Review of Fright Night (1985) by Emily A — 28 Sep 2010

If you like 80s monster movies, you'll really get a kick out of this one. The visual effects are not its strength, and are clumsy enough to take you out of the movie. Vampires' fangs are long wobbly rubber, the rubber facial appliances defy the realm of the believable and if a seductive vampire's elongated fingers give the audience pause, it follows that it would give his victim pause as well.

All that aside, the strength of this movie resides in its villain, Jerry Dandridge and how he is able to slowly win over any victim he sets his sights on. I think it's really amusing that when the police arrive and are not sure a crime has even taken place, they will believe the person who tells thier side of the story the most calmly. In this case, it's the vampire who's killing his dates one by one and not the truthful yet hysterical teenager that lives next door. The many problems inherent in this film are effectively glossed over with pure enthusiasm. This is a fun and flawed horror film.