The Essential 80s Vampire Comedy New Generations Aren’t Seeing
The vampire has appeared in hundreds of films since the silent era, with many productions serving as a retelling of 19th century Irish author Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula. Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Jack Palance, Gary Oldman, and Frank Langella have all played the title character to varying degrees of success, but there have been others who portrayed the vampire in modern retellings. One such entry was the 1985 film Fright Night, a contemporary twist on the Dracula novel that places the vampire in a quaint neighborhood next door to a teenaged adversary.
Curiosity Gets The Better Of Our Hero
Fright Night is the story of 17-year-old Charlie Brewster (William Ragsdale), a high school junior who becomes intrigued by with his new neighbor. He sees an attractive blonde woman entering the home one evening, only to see on the news days later that she was found decapitated in the woods. The next night, Charlie uses his binoculars to spy on the neighbor and and sees his long and sharp fangs poised to bite a woman on the neck.
As luck would have it, the neighbor spots Charlie just before he could sink his teeth in. Charlie shares his tale of terror with his best friend, Evil (Stephen Geoffreys) and his girlfriend Amy (Amanda Bearse), both of whom think he’s crazy. To make matters worse, Charlie’s mother invites the neighbor over one evening, making the teen come face to face with the vampire next door.
The Conflict Begins
Fright Night continues as the neighbor, Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon), appears in Charlie’s bedroom later that night and tries to make a deal. Forget about the vampire, and the vampire will forget about Charlie. After Charlie unsuccessfully tries to hurt Dandridge with a cross, vampire attacks him and is barely foiled at the last minute.
Dandridge flees into the night, but now the game is on. Charlie knows that he is living on borrowed time and doesn’t want to wait around for the next attack. He teams up with the host of a late-night horror show, Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall), and the two prepare to send the bloodsucker back to the grave.
Dracula Vs. Fright Night
Fright Night has drawn a lot of material from Stoker’s Dracula, making Jerry Dandridge a 1980s version of the ill-fated Count. Like Dracula, Dandridge becomes convinced that the girlfriend of his adversary is the reincarnation of a love he lost centuries before. The parallels that exist between Dracula‘s Jonathan Harker and Fright Night‘s Charlie Brewster are apparent, as are the ones between the novel’s Mina and the modern film’s Amy.
Of course, Peter Vincent is a reimagined Van Helsing, played marvelously by veteran actor Roddy McDowall. But while his portrayal of the vampire killer helped elevate the film, Ragsdale, Bearse, and Geoffreys had incredible onscreen chemistry that offered a sense of realism.
Chris Sarandon
Fright Night‘s Jerry Dandridge was one of Sarandon’s most notable screen performances. He lays on charm in equal doses of the fear that he emotes. When he is fully transformed, the film’s incredible makeup and special effects team turn the hunk next door into one of the most terrifying screen vampires in film history.
Check It Out However You Can
GFR SCORE
Fright Night deserves high marks for its storytelling and character development, each of its characters leaving audiences with familiarity. We all know someone like Evil, we’ve all felt like Charlie or Amy at some point, and there’s not many people who can say that they haven’t been suspicious of a neighbor at least one time in their lives. The story and the characters really sell the film, with the added bonus of a great soundtrack and score.
Fright Night is perhaps the best vampire movie of the 1980s and is certainly a contender for the best modern retelling of Dracula.
You won’t find Fright Night streaming for free, but you can access it On Demand with AppleTV, Prime, and Vudu.
