I know this has pretty much nothing to do with the Twilight Saga except for the fact that Fright Night is a vampire movie too.As a matter of fact, Fright Night is one damn fine vampire movie. It's smart, it's funny and unlike anything that Twilight will serve up, it's briefly scary as hell. Chris Sarandon (yes, ex-hubby of Susan Sarandon) was the epitome of a virile, hunting vampire. As the vampire Jerry Dandrige he was sexy, alluring and frightening. And Charlie Brewster (William Ragsdale), the delightful protagonist, is as light and dismissible as his name suggests. He's just a regular horny teenager whose only preoccupations are the horror movies playing on the late night TV show 'Fright Night' hosted by a perfectly cowardly Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowell) and getting into his girlfriend Amy's pants (Amanda Bearse). Until he gets it into his mind that the neighbor who just moved in is a vampire.
If you haven't seen Fright Night, for Heaven's sake, go rent it. You obviously have some minor infatuation with vampires since you're reading a Twilight blog. I promise, you won't be disappointed. I consider Fright Night one of the all time best vam
pire movies ever made. Of course, I really appreciate the creepiness interspersed with comedy. Actually I should say the comedy interspersed with creepiness. And if you are feeling especially daring, rent Fright Night II while you're at it. It's just as good as the first one, and completely different. No rehashing there! Maybe you'll become a fan.Now, the reason I've brought this up is because DreamWorks Entertainment has taken it upon themselves to remake Fright Night (story here). I'm perturbed by this. It annoys me that production companies are taking perfectly good movies, gnashing them up and regurging them just to turn a profit.
Occasionally remakes excite me because I can visualize how a revamping (no pun) would bring something new to them. But that's not the case with Fright Night. It's perfect the way it is. There's no elaborate CGI involved of course. It was made way before all that (1985). But the hard work put into the special effects are evident, a very good job for the times. And it fits seamlessly with the spirit of the movie. The acting is superb, no need for improvement there. That leaves me wondering if DreamWorks is trying to cash in on the increasing popularity of the vampire flick.
Chris Sarandon as Jerry Dandrige
You may not realize this, but there is now and always will be an undercurrent of vampire fanaticism going on in one form or another. Whether it's through literature, movies, music, folk lore enthusiasts or role players (Vampire: The Masquerade), vampires aren't going anywhere. But right now, thanks to Anne Rice, Stephenie Meyer, Charlaine Harris, Laurell K. Hamilton and a host of other vampire novelist, the popularity of the romantic vampire is cresting. This popularity will wane, probably all too soon for those of us who just love the vampire for the creature that he is, in any form.
For that reason alone, I can't totally oppose the remaking of Fright Night. All though in my mind Fright Night will always stand as a testament to what a well made vamp flick can be, I will of course be one of the first freaks in line to see DreamWork's reboot. Because ultimately, as long as all these attempts keep the heat and focus on the ever addictive vampire and the horror genre in general, I'm down with that.
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