Fright Night (2011)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Mark W

  
  Yet another horror remake comes our way with this modern take on the 1985 original. Really though, all this latest one delivers is use of CGI that wasn't available in the 80's. Added to which, the special effects from the original were actually rather good, so ultimately,… More
  Yet another horror remake comes our way with this modern take on the 1985 original. Really though, all this latest one delivers is use of CGI that wasn't available in the 80's. Added to which, the special effects from the original were actually rather good, so ultimately, this is no improvement whatsoever. Charley Brewster's (Anton Yelchin) teenage life is going pretty well. He has a good relationship with his mother Jane (Toni Collette); Heâ(TM)s dating the gorgeous Amy (Imogen Poots), albeit at the expense of losing his geeky friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), and is about to finish high school. But then he begins to suspect that new neighbour Jerry (Colin Farrell) is a vampire and enlists the help of 'vampire slayer' Peter Vincent (David Tennant), to protect himself and loved ones. Having the claustrophobic American suburbia as your setting, while sinister things are going on, is normally a winning concoction. It certainly looks this way, when we are introduced to our characters from the get go. However, we kind of know where the story is supposed to be heading yet it takes an age to get there. Too much time is spent on yapping and not enough on biting. It's no big secret that Farrell is the bloodsucking villain of the show but it seems to waste a lot of time reminding you of this, instead of letting his fangs loose. Like the original, the mixture of humour and horror is competently handled (most notably from Mintz-Plasse doing his "Superbad" schtick and Tennant in the mould of a leather clad, ball scratching Russell Brand) and the film does deliver some dark and threatening moments but overall, it has far too many lulls to fully grip. It's a bit of a stop and start affair. The performances are what (almost) keep the film's life from draining away. Farrell makes for an intriguing, brooding vampire, seemingly, relishing the role and Tennant adds some much needed zest to the proceedings. Wasting the talents of the wonderful Toni Collette is unforgivable though. Ultimately, it's a lacklustre affair that should appeal mainly to the "Twilight" generation of spotty-faced youths. There may be some biting involved here, but really, there's nothing to chew on.

• Mike S

  
  Nice to see a new vampire flick that doesn't involve any glitter or awkward teen angst. This is more like the ones we got in the 80's and 90's, where vampires do what vampires are supposed to, as in sucking blood and spawning terror, as opposed to just sucking.… More
  Nice to see a new vampire flick that doesn't involve any glitter or awkward teen angst. This is more like the ones we got in the 80's and 90's, where vampires do what vampires are supposed to, as in sucking blood and spawning terror, as opposed to just sucking. Pacing-wise, it's pretty draggy in the first half. Had it been like that for its entire length, it would have earned nothing more than a mediocre 3 stars. Luckily, however, it gets a lot better in the second act, where the action is kicked up into a gloriously bloody gore-fest. Great SFX as well, even if I wasn't too keen on the whole "monsterization" of the vamps. And by that I don't mean the way they are depicted as a race - for their are undoubtedly a bunch of evil bastards in this - but rather their physical transformations into over-the-top CGI freaks. A little more subtlety would definitely have been preferable. And altough creepy and suspenseful, I'm not sure it really deserves the title "Fright Night". Maybe I'm just jaded, but in my view, it was never any scary. A pretty entertaining film either way though, with dependable performances from the entire cast. Christopher Mintz-Plasse in particular is very fun as the typical nerd, who also happens to be a self-entitled vampire hunter. Sort of reminiscent of the movie <i>The Lost Boys</i>, except with more humor and better action. An optimal pick for Halloween, or if you're in the mood for a good horror-comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously.

• jay n

  
  Messy remake is missing much of the goofy charm of the original which it substitutes with unnecessary gore. The cast can't be blamed even though none really share the chemistry that Chris Sarandon and Roddy McDowell had in the first film. It's good to see Colin Farrell back… More
  Messy remake is missing much of the goofy charm of the original which it substitutes with unnecessary gore. The cast can't be blamed even though none really share the chemistry that Chris Sarandon and Roddy McDowell had in the first film. It's good to see Colin Farrell back in a mainstream movie but the film is weak and Toni Collette is wasted.

