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:

vampire | horror host | homosexual subtext | 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

Gross USA:

$24,922,237

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$24,922,237

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, 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

For "Evil" Ed's transformation scene, a full size wolf puppet was made. However, it's actually actor Stephen Geoffreys buried under the more werewolf-like makeup and fake head.

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Goofs

The nails Charley hammered into the window disappear and reappear between scenes.

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Quotes

[Charley and Evil Ed walk out of class together]
Charley Brewster: That bastard! Why didn't he tell us there was going to be a pop quiz?
Evil Ed Thompson: That's the point of a pop quiz, Brewster... to surprise you.

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Crazy Credits

During the opening credits, the F and T in Fright Night (1985) elongate into a pair of fangs.

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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

Remade as Neighbours (2014)

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Soundtracks

BOPPIN' TONIGHT
Written by Gary Goetzman and Mike Piccirillo
Produced by Mike Piccirillo and Gary Goetzman for Goetzman/Piccirillo Productions
Performed by Fabulous Fontaines

User Reviews

He must've been a Vampire Fruit Bat.

Fright Night, Lost Boys and Near Dark are the holy trinity of 80s vampire flicks. And arguably three of the best vampires movies of all-time. Just recently I returned to this piece of 80's horror gold and I have to say, I enjoyed it just as much as the first time I saw it.

Fright Night is about a kid named Charlie Brewster who accidentally discovers that his new neighbor, Jerry Dandrige, is a vampire. The movie is about Charlie and friends setting out to destroy the vampire. But Mr. Dandridge is no slouch and is more of a threat to them, then they are to him.

Besides being one of the best 80's horror films, I think it's also one of the best movies of the entire 1980s. The movie is full of great performances, especially Chris Sarandon as Jerry Dandrige and Roddy McDowall as TV Vampire Slayer Peter Vincent. It has fantastic make-up effects that are sorely, sorely missing from today's horror flicks. And it also combines a great feel of horror with a realistic touch of comedy and drama. The best and funniest aspect to the movie for myself is how they portray the vampire character. I won't spoil it for you, but the guy enjoys wearing very "tata" clothes, eats "fruit" all the time, and has a live-in roommate. This movie is classic! Fright Night has a sequel that some say is equally as good, but I wouldn't be one to say that. But, I do enjoy the sequel and definitely think it's worth a view. If you're a fan of horror and vampires, this is a must see flick. Welcome to Fright Night baby!