FRIGHT NIGHT
FRIGHT NIGHT-United States-1985
William Ragsdale as Charley Brewster
Amanda Bearse as Amy Peterson
Stephen Geoffreys as Evil Ed
Roddy McDowall as Peter Vincent
Written and Directed by Tom Holland
Okay, so they re-made Fright Night in 2011. The remake starred Colin Farrell (Total Recall) and some other people that no one knew or cared about and it lasted at the box office about as long as a fart in a windstorm. In fact I’m pretty sure that on opening day it was windy, I passed gas and pfffttt the movie was out of theaters. But let’s just put all that aside for now and focus on a more pertinent question; why in the hell would you even bother to remake Fright Night when the 1985 original was so damn cool in the first place? It’s 9 in the morning and I worked all night; so I’m going to bed and we will continue this discussion later.
Okay, I’m back. I was discussing the un-necessity of a remake of Fright Night. In a nutshell the movie is about this horror film geek boy named Charlie Brewster (William Ragsdale, Herman’s Head, The Reaping) who discovers that his new neighbor, Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon, The Princess Bride), is indeed a bloodsucking vampire. His best friend, Evil Ed (Stephen Geoffreys, 976-Evil, Mr. Hush) and his girlfriend, Amy (Amanda Bearse, Married with Children) think he’s pretty much off his rocker. Therefore, the only one left who believes Charlie is Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall, Planet of the Apes), a reluctant and aging horror film star. The story is almost irrelevant to the level of the brass ring of coolness that Fright Night grabs a hold of and hangs on to for dear life. “You’re so cool, Brewster!!” becomes a rallying cry that Fright Night lives by frame by frame. So I ask again; why the hell do you need a remake? It’s just another example of a Hollywood that’s quickly running out of ideas.
TRIVIA
The character Peter Vincent is named for two actors well-known for their appearances in horror movies: Peter Cushing and Vincent Price.
A puppet that was created for, but not used in, another Columbia Pictures production,Ghostbusters, is visible in Fright Night.
Tom Holland had total control in the casting decisions. The only suggestion he got was from Guy McElwaine who asked Holland to meet his friend Roddy McDowall, who’d be cast. In an interview Holland said that “it was a terrific suggestion”.
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Posted on 01/14/2013, in Films Released in 1985, Movies, Vampire Films and tagged Charlie Brewster, Chris Sarandon, Colin Farrell, Frightnight, Peter Cushing, Roddy McDowall, Stephen Geoffreys, William Ragsdale. Bookmark the permalink. 13 Comments.
Holly wood has been running the same ld plot lines over and over for years. Fun movie though!! <3
Fun movie
Yeah it is!
great trivia, what was the puppet that was supposed to be in GB, I want to see if I can recall it from memory. I own the dvd but its getting harder to find dvds in my collection (haven’t put them in any real order yet).
I’m not sure which one it is. Oh. man I go nuts if my CD’s or DVD’s or Blu-rays are out of order.
A remake may not have been necessary, but on its own merits it wasn’t that bad, and while it had the same basic plot it kind of did its own thing. The original is still better.
I think I was using it to rant more at Hollywood and their lack of originality than anything else. Thanks for commenting!
The original remains a favorite in my library…the remake WTF! I concur 100%…and I’m back too! Love the new look…and I’ve some catching up to do! Here’s to taking over the world in 2013
Thanks, Tash!!
One of my all-time favourite 80′s films. I agree with you. in that it should never been remade. You cannot improve on perfection, only screw it up. I mean really, Colin Farrell?? Great post mate.
Thanks, Mike!
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