Retro Movie: Mr. Holland's "Fright Night"

When people talk about their favorite vampire films of the 1980s, The Lost Boys tends to be the first one that pops up in a lot of discussions. I really enjoy director Joel Schumacher’s MTV-styled horror opus, but for my money, the best vampire tale of the 1980s is Fright Night. The film tells the story of Charlie Brewster, a teenager whose favorite TV show is the horror movie showcase, Fright Night, hosted by actor Peter Vincent. When Charlie discovers that his new next-door neighbor is a bona fide vampire, no one believes him, and he turns to Peter for help. Peter is initially reluctant to help Charlie, and thinks he’s crazy. The actor eventually realizes Charlie is telling the truth, and helps him battle the evil nosferatu, who has kidnapped Charlie’s girlfriend Amy, and plans to turn her into his vampire companion. Can our heroes defeat this powerful creature of the night and save Amy?

Roddy McDowall and William Ragsdale

Writer-director Tom Holland initially came up with the idea for the movie while working on the screenplay for 1984’s Cloak & Dagger. He conceived it as a variation on the “boy who cried wolf” concept, but couldn’t figure out how to make the central idea work, until he came up with the Peter Vincent character, someone a teenaged horror fan would logically go to with his wild tale of the vampire next door. Holland lobbied to direct the project, and thanks to his success as a screenwriter on films like Class of 1984 and Psycho II, the studio gave him the chance to take the reins for the movie. Fright Night is an enjoyable combination of thrills, chills and humor, thanks to Holland’s excellent direction, marvelous special effects work, and a terrific cast.

William Ragsdale (who later starred in the TV series Herman’s Head) is quite good as Charlie, the  young horror film fan thrown into a world where the terrifying things he watches on screen are very real. Amanda Bearse (soon to be featured on Married…With Children as Marcy, the Bundys' neighbor) is equally effective as Amy, and Stephen Geoffreys is a standout as “Evil” Ed, a nerdy kid who gets more than he bargained for when he comes up against the supernatural. There’s also solid work from Jonathan Stark, Art J. Evans and Dorothy Fielding in supporting roles. But Fright Night truly belongs to Roddy McDowall as washed up actor Peter Vincent (a character named in honor of Peter Cushing and Vincent Price) and Chris Sarandon as the coolly evil Jerry Dandrige. McDowall’s wonderful performance, and his natural chemistry with Ragsdale and the other young actors in the cast, is a standout, as is Sarandon’s top-notch work as the handsome, seductive, yet never less than frightening vampire.

Fright Night is a masterful blend of horror and comedy. Holland’s script neatly balances the horror and humor aspects of the story. The story sticks with some of the conventions of previous vampire tales, while giving others a new spin. The movie is never quite a full-on comedy, though there are some funny moments along the way. The vampire elements of Fright Night are treated with deadly seriousness, and the film succeeds at being an outstanding straight ahead horror tale. The first-rate special effects are by Richard Edlund, who also worked on the original Ghostbusters. There’s also some superlative cinematography by Jan Kiesser. The only thing that dates the movie a bit are the clothes and some decidedly 1980s style tunes on the soundtrack. 

Fright Night was followed by a sequel, Fright Night, Part 2, though only William Ragsdale and Roddy McDowall returned for the follow-up. Holland and Sarandon were working on the original Child’s Play (1988), at the time and Bearse and Geoffreys were also busy with other projects. The movie was directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, and featured Julie Carmen as Jerry Dandrige’s sister, who seeks revenge on Charlie for her brother’s demise. A remake of Fright Night, starring Anton Yelchin, David Tennant and Colin Farrell as the vampire, was produced in 2011, and featured a cameo by Chris Sarandon. That film spawned a direct to video sequel, 2013’s Fright Night 2: New Blood. A planned third film in the original series has been rumored over the years by Holland, but has never materialized. If you’re looking for a solid vampire flick for your creature feature movie night, the original Fright Night is an excellent choice. Here’s a link to a trailer for a video release of the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfuIcuezkUw.