Review of Fright Night (1985) by John M — 22 Dec 2011
About as fun as a campy horror movie gets. Charley (William Ragsdale) gets a new neighbor, one that he thinks is a vampire (Chris Sarandon). He tries to convince his friends and the police that people are dying next door, but no one believes him.
How did I go 25 years of my life without seeing this? It's so much fun, and I don't think there was a moment when I was watching this where I didn't have a huge smile on my face. They made Charlie a horror movie buff so they can work the self-aware angle, kind of doing what Scream did about a decade before it did.
It's deliciously 80's, soundtrack, special effects and all, and that's a good thing; the big finale when shit is hitting the fan would only be about half as fun if different effects were being used.
Sarandon gives a wonderful performance, as does Roddy McDowall as a vampire hunter on television that Charley enlists help from; you have to take a campy movie seriously for it to work, and boy do they.
Another thing I really appreciate about this, which a lot of movies seem to miss, is that this movie never lets you forget that being a vampire would be fun; Sarandon is never moping around, he is soliciting girls and having a good time.
This very much captures the spirit of Halloween and is delightful.
This review of Fright Night (1985) was written by John M on 22 Dec 2011.
Fright Night has generally received positive reviews.
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