• Luke B

  
  The original for me has no nostalgic value, as I only saw it a few months ago. But I absolutely adored it. This remake does exactly what I want from a remake. It keeps the core components, but makes enough changes to make it a different movie. The little changes make all the… More
  The original for me has no nostalgic value, as I only saw it a few months ago. But I absolutely adored it. This remake does exactly what I want from a remake. It keeps the core components, but makes enough changes to make it a different movie. The little changes make all the difference, and although I preferred everything in the original, this is a different film that I will check out again. Yelchin plays the lead role of a young man that eventually finds out his neighbour is a vampire. Farrell is the charming, sexy, and sinister vampire named Jerry. The tension heightens, but never as much as the original. I loved Farrell's portrayal, where he was truly threatening without ever really trying. However, he was also inexplicably aggressive. I'd imagine vampires would try and keep their heads down, but here Farrell doesn't exactly try and hide his vampiristic tendencies. He'll kill people in the street, or blow up a house. Tennant is a scene stealer as Peter Vincent, a clever update from his predecessor, but with some needless backstory. Tennant is the archetypal fake hero, that claims to be a slayer of the occult. But when his chance to prove his heroism comes to fruition, will he rise to the challenge? The humour and horror are well mixed together, with some scenes being particularly shocking, which is a great compliment for such a worn genre. It is also a very exciting action films at time. The car chase scene, shot in one continuous take is exhilirating and has a nice cameo too. Sometimes it has too much CGI, and more plotholes than I feel comfortable with. Nevertheless, this is a great entertaining film, with a sinister but not to serious vibe.

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, David Tennant, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Imogen Poots, Toni Collette, Dave Franco, Grace Phipps, Reid Ewing Director: Craig Gillespie Summary: This update of the 1985 horror comedy focuses more on terror than laughs when teen Charley… More
  Cast: Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, David Tennant, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Imogen Poots, Toni Collette, Dave Franco, Grace Phipps, Reid Ewing Director: Craig Gillespie Summary: This update of the 1985 horror comedy focuses more on terror than laughs when teen Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) suspects that his new neighbor, the sinister Jerry Dandrige (Colin Farrell), is a vampire, and turns to a self-styled vampire expert, Peter Vincent (David Tennant), for help. Las Vegas magician Vincent proves useless, and it's up to Charley to save his mom, Jane (Toni Collette), and girlfriend, Amy, from the seductive bloodsucker. My Thoughts: "I had not planned on seeing this movie until I had seen the original, but I just couldn't help myself. I really enjoyed it. I didn't find it scary, but more funny and sometimes silly which I'm sure it's meant to be. I enjoyed all the performances and I thought Colin Farrell is definitely a hot vamp. He does justice to the charming yet lethal vampires. I very much enjoyed his performance. The film had some good creepy cat and mouse scenes. I am looking forward to seeing the original now to see how they differ or how they are much of the same. One I will be seeing again."

• Cynthia S

  
  Maybe if I wasn't such a big fan of the original, I would have liked this one better?? As a movie on it's own merits..it was almost enjoyable. As a remake, though,...I found it lacking. I especially missed the humorous quality. This one had it's occasional moments, but… More
  Maybe if I wasn't such a big fan of the original, I would have liked this one better?? As a movie on it's own merits..it was almost enjoyable. As a remake, though,...I found it lacking. I especially missed the humorous quality. This one had it's occasional moments, but not enough in my book. HOWEVER, the Peter Vincent character was a hoot! I'm not sure that I ever saw him before in anything, but I plan to look him up now. He was the main semi-enjoyable ingredient here. Otherwise, I was greatly disappointed. SIDENOTE: Colin Farrell never looked hotter! :)

