The 80s Vampire Horror Sequel Cult Classic No One Gets To Watch Anymore

Fright Night part 2 doesn’t begin where the first installment ended. Rather, the action picks up three years later and sees college student Charlie Brewster (William Ragsdale) recalling the traumatic events involving Jerry Dandrige to a psychologist (Ernie Sabella). Through therapy, Charlie has come to the understanding that his former neighbor wasn’t a vampire but was really a serial murderer masquerading as a creature of the night.

Charlie and his new girlfriend Alex (Traci Lind) pay Peter Vincent a courtesy visit and Charlie is disturbed that his old friend still believes in real vampires. As the couple leave Peter’s apartment, they notice four large boxes, followed by a striking group of people getting into the elevator. The woman in the group, Regine (Julie Carmen), captivates Charlie and he begins to fantasize and dream about her.

Fright Night part 2 doesn’t keep Charlie in denial about vampires for long. He witnesses Regine and one of her lackeys attack his friend Ritchie (Merritt Buttrick) through a window, draining him of his blood. This sets off a sequence of events that gets Charlie to team back up with Peter Vincent, Vampire Killer as the unlikely duo to combat Regine and her legion of the undead.

Regine reveals herself as the vampire sister of Jerry Dandridge. Her sole mission is to get revenge on Charlie for destroying her brother and will stop at nothing to see it through. Her ultimate plan is to seduce her late brother’s adversary and turn him into what he fears the most. Once Regine has made her moves, it’s up to Peter Vincent and Alex to thwart her diabolical plans and save the community from the scourge of the damned.

Fright Night part 2 serves as a horror sequel that did a great justice to the original film. Brad Fiedel’s chilling musical score envelopes each scene with totality and helps bundle Tommy Lee Wallace’s direction and screenplay into one scary package. The storyline flows well, the characters from the original (Charlie and Peter) become even more developed, and the new additions to the saga give glimpses of complicated character arcs that leave you wanting to know more.

Fright Night part 2 had some disappointments, though. Fans of the first film were hopeful for the resurrection of its popular character Evil (played by Stephen Geoffreys), but the actor refused the script out of fear of being typecast. The absence of Amy (Amanda Bearse) was also a bit of a shock, although Lind stepped into the role of Charlie’s girlfriend as a force, presenting a character of strength and intelligence that was almost the polar opposite of Charlie’s girl in Fright Night.

Even with the absence of Bearse and Geoffreys, Fright Night part 2 contained a great cast of characters, both human and vampire. Regine’s vampire pals Louie (John Gries), Belle (Russell Clark), and Bozworth (Brian Thompson) are all unique and helped make the film as interesting as it was terrifying. While Julie Carmen’s Regime is no substitute for Chris Sarandon’s Jerry Dandrige, Carmen brings her own hauntingly sexy presence to the screen and shows that vampires truly are sensual (and deadly) creatures.

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Fright Night part 2 is a film that deserves much more than it was given in 1988. Though it falls short of the high mark established by the vampire comedy Fright Night in 1985, the sequel is still a 2.5/5.0-star movie.

As of this writing, Fright Night part 2 is not available for streaming on any platform or for purchase On Demand. Legal issues have kept the film from being released on Blu-ray and has inhibited any DVD release since the initial one in 2003. Finding a DVD or VHS copy can be a daunting task, as they are considered collectors’ items and can be quite pricey.