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| Colin Farrell and Anton Yelchin |
Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) discovers that his new next-door neighbor, Jerry (Colin Farrell), is a vampire who is preying upon everyone in their suburban Vegas neighborhood. At first his mother (Toni Collette) and girlfriend, Amy (the unfortunately named Imogene Poots) don't believe him, until Jerry -- who hasn't been invited into their home as vampires must be -- tries to blow up the place to get them out and get rid of them. Charley's nerdy friend, Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, another easy-to-forget moniker), who tried to warn him about Jerry, becomes an early victim/vampire, but Charley tries to enlist the aid of a horror host and performer named Peter Vincent (David Tennant). This remake of the original Fright Night is a souped-up, sexier, more elaborate version with more gore and special effects [but, if I recall correctly, not as much charm]. Chris Sarandon, who played the vampire in the original, has a cameo as a victim and still looks good enough [at 70!] to play the lead. The actors in this are all first-rate, with Farrell making a memorable villain. The movie does a good job of mixing humor with creepy and suspenseful scenes, such as a chase on the highway and an escape from Jerry's house. Not bad climax, either.
Verdict: Entertaining horror-comedy hokum. ***.
Loses the simple, tacky charm of the original and Farrell can't fill Chris Sarandon's shoes as the vampire in his basic demeanor. But it can be fun on a dull, rainy night at home, on tv, nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteWant to see the original again to compare. Bill
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