Fright Night (1985)

When a teenager learns that his next door neighbour is a vampire, no one will believe him.

Director:

Tom Holland

Writer:

Tom Holland

Stars:

Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse

5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chris Sarandon	...	Jerry Dandrige
William Ragsdale	...	Charley Brewster
Amanda Bearse	...	Amy Peterson
Roddy McDowall	...	Peter Vincent
Stephen Geoffreys	...	Evil Ed
Jonathan Stark	...	Billy Cole
Dorothy Fielding	...	Judy Brewster
Art Evans	...	Detective Lennox (as Art J. Evans)
Stewart Stern	...	Cook
Nick Savage	...	Bouncer #1
Ernie Holmes	...	Bouncer #2
Heidi Sorenson	...	Hooker
Irina Irvine	...	Teenage Girl
Bob Corff	...	Jonathan (as Robert Corff)
Pamela Brown	...	Miss Nina

Storyline

For young Charlie Brewster, nothing could be better than an old horror movie late at night. Two men move in next door, and for Charlie with his horror movie experience, there can be no doubt that their strange behavior is explained by the fact that they are a vampire and his undead day guardian. The only one who can help him hunt them down is a washed-up actor, Peter Vincent, who hosts Charlie's favorite TV show, Fright Night. Vincent doesn't really believe that vampires exist, but does it for the money...

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | teenager | neighbor | undead | house | 

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Taglines:

If you love being scared, it'll be the night of your life.

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 August 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

La hora del espanto

Filming Locations:

Laird International Studio - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Delphi IV Productions, Vistar Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

William Ragsdale went through several callback auditions for the film. On Halloween night 1984, he was told that he had the part.

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Goofs

When Evil Ed gets touched by the cross on his forehead, the blistering burn is over his left eyebrow. However, in later shots after Peter stakes him, the burn is in the middle of his forehead.

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Quotes

Peter Vincent: I am Peter Vincent, vampire killer!

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Crazy Credits

During the opening credits, the F and T in Fright Night elongate into a pair of fangs.

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Connections

Referenced in Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook (1991)

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Soundtracks

"LET'S TALK"
Written by Mark Mothersbaugh
Produced by Devo, Inc.
Performed by Devo

User Reviews

I watched it 5 times in one week

I would consider myself a film fan with somewhat intellectual preferences and I have a passion for European art house pretentious stuff, so when Fright Night was recommended to me I dismissed it in a snobby "80s special effects vampire horror movie? A title that rhymes? No, thank you!" kind of way.

HOWEVER, I have a feeling it may be the single best film I have ever seen, of any genre or time period. It has a witty script, fabulous special effects and some of the best acting I have seen, particularly Evil Ed later on in the film. There are moments of suspense, hilarity, tenderness (for example with Peter Vincent and the dying wolf) and believable every day life. This film didn't actually scare me but it did make me laugh very very hard.

A special mention must be made of Chris Sarandon as I think his performance really stood out. Evil is not as easy to portray in stories as people think, but Sarandon does the most believable evilness I think I have ever seen, coupled irresistibly with the sexiest seduction scene ever (is it wrong that I wanted him to win in the end because he was so gorgeous?). If vampires really did exist, I think they would be exactly like Jerry Dandridge, except maybe without the same scary 80s vampire mask and claws.

My advice is SEE THIS FILM, and don't have any preconceptions about it.