30 Days of Terror: Fright Night

Having survived Grace Jones in Vamp, I took on the task of watching Chris Sarandon & Roddy McDowall chew the scenery in Fright Night.

Fright Night is the story of Charley Brewster (played by William Ragsdale of Herman’s Head fame), a young teenage horror fan who is convinced that his next door neighbour is a vampire. No one wants to believe Charley and he enlists the help of aging television host Peter Vincent (McDowall) to help him kill the vampire.

What did I learn from Fright Night?

• the actor who played Evil Ed (Stephen Geoffreys) decided that acting like an outcast loser in horror films wasn’t for him and took up gay porno
• Married With Children’s Amanda Bearse has the look of the girl next door but she cannot pull off the sexpot seductress look

• Amanda Bearse’s character, Amy, is a bit of a slut who wants to give it up to Charley at the beginning of the film & later ends up screwing Jerry Dandridge
• Roddy McDowall’s hair is blue in this film
• when Charley’s mother mentions that the house next door has been sold, it is revealed that the realtor was Bob Hoskins
• director Tom Holland’s nephew is Dexter Holland (singer of the Offspring)
• there is a lot of homoeroticism in vampire films
• Brad Fiedel’s score for the film is fantastic
• if this film is remade, the character of Evil Ed will likely go on a shooting spree
• getting a hamburger smashed into one’s face is disgusting
• Roddy McDowall’s character provides the best line in the film, “Apparently your generation doesn’t want to see vampire killers anymore, nor vampires either. All they want to see is slashers running around in ski masks, hacking up young virgins.”

Do I recommend this film?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. This is a great film and one of my all-time favourite horror flicks. It’s not particularly scary but there are a few moments of horror in it. It’s a fun film with great performances by the entire cast. After watching it, I realized that The ‘burbs would be a great companion piece to watch with Fright Night.

Watch the trailer for Fright Night: