Fright Night (1985) Movie Review - Brilliant 80's Vampire Horror Classic

Welcome to Knockout Horror. We are down to the very last review of our Fall Themed Horror series. We have watched a lot of decent movies and some absolute stinkers. Fall is a difficult theme when it comes to horror. Plenty of movies are set around Halloween but that feels like a bit of a cop out. Finding movies with that genuine autumn vibe is a real task. I think we have a decent number of them listed here to help with the October hangover, however.

Anyways, it’s time to wrap things up on what will likely be the only fall themed horror feature I ever do. We are ending the series with a classic. We are taking a look at Tom Holland’s (not that one) Fright Night. Now this movie is definitely a fall horror. There are fallen leaves everywhere, the trees are orange, it looks cold. It is perfect for this feature and a great movie to end on. It follows the story of Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale). A young man who firmly believes that his new next door neighbour, Jerry Dandrige (Chris Sarandon), is a vampire and will stop at nothing to expose him while protecting his family and friends.

Fright Night is a fun 80’s horror with a few comedy elements. Released at a time when everyone was making slashers. This movie represented something of a risk. Would anybody actually have any interest in a vampire story? What about the humour, would it be too much? Would people warm to this self aware spin on an old fashioned horror tale? Well, people loved it but do we? Let’s take a look.

Classic 80’s Vampire Horror

Fright Night is an absolute classic of the horror genre. Foregoing the slasher trend of the time. This is an old fashioned vampire story brought to the suburbs. The 80s was a bit of a strange time for horror. Monster horror was no longer en vogue. Making movies focusing on things like Dracula and Frankenstein was passé. Kill counts were now the most important thing. Buckets of blood. Cheeky bits of nudity and masked killers were the hallmarks of 80’s horror cinema. Their names can roll off any horror fan’s tongue. Freddy, Jason, Mike Myers, Chucky. Short names for quick thrills. It was horror for a generation that didn’t want to think too much.

Then, in the mid 80s, along came Fright Night. Openly declaring the director’s disdain for the new slasher trend. Peter Vincent laments “Nobody wants to see vampire killers anymore, or vampires either. Apparently, all they want to see are demented madmen running around in ski-masks. Hacking up young virgins”. Sure, Holland himself had been responsible for the first in the Child’s Play series. His love of horror with a deep story lead him to desire something a bit deeper. This is a movie that is acutely aware of the changing nature of horror.

Realising he could not make a typical vampire horror movie. Director Tom Holland wondered how he could bring a story like this to the modern age. The obvious solution is to place the vampire in the suburbs. Throw in a little bit of Rear Window-esque voyeuristic tension and give us a hapless protagonist. Making Charley a horror fan. Holland realised that nobody would believe him when he told them what he saw. The only person who might help him is his local TV station horror presenter. Capitalising on the popularity of presenters like Elvira. Holland had found a way to bring the old to the new and Fright Night was the result.

Truly Iconic Characters

Giving his actors significant control over the presentation of their characters. Holland managed to elevate Fright Night. He allowed the cast to add personality, nuance and depth to their respective roles. The result is a bunch of genuinely iconic characters. Many of which would be etched into the annals of horror forever. Charley Brewster helped set the benchmark for the likeable modern horror protagonist. Having a somewhat overactive imagination and a fascination with horror. The people around Charley refuse to believe his wild claims. This acts as the background of the story. His short attention span ostracises his girlfriend. Added to this, his initial poor handling of the situation puts his friends in danger. We would see this type of protagonist many times again over the years.

Charley’s best friend “Evil” Ed Thompson is one of my favourite horror characters of all time. It’s a curious fact that actor Stephen Geoffreys did not want to play this role. He auditioned for the part of Charley Brewster but the production team had other ideas. Geoffreys could not understand why they felt he fit this role but he gave it his all. The result is a truly excellent performance. Evil is a strange dude who has a seeming obsession with gore. As the movie goes on, the character only gets better as does Geoffreys’ performance.

When it comes to the cast, it’s pretty much a pick’em for which you prefer. British actor Roddy McDowall plays old movie vampire hunter Peter Vincent. Obviously a portmanteau of classic horror actors Peter Cushing and Vincent Price. McDowall does not play the role at all like either of those actors. He offers the viewer a cowardly and reluctant character of dubious ability. All too aware of his fragility. It’s a fantastic performance that absolutely elevates the final half of the movie. Chris Sarandon, as vampire Jerry Dandrige, is fantastic in a legitimately menacing performance and Ragsdale is excellent as protagonist Charley Brewster.

Dracula for the Modern Age

Holland’s aim was to bring a traditional vampire story to the modern age. He manages to do this while keeping many of the traditional Dracula themes intact. What’s all the more impressive. He does it while fooling the audience. They never really know that they are watching a traditional vampire story. We actually have facsimiles of characters from the original story of Dracula. We have a Van Helsing, we have a Renfield, we have Mina. The story plays out in a different way but the main characters are all there one way or another.

Holland even keeps the more cheesy elements of the Dracula story intact. Jerry can turn into a bat. Sure, it’s apparently a fruit bat as is alluded to by Jerry’s love of apples. But it is a bat nonetheless. Jerry does not have a reflection. He can seduce and hypnotise women. Hell, Holland even managed to fit in a Werewolf as well as a bunch more vampire tropes. All while keeping the movie set in a suburban American neighbourhood.

Holland also digs a bit deeper into the homoerotic undertones of the original story. The fact that he does this is commendable. The movie subtly alludes to the vampire’s bisexual nature. Holland manages this while never indulging in, or ridiculing, it. A bold move for 80’s mainstream cinema. All in all. Fright Night is a really good example of the timeless nature of horror. It reminds that fantastic horror stories can transcend countries, language, and even time. Dracula can work for a modern age. It can even work in a boring, middle American neighbourhood.

Fantastic Effects

Fright Night is a wonderful step back to the age of amazing practical effects. Coming off of the production of Ghostbusters. Richard Edlund was responsible for visual effects and what a job he did. Determined to make the actors suffer for their art, they endured hours in the makeup chair. The result is a movie that still looks fantastic even today. From subtle allusions to Jerry’s vampiric nature early in the film. All the way up to full body transformations, there isn’t a misstep.

Fright Night does a fantastic job of building tension. Sarandon is a perfect villain and Jerry’s cold, merciless demeanour is suitably chilling. It really helps that our protagonists feel fairly useless. Charley Brewster is the literal kid next door. Completely incapable of dealing with the situation alone. He enlists the help of someone even less capable than him. Up against the threat of someone who has very few weaknesses. The pair feel incredibly outmatched. Seeing what has happened as a result of Charley’s interference with Jerry. It is hard not to feel scared for the protagonists. Scenes featuring Jerry effortlessly walking into Charley’s house are so effective. It works to emphasise how outmatched Charley is.

Should You Watch Fright Night?

If you are a fan of horror, you should definitely watch Fright Night. It is a genuinely important movie in horror history and marks a point where horror changed for the better. Holland’s brave idea to make a traditional horror but with a modern bent worked like a charm. It mixes horror and comedy perfectly with an effortless mix of scares, laughs, and some brilliant tension. A horror classic that deserves all the praise in the world. Fright Night is essential viewing.

Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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