A teenager discovers that the newcomer in his neighborhood is a vampire, so he turns to an actor in a television horror show for help dealing with the undead.
“Fright Night” was Tom Holland’s feature film directorial debut, and what a debut it was. Since its release in 1985, it has attained cult classic status, spawned a sequel, a reboot, a sequel to that film, and Holland has stated recently that he is working on a third film that will serve as a direct sequel to the first film, completely ignore the atrocious “Fright Night Part 2.”
Holland would go on to direct “Child’s Play,” two episodes of “The Langoliers” TV show, and adapt Stephen King’s ‘Thinner’ into a feature film. He has directed other movies and TV shows, but “Fright Night” and “Child’s Play” are two classics he will always be remembered for more than anything else on his resume.
“Fright Night” introduces us to high school student Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale), his girlfriend Amy (Amanda Bearse), and his best friend, Evil Ed (Stephen Geoffreys). When Jerry (Chris Sarandon) and his roommate Billy (Jonathan Stark) move into the abandoned house next to Charley and his mother, Judy (Dorothy Fielding), they are curious about their new neighbors, but when Charley witnesses two call girls enter the house and then wind up on the news dead, he is convinced Jerry is a vampire who killed them. After involving the police, only for them to laugh at him, Jerry informs Charley, in no uncertain terms, that he will be coming for him for bringing unwanted attention his way. Charley reaches out to movie vampire hunter Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall), who hosts a local TV show and asks him for help, but he turns him down, stating he plays a vampire hunter on TV.
Convinced Charley is losing his mind, Amy and Evil Ed reach out to Jerry and pay Peter to turn up at Jerry’s house to perform a fake ritual where he will drink supposed holy water to prove, once and for all, he is not a vampire. They all agree and go through the ceremony, and Charley, having watched Jerry drink the water, reluctantly agrees that he must not be a vampire after all, but as they prepare to leave, Peter glances in his pocket mirror and is shocked to see no sign of Jerry. He fumbles momentarily, grabs Charley, Amy, and Ed, makes his excuses, and then leaves. Knowing something is wrong, Charley demands to know what’s going on, and Peter admits to what he saw inside and speeds away. Thankful he’s not losing his mind, Charley now knows Jerry’s true identity and prepares for all-out war with him, but when Ed and Amy mysteriously disappear, he reaches out to Peter again, and both men suit up for the fight of their lives.
“Fright Night” never takes itself too seriously, which is why it succeeds. The movie is brimming with 1980s references that helped make a good horror film during that decade; spooky next-door house, mysterious neighbor, inquisitive teenager who learns about his neighbor’s after-hours extracurricular activities and is believed by nobody, not even his mother and friends, and a down-on-his-luck ex-TV star looking for a comeback. All the elements came together wonderfully to create a campy but thoroughly enjoyable vampire flick that still holds up nearly forty years later. With director Tom Holland talking about making a direct sequel to this one and resurrecting as many characters from the original as he possibly can, it makes you wonder what he has up his sleeve; after all, many of them died, so bringing them back is questionable, but then again, this is the movies, where anything is possible.
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