We've all been there before; a movie starts getting remade and the hairs on our neck stand up, and not just because it's a horror flick. But then comes the release and no matter our past experiences we give it a go.
Fright Night is one of those remakes that justifies our hope in Hollywood's ability to revitalize a story, and frankly the only 3D film I've seen so far that made good use of...well the 3D. As others have said it really doesn't start out as anything that would blow your mind, but as soon as the groundwork is set in terms of characters the plot takes off with a shot, which is not only refreshing in any movie at all, but a fluid pace is something I feel the original was sorely lacking. The characters are allowed to become well-rounded, and that in a horror film with an R rating is rare and commendable- you truly care about what's happening and who it's happening to. Then of course there's the vampire, and for someone who often plays over the top villains, Colin Ferrell rides the black wave of languid evil through and through. The entire film he resembles a ravenous shark, and every time the camera got close to him I felt my skin crawl. An intelligent monster is so much scarier and more interesting than a goofy bad-guy stereotype. Speaking of goofy though, this film does not abandon it's comedic roots because there's plenty of humor slipped in at just the right times so as to not offset the darker tones. The use of gore wasn't under or overplayed in my opinion, but my only real complaint is the handful of crudities in dialog that I felt were unnecessarily crass and out of place. That being said the rest is purely enjoyable; even if you've seen the original this one will still shock and scare you, the 3D ups the price but I think it's worth experiencing at least once, and unlike a handful of remade horror films thrown our way recently, this one proves you can improve on an old formula and make it new and fresh again.
Fright Night is one of those remakes that justifies our hope in Hollywood's ability to revitalize a story, and frankly the only 3D film I've seen so far that made good use of...well the 3D. As others have said it really doesn't start out as anything that would blow your mind, but as soon as the groundwork is set in terms of characters the plot takes off with a shot, which is not only refreshing in any movie at all, but a fluid pace is something I feel the original was sorely lacking. The characters are allowed to become well-rounded, and that in a horror film with an R rating is rare and commendable- you truly care about what's happening and who it's happening to. Then of course there's the vampire, and for someone who often plays over the top villains, Colin Ferrell rides the black wave of languid evil through and through. The entire film he resembles a ravenous shark, and every time the camera got close to him I felt my skin crawl. An intelligent monster is so much scarier and more interesting than a goofy bad-guy stereotype. Speaking of goofy though, this film does not abandon it's comedic roots because there's plenty of humor slipped in at just the right times so as to not offset the darker tones. The use of gore wasn't under or overplayed in my opinion, but my only real complaint is the handful of crudities in dialog that I felt were unnecessarily crass and out of place. That being said the rest is purely enjoyable; even if you've seen the original this one will still shock and scare you, the 3D ups the price but I think it's worth experiencing at least once, and unlike a handful of remade horror films thrown our way recently, this one proves you can improve on an old formula and make it new and fresh again.