David Tennant and Anton Yelchin in Fright Night.

I was a fan of the original Fright Night when it premiered, however it hasn't aged all that well and so unlike a lot of the movies from my generation that are being remade or rebooted right about now, it seemed ripe for bringing up to date. With modern special effects and a more talented cast, they could do a lot with this story.  Turns out I was right as this remake is well written, well cast and a hell of a lot of fun.

The script, written by Buffy: the Vampire Slayer writer/producer Marti Noxon, updates the plot while remaining faithful to the original idea. Charley Brewster, played by Star Trek's Anton Yelchin, is a senior in high school, living in a Las Vegas suburb with his single mom. They get a new neighbor named Jerry, played by Colin Farrell, whom Charley's mother (Toni Collette) finds attractive. Ed, a nerdy friend of Charley's tries to tell him that Jerry is a vampire, but Charley won't listen. That is, he won't listen until people start disappearing and Charley starts watching Jerry and is astonished by what he sees. With no one else to turn to, Charley visits Vegas magician and "vampire hunter", Peter Vincent (Doctor Who's David Tennant). But will Peter believe him and even if he does, can they stop Jerry before he kills them or Charley's family?

My favorite part of the original was the Peter Vincent character, played by Roddy McDowall. His Peter Vincent was clearly based on Peter Cushing and he stole the movie. His quips and references to his old movies make him a memorable character. While the whole movie is better this time around, it is once again, the character of Peter Vincent who steals the show. Here he's more reminiscent of stage illusionist Criss Angel. David Tennant plays him with panache. He drinks and swears to comic effect

Although Tennant is a scene-stealer, the whole cast is good. Yelchin isn't the most charismatic of actors, but he plays the part well enough. Charley's mother gets a slightly more to do in this one, which makes her more memorable than in the original. And thankfully, they jettisoned the silly subplot where Amy looked like an old love of Jerry, although they do give a connection between Jerry and Peter. One of my only complaints about the cast, and indeed the movie as a whole, is that Charley and his girlfriend - and all their friends - look way too old to be high-schoolers. Since they were casting 20-somethings, why not just say they're college students? Charley could still be living at home.

While vampires are still the monster of the moment, the way they are presented here is old school. These aren't your brooding, sanitized teen heartthrob vampires. Ed even has a great line where he says, "I'm so mad right now. I can't believe you accused me of reading Twilight!" Vampires here are described, again by Ed, as "Killing machines, like the shark from Jaws." There's nothing romantic about Jerry, although because he's played by Colin Farrell, he still exudes some charisma, but of the deadly and not the soppy variety.

The original Fright Night spawned a sequel. If they can get the same team who made this remake back together, I'd be excited to see a sequel to this one as well. It's one of the most enjoyable movies of the summer.

Did you enjoy Scott's review? +63 -4

Colin Farrell in Fright Night

Some of the plot logistics are changed while staying true to the original concept.  One of the biggest changes was that of the relationship between Charley and Ed.  In the original they were best friends with Ed being slightly off, and a bit Gothic.  Here they were best friends until Charley started dating Amy, leaving Ed behind.  Charley is a bit of an insecure dick in this version, but it makes him a more solid character.

I was also a huge fan of the original and loved finding bits and pieces that were included here.  In the original, Ed jokingly says to Charley, "You're so cool Brewster."  Here Ed says the same thing but in a much more hurtful way as Charley now hangs out with the "cool" crowd.  The other classic line from the original, "Welcome to Fright Night, for real."  Is also spoken here by Jerry.  After turning into a vampire, Amy wears a similar Marilyn Monroe white dress to what Amy wore in the original.   One of the nicest surprises was seeing the original "Jerry," Chris Sarandon, in a cameo.

One notable change is the use of a cross as a weapon against a vampire.  In the original, Peter Vincent uses a cross in trying to stop Jerry, only to learn that he has to have faith in order for that to work.  A similar scene occurs here, however the follow up scene where Peter finds his faith, is dropped completely. 

As a Doctor Who fan I was a bit taken back when Tennent swore.  I turned to my seventeen year old son in the middle of the theater and asked, "Did The Doctor just say "fuck"?"  Like Scott wrote, Peter Vincent is a scene stealer.   He and his lingerie loving girlfriend verbally spar in all of their scenes to great comic effect.  

The rest of the cast adds to the fun.  Anton Yelchin clearly has a great agent as he has gotten some very good roles lately.  I also agree with Scott that he is not the most charismatic actor, but he does have a very likable presence about him.   Considering how he treated Ed, it takes a likable actor to get the audience to forgive Charley's attitude towards his former best friend.

Collin Farrell on the other hand literally drips with charisma.  All the ladies in the movie get wet just looking at him.  In the original film Charley's mom assumes Jerry is gay as he has a male room mate.  This time she just assumes any guy that good looking and not married must be a player. 

Remakes are always hits or misses.  Conan the Barbarian is clearly a miss, while Fright Night  however, is a solid hit.  It contains some laughs and some honest to goodness tense moments.   This is what vampire movies are supposed to look like.  Fright Night is one of the best films of the summer!

Did you enjoy Eric's review? +20 -2