Showing posts with label welcome to fright night. Show all posts
Showing posts with label welcome to fright night. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

I just re-read my Fright Night Review

So... I just re-read my Fright Night review and I still feel that I hit the nail on the head. The reboot of Fright Night was atrocious. Still pisses me off what a terrible job everyone involved did (Except for Chris Sarandon. He was and always shall remain one kick ass cool dude impervious to rebuke.). It also got me to thinking that a few years ago when the first murmurs of a reboot were being bounced around the internet, I myself came up with an idea for the movie. I thought it was a stupid idea (even then) to try to redo the same movie. Instead I thought it would be a real hoot to instead make a third Fright Night and to follow the story's natural timeline of what may have happened after Fright Night II. I'd be much more interested in seeing a present day Charley Brewster dealing yet again with vampires. Especially since so many years have passed, he would have most likely become 'comfortable' with life. Probably would have stopped avoiding darkened alleys and looking over his shoulder. I still giggle at the idea of getting to see the same old gang of characters being pulled back into the eerie world of sultry / scary vampires and goofy / terrifying werewolves!! (That's right, youngsters, check out FN2 for one of the all time coolest werewolves around!)

So without further adieu or anymore nostalgic rhetoric, here's my stellar idea for ... 

FRIGHT NIGHT III!!


Let's start out with a middle aged, divorced, 'working dad' Charlie Brewster with a couple kids. Say a teenage daughter and a pre-teen son who's inherited his dad's appetite for vampire literature. 
Charlie has hidden what transpired with both Jerry and Regine Dandrige when he was a teenager to protect his family. His son stumbles onto some questionable characters, believing them to be a cool, fringe group: maybe goths or vampire 'role players'. Charley's son is enamored of the new clique and wants to be a part of that world, believing it's just some role playing game similar to Vampire: The Masquerade.


Father Charlie finds out too late that his son has gotten drawn into the world of real life vampires. He starts to investigate and realizes that the head vamp is his old HS girlfriend Amy who was turned vamp by, IDK, maybe Gerry's cousin (LOL). She's come back to exact revenge on Charlie (through his son) for killing her immortal love Gerry before she even knew he was her soul mate.


Unfortunately Roddy McDowell (RIP) can't reprise the role of Peter Vincent. Maybe earlier in the story Charlie learns of the passing of Peter and it gets him thinking of all their vampire killing days. He could find through the course of the story that Amy killed Peter Vincent as part of her master plan to make Charlie suffer.

Now, I'd WATCH THAT MOVIE! Not only does this sound like a logical progression in the story, it also has the potential to be scary and fun. AND, it has a hint of the nostalgia that we love about the original two movies. I say it's of the utmost importance to keep with the theme and atmosphere of what made the original movies SO damned good. Bring back Ragsdale, bring back Bearse. And by God, bring back Sarandon!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Vampires with Fang



WELCOME ... TO ...
FRIGHT NIGHT
For real.


Hey you hopeless romantics, why not slough that doey eyed haze that you're in and go see the reboot of Fright Night? It opened this Friday and it's getting good reviews.


The original Fright Night was, is and may always remain my all time favorite vampire movie. Dare I say THE movie to spark my interest in all things vampy. I accidentally stumbled upon it one late weekend night when I was 15. It drew me in and engrossed me. It's scary but it doesn't take any cheap shots like the lame ass horror movies of today. Nothing is going to jump out at you (lame) and there's no disgusting sexual references to keep the pervs interested. It's the epitome of a good horror movie in the vain that was envisioned by the horror masters of yesteryear.

Along with all that classically enjoyable scariness is a heavy helping of humor. Fright Night is a funny movie. Peter Vincent, the aging B horror movie star turned late night movie host (played by the late great Roddy McDowall) easily sprinkles in campy humor.

Chris Sarandon as the sexy, mysterious and unnerving Jerry Dandrige will forever be the perfect virile vampire against which I shall judge every other fanged honey.

But the whole cast was great and memorable, as was the plot. I, being the fan that I am, had always intended to see (and was secretly excited about) the remake of Fright Night, starring Colin Farrell as Jerry Dandrige and David Tennant as the re-imagined Peter Vincent character. But what I didn't expect was that this new Fright Night would lovingly pay homage to the original in such a way that demands respect for both manifestations.

I don't just plan to dutifully go sit through the reboot just to be reminded of my favorite movie, I am going to dig up my Fright Night t-shirt and proudly go see a new generation pump fresh blood into the dusty carcass of one fine horror classic.