As a huge fan of the original campy horror movie that came out in 1985 I knew I had to see it. Then I learned David Tennant from Doctor Who was taking the role of Peter Vincent it was a done deal.
It seems like either you love or hate 3D and I have to say that I loved it for Fright Night‘s new remake — or rather I loved it after I told the theater workers to fix the projection since it was off during the previews. I firmly believe 3D is best served when used in horror movies.
That said, it isn’t the kind of movie you can only watch in 3D.
The basic plot is the same as the original. Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) believes his neighbor Jerry (Colin Farrell) is a vampire. He seeks out the help of a supposed vampire expert, Peter Vincent, to kill said neighbor. The humor fell flat for the most part, but I did giggle some (not nearly as much as the original). That said as funnier as the original was I loved the new direction of this film and was glad they went darker. It was a heart-pounding adrenaline rush. I am glad I didn’t watch the trailer for the film. Do yourself a favor and skip the trailer.
Seeing Colin Farrell was a happy surprise for me as I didn’t look into the film that much before going. He could have made or broke this film, but he blew me away. Having someone that good-looking in the film also a nice change from the original. Instead of it being campy or cliched Farrell gave one of the best performances of someone truly disturbing that I have ever seen. He was not so much a vampire as much as he was a serial killer that happened to be a vampire, a thing far more terrifying than any creature alone could be. Jerry is insanely attractive and charming so knowing what he is doing and that he can still pull off being attractive is frightening in and of itself.
Tony Collette was also amazing as the single mom. She gave a bit more depth to the story that added a level of terror just due to the believability of her performance.
As always David Tennant was fantastic and brought range to what could have been a pretty static character. Peter Vincent in the 2011 version is a bit of a Chris-Angel-esk Vegas act. Tennant brought some humor to what could have been an unfunny movie (although that Ebay line was horrible and forced, I think we all can admit that) and was able to manage to make this role his own.
All in all, I would recommend this movie as long as you expect it to be darker than the original. While it wasn’t as funny as Zombieland, if you were a fan of that film you should check this out. And if you haven’t seen the original Fright Night just don’t expect it to actually be frightening…at all.
Fright Night (2011): Official Website
Fright Night (1985): Get it at Your Library!
