Fright Night (2011)

A teenager suspects that his new neighbor is a vampire.

Director:

Craig Gillespie

Writers:

Marti Noxon (screenplay), Tom Holland (story),

Stars:

Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Toni Collette

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anton Yelchin	...	Charley Brewster
Colin Farrell	...	Jerry
Toni Collette	...	Jane Brewster
David Tennant	...	Peter Vincent
Imogen Poots	...	Amy
Christopher Mintz-Plasse	...	Ed
Dave Franco	...	Mark
Reid Ewing	...	Ben
Will Denton	...	Adam
Sandra Vergara	...	Ginger
Emily Montague	...	Doris
Chris Sarandon	...	Jay Dee
Grace Phipps	...	Bee
Chelsea Tavares	...	Cara
Lisa Loeb	...	Victoria

Storyline

A remake of the 1985 original, teenager Charley Brewster (Yelchin) guesses that his new neighbor Jerry Dandrige (Farrell) is a vampire responsible for a string of recent deaths. When no one he knows believes him, he enlists Peter Vincent (Tennant), a self proclaimed vampire killer and Las Vegas magician, to help him take down Jerry.

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | neighbor | remake | teenager | magician | 

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Taglines:

You can't run from evil when it lives next door.

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for bloody horror violence, and language including some sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook [fr] Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 August 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Noche de miedo

Filming Locations:

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$8,114,388 (USA) (19 August 2011)

Gross:

$18,298,649 (USA) (4 November 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks SKG, Gaeta / Rosenzweig Films, Michael De Luca Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound) SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Of the principal cast, Anton Yelchin and Christopher Mintz-Plasse were the only ones who didn't need to adopt an American accent.

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Goofs

When Vincent receives a late night delivery, he answers his phone. In actuality he has a remote in his hand, specifically an "Acoustic Research ARRX18G".

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Quotes

[first lines]
Announcer: Defy reason. Defy everything you know. A mind blowing experience of the occult and supernatural. Peter Vincent. A magical tour de force. Peter Vincent. Welcome to Fright Night. Onstage at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

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Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: Conan the Barbarian (2011)

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Soundtracks

"No One Believes Me"
Written by Kid Cudi & Dot Da Genius
Performed by Kid Cudi
Produced by Dot Da Genius
Kid Cudi appears courtesy of Universal Motown Records,
a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.

User Reviews

Welcome To Fright Night....For Real!!!

Tom Holland's 1985 vampire romp "Fright Night" was a fun, campy little horror flick that had some good laughs, good scares, and some pretty awesome effects. Soon enough, the movie developed its cult fan base. In the end, I find the original "Fright Night" to be one of the most underrated horror films of the 80's.

Frankly, I was actually quite excited for this remake, knowing that it had a great cast and Marti Noxon(who commonly wrote for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") was at the helm of the script. I personally don't mind remakes. Some people take them way too seriously. Of course, there are some that fail, but a lot of them work really well. The 2011 edition of "Fright Night" works!

Set in a beautiful suburban area of Las Vegas, the movie introduces us to Charley Brewster, a nerdy but charismatic teenager who we find out has given up his relationship with his friend "Evil" Ed to be with the cooler kids, including his hot new girlfriend Amy. Then he meets Jerry Dandrige, a buff, sweet new neighbor that Charley's mom and Amy take a liking to. When Ed tries to warn Charley of Jerry's hidden, and gruesome, intentions, things take a turn for the worse. More people wind up missing, and it becomes evident to Charley that Jerry is a vampire. Nobody believes him before it's too late, and it's up to him and Hard Rock celebrity Peter Vincent to kill this sucker(pun intended) once and for all.

While it pays so much respect to the original movie, "Fright Night" also adds a few new elements that elevate it above other remakes. There are some scenes that are lifted right from the original, even two of the original's most classic lines, but the movie breaks several horror movie rules and invents new ones, like whether or not a vampire can come into another person's house.

The CGI effects in this remake are surprisingly quite good. I didn't see the film in 3D(which I heard doesn't do much for the movie), but in its 2D format, the geysers of blood shoot out magnificently without going over the top, and the makeup is true to the original vampire look in the 1985 film.

"Fright Night" boasts a fantastic cast of well-known actors. Anton Yelchin, as always, does a great job and fits the role of Charley perfectly. Toni Collette stands out as Charley's mother, and Imogen Poots is terrific as Amy. Unlike other horror blonds, the script allows Amy to be smart, and at times brave enough to try to take down Jerry herself. Also, Ms. Poots is an awesome screamer. Christopher Mintz- Plasse is great for the role of "Evil" Ed, and he was born to play that role in this remake. He gets some pretty funny lines and an enjoyable amount of screen time. David Tennant, known for starring in the recent TV revival of "Doctor Who," takes over from Roddy McDowall as Peter Vincent, and makes for a funny vision of the character.

And then there's Colin Farrell as Jerry. Don't get me wrong. The cast is wonderful. But Farrell eats his role up and nearly steals the show. Sometimes, he doesn't have to do anything, and he still creeps you out. One particular scene in which he has a conversation with Charley sets the character up to be quite fearful. This is not a "Twilight" vampire that Farrell creates. This is a "rip your throat out with no regrets" monster that is impossible not to be freaked out by. Basically, Colin Farrell bathes in his role like the character bathes in human blood.

Marti Noxon's script is clever, funny, and smart, and by the looks of other recent horror outings, it's a script that's better than it should be.

I'll just say that "Fright Night" is not particularly scary. But it's all about the entertainment here. The movie doesn't need to be scary. It's a horror-comedy that allows some good shocks with some great laughs. The original was always on the border of becoming too funny, but it stayed on its feet and kept the horror going. The remake does just that. It's carefully made and done with love for its source material. But otherwise, you can tell that director Craig Gillespie("Lars and the Real Girl"), his cast, and his screenwriter had a ball making this movie. The nostalgia factor is high here, bringing us a combination of both 80's and 90's horror. If you loved "The Lost Boys" and the original 1985 flick, you will surprisingly love 2011's "Fright Night." I welcome it with open arms, and I'm glad I got to see it. Welcome to Fright Night...FOR REAL!

P.S. For those of you who saw the original, you get an unbelievable cameo.