A kitschy, quirky cult classic, Fright Night (1985), written and directed by Tom Holland (no, not Spiderman – he wasn’t even born yet), fuses vampiric horror elements with satirical comedy, bringing with it comparisons to a film four years its senior, An American Werewolf in London.
Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale), is your prototypical teenager. . . a girl loving, movie obsessed high schooler growing up in boring suburbia. With a single mother, Judy Brewster (Dorothy Fielding), who is always working odd hours – she’s a nurse, most of his time is spent with his on again/off again girlfriend, Amy Peterson (Amanda Bearse). During one of their make-out sessions, Charley’s favourite show, Fright Night (hosted by actor Peter Vincent – named after Peter Cushing and Vincent Price, played by Roddy McDowall), is running in the background when he spots some unwonted activity next door.
A creepy, dilapidated gothic home that has been empty for ages, Charley, who in some ways seems like a younger version of Jimmy Stewart’s character in Rear Window, pulls his binoculars out, immediately noticing a coffin being transported into the basement of this inhospitable abode.
With Charley quickly realizing that he has a mesmeric, apple loving vampire (when he transforms, he must become a fruit bat) living next door, Jerry Dandrige (Chris Sarandon), who is cared for by his live-in servant, Billy Cole (Jonathan Stark) – there is more than a hint of homoerotic tendencies here, the real problem is that no one believes him. Rebuffed by his mom, girlfriend, and even vampire-loving quasi-friend ‘Evil’ Ed (Stephen Geoffreys), he reaches out to the police – who simply write him off as crazy. . . despite the fact that, each night, the local murder count grows by one.
Running out of avenues and allies; seeming like the boy who cried wolf – or more accurately, vampire (and, uh oh, his girlfriend looks just like the neighbour’s lifelong love – who is no longer in the picture), he desperately contacts his beloved hero, Peter Vincent. . . who turns out to be a low on money, chicken-hearted, though not ungrateful actor. Unwilling to aid, as you might guess, he eventually gets roped into the unbelievable situation. Can Charley convince anyone of his discovery? If so, could Peter Vincent become a dextrous vampire killer just like the ones he has played for years on the silver screen and boob tube? Might Amy be the type of young woman who would like a much older man. . . and, is a two century or so age difference considered inappropriate in this type of romance?
Now, to return to the above comparison (on An American Werewolf in London), not only do the two take the horror moments seriously while integrating numerous comedic elements, but the pair also share a magical use of special effects. Combining camera tricks, makeup, prosthetics, puppetry, specially created contact lenses, as well as other things, perhaps the most impressive is the vampire shark mouth. With no money left in the coffers, effects man Randall William Cook devised a cheap rig over a weekend. . . warning them not to use it for more than a few seconds (as it likely wouldn’t look good). Instead, it is featured quite prominently, looking so good that it ended up making its way onto Fright Night’s iconic poster artwork. In fact, it is hard to watch these effects and not draw connections to the equally incredible transformations in American Werewolf. This film was also clearly influenced by Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, as some of the physical comedy gags are right out of Bud and Lou’s playbook.
A movie that went in the opposite direction of the 80s slasher craze (in fact, at one point, Peter Vincent says, “all they want are demented mad men running around in ski masks hacking up young virgins”), Fright Night is a fun, creative, and highly atmospheric horror film with plenty of comedy elements. Something else worth noting, this film shares something with a Brian De Palma cult classic. . . look closely during the nightclub scene, for this is the exact same set (in fact, an old hardware store) used in the Frankie Goes to Hollywood sequence found in Body Double (which was released just a year earlier). So, turn on your tv and tune in to Fright Night, it will help you see the light.