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"You can't run from evil when it lives next door."</i> A remake of the 1985 original, teenager Charley Brewster (Yelchin) guesses that his new neighbor Jerry Dandrige (Farrell) is a vampire responsible for a string of recent deaths. When no one he knows… More
  <i>"You can't run from evil when it lives next door."</i> A remake of the 1985 original, teenager Charley Brewster (Yelchin) guesses that his new neighbor Jerry Dandrige (Farrell) is a vampire responsible for a string of recent deaths. When no one he knows believes him, he enlists Peter Vincent (Tennant), a self proclaimed vampire killer and Las Vegas magician, to help him take down Jerry. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Fright Night started off quite wobbly when it tried to establish its characters, jumping directly into the fray with Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) being too cool for his geeky best friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse in a stereotypical role) who suspects that Charley's new neighbor Jerry (Colin Farrell) is actually a vampire responsible for the many mysterious disappearances and deaths of their satellite town. Added into the female quotient for any vampire film, because sinking one's fangs into a long female neck is always deemed as sexy, are Toni Collette as Charley's mom who develops a crush on Jerry, as well as Imogen Poots who plays Charley's hot girlfriend Amy. It's the excellent visual effects that made this version of Fright Night work, while balancing a fairly engaging story with a light dose of comedy that made this a walk down memory lane of many past horror comedies that entertained without being too campy or silly. You can just about tell the deliberate attempts at 3D as well which centered mostly around blood splattering on screen, and for those donning the 3D glasses, blood splattering toward you by the bucketloads. And let's not forget its technical strengths as well, where a scene that will jump out and scream for your attention revolves literally around a car interior in one continuous, lengthy shot that serves as the highlight of the film for its intensity. David Tennant may add some unintentional comedic flair to his vampire slayer Peter Vincent character, but it is clearly the nemesis played by Colin Farrell which took the cake and stole everyone's thunder for his cool as cat portrayal of the undead. While the film became sort of an instructional manual on how to get rid of one in the final act, relying upon a number of artifacts both common and uncommon, Farrell plays the vampire with that perfect twinkle in the eye, with the screenplay by Marti Noxon kept close to classic vampire lore, such as the need to get invited to a home before a vampire can enter, steering clear of the recent Twilight nonsensical re-inventiveness of bloodsuckers who can survive in daylight, broods a lot and would rather start a family than to maintain an advantageous swinging single status. And that my friends, is what makes vampire films appealing, not metrosexual pretty boys with emotional issues. At its core the story's about a guy who has to once again turn toward and recognize his inner geekdom despite desperate and fairly successful attempts to have steered away from it, but ultimately has to look inward for strength to accomplish what would be impossible without a wealth of knowledge. Revenge of the nerd this is, and an entertaining, funny romp this updated Fright Night had turned out to be.

• Jameson W

  
  The surprise gem of the year. One of the best films of 2011! As good as the classic vampire film Let The Right One In. A must-see!

• Manu G

  
  You can't run from evil when it lives next door. Not a bad remake movie. I enjoyed it and it entertain me alot especially on the action scenes. Pretty good horror/comedy story and cast. A remake of the 1985 original, teenager Charley Brewster (Yelchin) guesses that his new… More
  You can't run from evil when it lives next door. Not a bad remake movie. I enjoyed it and it entertain me alot especially on the action scenes. Pretty good horror/comedy story and cast. A remake of the 1985 original, teenager Charley Brewster (Yelchin) guesses that his new neighbor Jerry Dandrige (Farrell) is a vampire responsible for a string of recent deaths. When no one he knows believes him, he enlists Peter Vincent (Tennant), a self proclaimed vampire killer and Las Vegas magician, to help him take down Jerry.

• Melvin W

  
  'Evil' Ed Thompson: He's not brooding, or lovesick, he's the fucking shark from Jaws.  "You can't run from evil when it lives next door." Based purely on first impressions, as I have seen both the original and remake only once, I have to say I like… More
  'Evil' Ed Thompson: He's not brooding, or lovesick, he's the fucking shark from Jaws.  "You can't run from evil when it lives next door." Based purely on first impressions, as I have seen both the original and remake only once, I have to say I like the remake a little more than the original. It is much darker, not nearly as silly and I liked the cast much, much more. Fright Night is a very stylish and bloody(without elevating to gore porn) remake, which is probably one of the better horror remakes in recent years. I know a lot of people whine about their classics being remade, but when they are remade like this, there really is nothing to whine about.  A new neighbor moves in next door to Charlie Brewster and his mother. Charlie has just elevated his high school status. He used to be a nerd who hung out and played dress up with a kid named Ed. Now he is dating the hottest girl in school. He neglects his old friend Ed in order to hang out with a cooler group of people. One day Ed comes to Charlie and tells him that the new neighbor, Jerry, is a vampire. The film is extremely fun, just like the first one, but I like it even better because of Anton Yelchin and Colin Farrell. Both of whom are a lot of fun to watch. I have no real complaints about this remake, which is odd because there is normally something to gripe about, no matter how small. It was respectful to the original, while updating it and changing some of the events of the plot. It didn't seem like an uninspired ripoff, money grabbing film. It seemed like everyone involved put in their best efforts and made a really good vampire movie. Hopefully, this will have a good effect on the waning Vampire genre. It seems like the genre is trying to come back, even while having to fight with the likes of Twilight. I especially enjoyed when the film even made fun of Twilight.  Fright Night is one of the better horror films to come out this year. It has just about everything we look for in a good horror film these days. It has great characters(because of the original, but great nonetheless), tons of violent, bloody images and cool, stylish direction. 

