what does happen at first, but there is an interesting twist of fate which makes the standard elements of the plot more intriguing: Dandridge sees Charlie spying on him and is aware of the fact that he's been seen. In a scene early on in the film, he appears in Charlie's room and, after first trying to cut deal in return for silence, almost kills him. The fact that the vampire knows what we know makes this film particularly interesting.
After a series of embarrassing attempts to convince others (a friend, a girlfriend, his mother, the police) of the true nature of his neighbour, Charlie decides to recruit the help of Peter Vincent, a washed up and faded monster movie star from the golden era, played, of course, by Roddy McDowell. A minor local celebrity living off a diminishing reputation, Vincent is host of a late night television series named Fright Night in which he showcases movies from his heydey, many of which see him play a vampire killer. Of course, when Charlie comes to him, Vincent thinks he’s barking mad. After a bribe from Charlies girlfriend, Amy (played by Amanda Bearse) and his best friend, whose nickname is Evil Ed (Stephen Geoffreys), Vincent agrees to perform a fake vampire test on Sarandon, who also agrees to go along with it. After passing the tests with ease (holy water, the crucifix etc) it seems Dandridge has got away with his secret intact, until Peter catches a glimpse into a mirror and notices Dandridge doesnt cast a reflection. Once everyone has left, Dandridge finds a sliver from the mirror on the floor and realises that his secret is now even less of a secret. Peter - a coward at heart - hastily makes plans to leave town, but not before Jerry has abducted Amy, who bears a startling resemblance to a past love, and turned Evil Ed into a vampire. Later, Charley shows up and convinces Peter that they are Amy's only hope and it all leads to the nearly 30-minute climax that takes place almost exclusively inside Dandridge's house as Charley and the 'fearless' vampire killer prepare to battle the undead in a fight to the finish.
Like any film, Fright Night is not without a few flaws - its established early on that Charlie is a big fan of the genre, so to have him appear to be a complete novice and have to run to his friend and seek advice on how to kill a vampire seems more than a little out of place, and watching today, the visual look of the film has certainly aged and one of the more disturbing aspects is now Jerry Dandridge's choice in jumpers. Theres also a dose of that old favorite of mine, the Stupid Horror Movie Character Syndrome, from time to time - You know how it goes; a character states that he doesn’t believe in vampires and then enters a dark alley for no valid or realistic reason.
That, however, is almost the sum total of negativity I have with the film, and neither is enough of a distraction to muddy the waters. The cast are largely very good. In a career role, Chris Sarandon plays an excellent vampire. He's charming and vicious in equal measures. In an interview I read a few years ago, Sarandon, who has worked steadily, if unspectacularly, in TV and films for over 40 years, said "people generally speak to me about two things - marrying Susan (Sarandon) and playing the vampire in Fright Night. William Ragsdale just about passes for a teenager, and while he's never 100% believeable in the role (which, according to Tom Holland, was originally offered to Matthew Modine and Andrew McCarthy) he manages to be sympathetic enough for us to want things to end well for him. Stephen Geoffreys (who can now be seen exercising his talents in films like Butt Blazer and Latin Crotch Rockets, neither of which are on my list of titles to possibly review) is suitably twitchy as society outcast Evil Ed, which makes you wonder where it all went so wrong for him. The weak link of the four is the very definitely not a teenager Amanda Bearse (who was pushing 30 at the time of filming, and looks it) who was Amy. Women the world over might be renowned for having the ability to whine ad infintum about anything and everything, but this was such a whiny and annoying character that I almost wanted her to die. Painfully.
Deserving a paragraph of his own is Roddy McDowell as Peter Vincent (named, of course, after Peter Cushing and Vincent Price) who gets the role spot on. Playing a man who was once an icon of the industry but who is now reduced to hamming it up on the small screen presenting a show from inside a mock graveyard, McDowell almost effortlessly manages to make us sympathise with his character. Vincent starts out on screen as a man largely uninterested in the way he made his name, displays real vulnerability as a frightened old man who starts to believe the truth, and eventually grows to become one with the personna he created on screen some 30 years previously.
What makes this vampire tale so unique for me is that it borrows the classiness of the old-school vampire figure and lore and brings them into a modern day (for the time) eighties environment. For example, where the vampires in The Lost Boys were cool teen delinquents with fangs and leather jackets, and the Near Dark vampires were cool and stylish, the bloodsucker in this film retains all of the charm, sexiness and panache of the vampires of old such as a Lugosi or Lee, all the while being very "now" (80s that is). The other great thing about Fright Night is that it sticks too all the vampire folklore, all the rules were brought up on in storybooks and older films. It doesn't take those to another level, it leaves them where they are and keeps it traditional. No twists on established themes or over exaggerations. Essentially, Fright Night is a film steeped in love and respect for late night black and white horror films of days gone by.
Fright Night came at a time when slasher films were all the rage. Peter's lament about the kind of horror movies kids want to watch in the 1980s could be a direct criticism of the endless Friday the 13th installments and similar films that seemed to be Hollywood's main attempts at horror in the 1980s. It was a very different film at the time: a stylish, modern, fresh type of film, with a Gothic, Hammer-horror edge and look to it. You can easily liken it to Scream in its approach to the genre. The story is great and the script shines, drifting effortlessly between horror and comedy. Roddy McDowell's character is a nod to the clichés of the genre since he himself is a star of cheesy vampire flicks, the kind you might make a point of watching if they ever showed up on TV, or speak fondly of if you remember the 'good old days'
Its not the intention of Fright Night to scare you, not really. It has moments of real genius - Dandridge wandering through Charlies house at night while whistling 'Strangers In The Night' to himself always makes me smile. The scenes in the nightclub where Dandridge catches up with the gang and seduces Amy are superb (and very, very 80s) Evil Eds visit to Peter Vincent after being turned and his transformation into a werewolf type creature and the final half hour, which takes place almost exclusively in Dandridges house (which Peter notes 'does have a certain air to it') are equally memorable.
Tom Holland has a lot of affection for horror and that shines through constantly. If it isn’t the nods to Rear Window at the beginning of the film or the constant winks at the old Hammer films, it was the classic horror film settings used to full effect and the use of the basic vampire rules. Like most connected with this film, this is a high point on a CV which has tailed off dramatically since the onset of the 90s.
On DVD, Fright Night surprisingly looks to be out of print, for now at least, although its still readily available via second hand options for less than £5. A special edition has never seen the light of day, which is a little disappointing.. With the special effects on show (a few very good ones among them), you'd expect a slight overview or retrospective at least, but instead, on both R1 and R2, its just the film, some still screen filmographies and a trailer. Its widescreen though, and the 5.1 stereo sound works well enough, so if its the best we're ever going to get, then its good enough unless you're a rabid extra hound.
The last time I moved, I also came across the novelisation of the film, by reasonably well known genre author John Skipp, which is a light and entertaining read, as well as the soundtrack album (like The Wraith, sadly, its on vinyl and I have no way of playing it anymore) Theres some great 80s stuff on there though - the title track by J Geils Band, Autographs track, You can Hide From The Beast Inside and Give It Up by Champagne King are still good today. I watched an original CD of the soundtrack go for almost £40 on ebay a month or so ago.
Its no surprise that this gets a very positive recommendation from me. Possibly the last great English language vampire movie to be committed to film up to now.
Fright Night:
amazon.co.uk (Columbia UK)
Fright Night:
amazon.co.uk (Columbia USA)
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