Fright Night is a remake of the gleefully shlocky 1985 flick of the same name. Though public demand for a remake of this half-forgotten, yet well-loved monster movie seems nearly non-existent, fans of fun, none-too-serious horror movies will delight in Fright Night.
The plot for both Fight Nights is simple, high-concept fare: Rear Window meets vampires, but the makers of both films seem to be having so much fun with the idea that it works, twice. This time, around Star Trek’s (2009) Chekov (Yelchin) plays suspicious suburbanite Charley Brewster. Yelchin nails the role of a teen trying to distance himself from his nerdy past in order to keep his out-of-his-league girlfriend Amy, played charmingly by the angular, yet pouty, Imogen Poots. When Charley’s best friend from his dork days (the always welcome Christopher “McLovin” Mintz-Plasse) disappears after revealing suspicions about their new neighbor’s “nocturnal nature,” Charley becomes obsessed with finding out the truth about his innocently named neighbor, Jerry.
Played with relish by Colin Farrell, Jerry is the atypical vampire of the new millennium. There is no brooding, sparkling or aversion to drinking human blood in Jerry. In this way, Fright Night is timely if only to remind the world that vampires have not always been sympathetic pretty boys. No, sometimes they are villainous, monstrous pretty boys. Though it’s a shame the remake did away with the shape-shifting of Chris Sarandon’s original vamp-next-door, the new incarnation does retain the grotesque vampire hands and shark-toothed monster face when he feeds. Vampires are finally evil again.
Rounding out the excellent cast is David Tennant. Known best as the tenth Dr. Who, Tennant ably supplants Roddy McDowall (no small feat) as host of the Fright Night show-within-the-movie, Peter Vincent, a Criss Angel-sized d-bag, yet lovable drunk whose help Charley enlists in his battle against the evil Jerry.
It is rare that a remake manages to recreate the experience of the original rather than invoke nostalgia for it, but all the ingredients are here to do just that. Fright Night is a refreshing take on the horror movie remake: a funny, scary and highly enjoyable one that never takes itself too seriously and never fails to entertain.
