Fright Night (1985)

A teenager discovers that the newcomer in his neighborhood is a vampire, so he turns to an actor in a television horror show for help dealing with the undead.

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 Charley Brewster, nothing could be better than an old horror movie late at night. Two men move in next door, and for Charley 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 Charley'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:

homosexual subtext | vampire | horror host | cult film | transformation | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 August 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fright Night

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,118,543, 4 August 1985, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$24,922,237

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Vistar Films, Columbia Pictures Industries

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chris Sarandon claimed that, because of the long hours in makeup he had to endure, if he didn't try hypnosis or meditation to cope with it, he'd go stark-raving mad.

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Goofs

Shadow from camera operator visible in the window of Charley's house during credits.

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Quotes

Evil Ed: [finds Charlie's room full of lit candles, garlic, and crosses] Wow... what's all this for?
Charley Brewster: [sharpening a stake] Self defense, not that I think I'll need it. He'll be dead before nightfall.
Amy: Who will be?
Charley Brewster: Dandridge, I'm waiting for the guy he lives with to leave, then I'll go next door, find his coffin and pound this through his heart.
Amy: That's murder, Charlie!
Charley Brewster: You can't murder a vampire, Amy, he's already dead, remember? Listen, I just taped this.
Evil Ed: [teasingly] Amy, what're we gonna do? This is just ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Just as the screen cuts to black at the end, Evil Ed can be heard saying "your so cool Brewster!"

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Alternate Versions

The Swedish version (cinema and video) misses the following: The transformation scene with Ed was removed (1m 50sec), and the scene where Dandrige's assistant melts was shortened by 16 sec.

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Connections

Referenced in NCIS: Murder 2.0 (2008)

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Soundtracks

ARMIES OF THE NIGHT
Written and Produced by Ron Mael and Russell Mael
Performed by Sparks
c/o London Records Ltd

User Reviews

Even if you don't like horror movies, this one is a fun ride for all!!

Superior modern vampire film remains one of the best made and most wildly entertaining horror movies of the 80's!

When teenage boy believes that his suave new neighbor is a vampire, he enlists the help of a TV horror host to destroy the blood-sucker.

Even now, a good 20 years after this movie premiered, Fright Night is one of the best vampire movies anywhere! Many have called the movie a spoof on the horror genre and while it does have a sharp sense of humor Fright Night is really a full-blooded horror ride. In a way it's old-fashion horror fun thats given some nicely modernized twists. Tom Holland well writes and directs this film. Holland's story is quickly paced and becomes compelling fun. His direction is slickly done as well. Fright Night boasts some spectacular (and gooey) special FX that are still impressive even by today's standards. That alone is a great achievement. Another highlight of the film is the gorgeous and mesmerizing rock score by Brad Fiedel. Believe me, no other electronic score is more alluring that this! The J. Giles band also provides a funky theme song.

Yet another highlight is the outstanding cast of this film. Chris Sarandon is everything you could expect from a vamp - charming, menacing, and drop-dead sexy. Young William Ragsdale is quirky as our unlikely teen-hero. The late-great Roddy McDowall shines as a veteran horror movie actor who must face real horrors now! The supporting cast is good as well, especially the wise-cracking Stephen Geoffreys.

A horror delight all the way, Fright Night remains a big favorite in the vampire genre and for very good reason. See it!

**** out of ****