• A.D. V

  
  Utterly forgettable remade trash. Too much bad CG and 20 minutes too long. I'll stick to the original FAR superior film thank you.

• Brad W

  
  Fright Night is a good movie, but I have never seen the original, but I hope it was as good as this. Fright Night is about a teenager named Charlie Brewster (Anton Yelchin), a guy who has a girlfriend named Amy (Imogen Poots) and a mother (Toni Colette). When a neighbor moves in he… More
  Fright Night is a good movie, but I have never seen the original, but I hope it was as good as this. Fright Night is about a teenager named Charlie Brewster (Anton Yelchin), a guy who has a girlfriend named Amy (Imogen Poots) and a mother (Toni Colette). When a neighbor moves in he seems like a nice guy, and he introduces himself as Jerry (Colin Farell). When Charley's ex best friend Ed (Christopher Mintz Plasse) tells him that people in their neighborhood are disappearing, and he says Jerry is a vampire. When Ed disappears a day later, Charly decides to do some searching into Ed's theorys, and he discovers that Jerry is a vampire, and discovering this might put everyone Charly knows in danger. The plot of Fright Night was good, it mixed comedy in with horror, and even though it was neither funny or scary, I could totally see what they were doing and it worked, the movie had no pop out moments it had more of a chilling feel to it where we are at the edge of our seats waiting to see who will live or die, and I am proud to say the movie made me feel much better than other crappy vampire movies (Twilight and Priest). I also want to commend the cast, every actor in this played their role to the fullest and I truly felt their fear, and I also want to give credit to Christopher Mintz plasse, he gave it that sort of push that kept this a horror/comedy. The score was also something pretty incredible, I don't think this movie would have been half as scary withought this great music playing, it also was played at the right time in every scene and I really loved the music. The movie knows to be be a horror movie more than a comedy, but in my opinion the one flaw in this movie wasthat i was expecting more laughs seeing that it was a horror/comedy, but I only laughed like twice and it was both times at Christopher Mintz Plasse just being his nerdy and funny self. Overall a very good movie, however it did feel a bit boring and empty, and I am not into the whole vampire genre, but a good film nevertheless.

• Stuart B

  
  One of my fave horror movies gets a remake, oh shit, lookout, remember the mess that was the Halloween remake. But guess what, this time, they did GOOD! A stellar cast and some great special effects turn this cool 80's horror movies into one of the best I have seen this year!

• John H

  
  RUsHED THoughts How can you remake a movie that's already an incredible and untouchable satire of the genre it may have perfected? Simple. Just make fun of the original. This film does a lot different things from the original. Typically it's modernized. Ed seems to be the… More
  RUsHED THoughts How can you remake a movie that's already an incredible and untouchable satire of the genre it may have perfected? Simple. Just make fun of the original. This film does a lot different things from the original. Typically it's modernized. Ed seems to be the one so convinced that Charley's neighbor is a vampire while Charley doesn't believe him. Peter Vincent is no longer an elderly veteran of horror films hosting a Fright Night horror marathon television program. Now he's...well, a Criss Angel wannabe. With Fright Night 1985 being able to parody all the oldest and retro vampire flicks all that remains for this version is Twilight. There a quite a few stretches to mock Twilight, no worse than Vampires Suck, that fall flat and do nothing to move the movie along or making more appealing. I found it a but funny how Colin Farrell, who has many Cullen-like features already, was casted as Jeff. One thing that sticks out that the original didn't make apparent was that a vampire needs to be invited in before he can enter someone's household Amy's more aggressive and assertive (aka more willing to putt out)

• Matheus C

  
  If only the recent craze for 6-packed vampires gave us more romps like these instead of all that Twilight crap. This one is deliciously gory, funny and even gives 3D back some of its fun. I confess not having seen the original, but this does for vampires what "Re-Animator"… More
  If only the recent craze for 6-packed vampires gave us more romps like these instead of all that Twilight crap. This one is deliciously gory, funny and even gives 3D back some of its fun. I confess not having seen the original, but this does for vampires what "Re-Animator" did for zombies.

