Review of Fright Night (1985) by Laura L — 20 Mar 2010

Sometime in the 1980's someone decided to make a Hammer horror movie set during the age of Reagan. Fright Night is about a teenager (William Ragsdale) who finds out that his new neighbor (Chris Sarandon) is actually a vampire. He ends up enlisting the help of the over the hill horror film star turned late night movie host Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) in battling the beast who's out to kill him.

This film is pure '80's, mainly the disco scene. But it's one of those flicks from that era of non stop horror that sticks with you, ala Return of the Living Dead. It's a well written piece that mocks its source material without disrespecting it. Notice McDowall's horror legend name. Peter Vincent is obviously a homage to Vincent Price and Peter Cushing, two legendary vampire hunters.

There is some cheese there, but Fright Night keeps a sense of humor while also keeping the thrills of a horror movie intact. This is a film that sets itself above the films with "men in ski masks killing young virgins".And they don't glitter, either.