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...

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

There are some very good reasons to be afraid...of the dark.

---

Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Because of the horrible experience he'd had making The Sentinel (1977), Chris Sarandon was apprehensive about taking a role in another horror movie. Meanwhile, writer Tom Holland decided to direct 'Fright Night' himself because he was so disgusted by the film that had been made from his last screenplay, Scream for Help (1984). Both movies were directed by Michael Winner.

---

Goofs

After Peter Vincent is scratched in the face by the Vampire Bat creature, the wound never shows up in following scenes.

---

Quotes

Amy: [trying to trick Charley] What's wrong? Don't you want me anymore?
[Charley pulls out a crucifix and she hides her face; crying]
Amy: It's not my fault, Charley. You promised you wouldn't let him get me! You promised!

---

Crazy Credits

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

---

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.

---

Connections

Featured in Midnight Son (2011)

---

Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

One Great one

After all this years (20) of vampire slaughtering, Blade's karate Vs vampire flicks, or even Carpenter's Rambo characters, Fright Night still offers the scent of a classic. Tom Holland's masterpiece holds by itself because of a great cast and a plot that gathers every single cliché of the genre and plays a bit with humor and a lot of effective spooks. Roddy Mc Dowall steals the movie with his over the hill terrified looser character. Even special effects are bizarre today as they're a craftsmanship result giving some scenes a bizarre concept that takes you directly into Roger Corman's "B" world. A true pleasure to watch from time to time. Happy 20 years

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