• Pedro H

  
  <i>You can't run from evil when it lives next door.</i> <b>cool</b> I have to admit that when I first saw the trailer for this movie it looked to me like pure stupidity. But, I was wrong. Fright Night, is a cool, <b>fun</b>, and… More
  <i>You can't run from evil when it lives next door.</i> <b>cool</b> I have to admit that when I first saw the trailer for this movie it looked to me like pure stupidity. But, I was wrong. Fright Night, is a cool, <b>fun</b>, and <b>exciting</b> movie that is loaded with awesome special effects (that are better in 3D), a pumped up soundtrack, and loads of gags and frights. Charley (Yelchin) is a senior who has finally found reached his way into the 'cool' zone in school, he has a hot girlfriend (Poots), and cool friends (Franco), and a cool mom (Colette). However, one ordinary day he starts doubting his new neighbor Jerry (Farrell) of being a vampire. Now its all up to Charley to keep evil away from the hood. Sometimes we tend to look at movies and if they don't seem like they will move you, we classify them as stupid: I can't deny that I do this often. But, one must always give these movies a chance, because sometimes they surprise you like Fright Night has, and totally entertain you. Fright Night is the type of movie you would love if your wearing your 3D glasses, holding a hot bucket of popcorn, a nice soft-drink on your side, and nothing on your mind. I had exactly those ingredients and I had an <b>amazing</b> time watching this movie. I laughed, I got scared, I cheered, I tapped my feat to the incredible soundtrack, I dropped my jaws on the surprisingly good acting, and cheered with the special effects in 3D. Is the movie stupid? Yes, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good, on the contrary it was really <b>good</b>, and I had a <b>blast</b>. I highly recommend it to those who don't know what to do this weekend, to call some friends over, and just go watch it. I had a great time watching it, and think many people will like it as well. <u>Jerry Dandrige:</u> <i>"Hey, guy. You've been watching me. I've been watching you. Your mom. There's a kind of neglect. Gives off a kind of scent. And your girl? She is ripe. It's on you to look out for them because there are a lot of bad people out there, Charlie."</i>

• Unknown H

  
  One word - bored. That was all I really felt through out this entire missmatch of comedy/horror. Nothing compared to the original in laughs or thrills, I wonder how much money Farrell gets paid to look mean and act like a tree stump. It infuriates me that vampires are still packing… More
  One word - bored. That was all I really felt through out this entire missmatch of comedy/horror. Nothing compared to the original in laughs or thrills, I wonder how much money Farrell gets paid to look mean and act like a tree stump. It infuriates me that vampires are still packing cinemas when in all honesty some of the worst scary movies are about vampires. Its been done LITERALLY to death, leave it alone and for the love of God don't take one of the good ones and make it BAD!

• Emily A

  
  Ooh. I was very impressed by this movie. Much as I loved the 1985 original, I felt that its effects were lacking and its clever ideas weren't executed as well as they could have been. Both those problems have been remedied here, and all the strengths of the original are also… More
  Ooh. I was very impressed by this movie. Much as I loved the 1985 original, I felt that its effects were lacking and its clever ideas weren't executed as well as they could have been. Both those problems have been remedied here, and all the strengths of the original are also preserved. Everyone is terrific in this, wiith Ferrell and Tennant standing out especially. Colin Ferrell is mesmerizing as the sexy, menacing and supremely confident Jerry Dandridge, a vampire that the film never lets you forget is a real threat to the main characters. I found that very refreshing. I also found it delicious when, in what was perhaps a jab against the new wave of harmless-and-charming-vampire movies, he viciously rips someone apart and then tries to turn the charm back on. Beautiful. I also found David Tennant to be a much more interesting character than the first Peter Vincent, a showman and borderline-charlatan who surprises everyone, including himself with his expertise in the paranormal. One of the other things I love about this movie is the attention paid to even the most peripheral characters - Vincent's girlfriend stands out in my mind. I just wish that more screentime had been paid to the relationship between Charley and his erstwhile best friends Eddie and Adam (the latter of whom we never even see), which would have made the greater bulk of the movie carry a little more emotional weight, I thought. I also hated the 3D. It added nothing to the movie, and simply made me want to rub my eyes and my mind to wander. I look forward to seeing the end of 3-fuckin'-D.

• Jan Marc M

  
  A remake with ravishing style bereft in most in the genre, Fright Night is frightening, comical, and sharp. Irresistible.

• Jason C

  
  Having never been the biggest fan of the original, I didn't go into this movie expecting much. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how entertaining this version turned out. The modern setting does the story huge favors, there's some good humor thrown in, and there are… More
  Having never been the biggest fan of the original, I didn't go into this movie expecting much. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how entertaining this version turned out. The modern setting does the story huge favors, there's some good humor thrown in, and there are some slick special effects involved. I recommend this movie, but you'll be fine if you miss the 3-D version. Which is true for a lot of movies nowadays.

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