Review of Fright Night (1985) by Rob C — 14 Nov 2011

Fright Night gives us a more realistic take on vampire's, well who can say what's realistic, but it offers us all the basic ingredients we've all come to know when dealing with one. We have the charming bachelor-esque vampire, his human slave, the boy who knows about them and isn't believed, the goofy bestfriend, the naive-like girlfriend and the old vampire killer; well on TV, of course.

It's a simple premise we're dealing with and some nice-looking make-up effects to boot. Director Tom Holland had a way of delivering his characters with finesse, even giving head vampire Dandridge sophistication as well as ferocity.

Chris Sarandon did well in his role, providing that charm to his character. He is probably the top performer of the film, adding extra weight to the script. The eighties were behind in technology when it came to effects, but they still somehow surpass the CGI-ish kind we now know today.

It added that bit of realism and when we're dealing with a good horror film, we need that characteristic. If not, you might as well stick it in another genre. If you want to see some true visual effects take it's course, you need to watch the scene when wolf turns to human and the generally creepy fangs that protrude from said vampire's.

Fright Night is a completely original horror/comedy film about the blood-sucking dead and should rightfully be stuck in the group as one of the greatest of it's kind.