Fright Night (1985) is such an incredible vampire movie. And half the reason is cause of how memorable the character of Peter Vincent is. Also the vampire make up is unnervingly terrifying!

Discussion

I've rewatched this classic after a while not having seen it. God it's so fucking good it's such a comfy, date night horror movie and yet it's actually scary too.

Some people compare this to Lost Boys but I don't agree. Lost Boys is more of a T bordering on PG horror, but this, this gets actually scary after a certain point. From the point where it starts to spiral down towards nightmarish.

The cast is so strong in this movie. Every actor is really perfect for the role they play. If you ask me the best performance is by Roddy McDowell. God rest his soul. What a talented actor.

Can you think of a vampire name less threatening then Jerry Dandridge? Lol.

The vampire make up is bone chilling in this. Their gaping maws and maddened eyes make me so uncomfortable. The make up team really brought their A game. I consider the vampire look in this movie the golden standard of cinematic vampires.

The absolute most terrifying moment of this and one of my all time favourite scenes from any vampire movie is the scene where it's just so agonizing to watch. You just wanna avert your eyes. But the screaming won't spare you... jesus... he's just a kid...

Absolute classic movie. Go watch it with your GF if you haven't seen it.

in moviesby Wonder-Lad

219

93%

PudaRex

Chris Sarandon was stupid fine in this. Like, yeah, I’d totally let him bite me.

Boatokamis

Oh, you're so COOL, Brewster!

ghostprawn

that wolf-faced kid ruined it for me tbh

Boatokamis

I wholeheartedly disagree. Respectfully, of course:)

DadbodySnatcher

Such a great movie. I see this and Near Dark as the exemplary vampire flicks of the 80s. I know people have commented about Ed's death scene, but I always thought seeing his insecurities being used against him so he could be turned was almost more awful. It kind of recontextualizes the vampire "attraction" power as a more predatory abuse tactic. It's a fascinating movie for a ton of reasons.

ILoveMyChococat

Chris Sarandon's 80s dance seduction in the club is A+

MovieBuff90

I watched this movie for the first time in its entirety a few weeks ago and I couldn’t agree more. It sure is a fun 80s movie, until it isn’t. You nailed it when you described the tonal shift. From that moment on, it becomes a full on horror film.

I am a 33 year old man and the scene you described pretty much fucked me up for days. The way the camera goes back and forth between Ed’s slow, painful transformation back into a human and Roddy’s heartbreaking reaction to it disturbed the hell out of me. I couldn’t, and honestly still can’t, get it out of my head. I remember my best friend watching it when we were kids, but he didn’t really tell me much about it. I texted him after I watched it. He brought up Ed and jokingly said “why do you think I do so many drugs?”

One of my other friends said they liked the remake more, so I watched that a few nights later. That movie was definitely a fun horror comedy from 2011. It worked for what it was, but it doesn’t touch the original.

nnefariousjack

"Jerry's Choice" would be a great horror trope. Where the tone shift just absolutely switches gears after a choice of the protagonist. Not sure if that's already a thing, but it should be if it isn't.

aryxus2

That part when Vincent holds up the cross and the vampire says “You have to have faith for that to work,” and Vincent straightens up and smiles. You can see the faith flowing through him. Gives me chills every time!

I loved Roddy McDowell in most things, but this was his greatest role imo.

nofreelaunch

He actually gets faith when he sees the sun coming up behind the vampire through the broken window. I just caught this on a recent watch. The sun is the source of his faith.

aryxus2

Time for a rewatch! Thanks!

nnefariousjack

I think it's kind of a cool metaphor on a few levels really. There's a lot you can take away from that few seconds.

Mst3Kgf

"You're out of time, Mr. Dandridge."

Expensive-Sentence66

Unfortunately it didn't work for Gabriel Byrne in 'The Keep'. Molasar wasn't impressed.

McDowell was top notch.

ThingsAreAfoot

The remake is pretty fun too, Colin Farrell is just having a ball the entire time.

gogozombie2

That movie made me reevaluate how I felt about Colin Farrel as an actor. He is just in full on predator mode the whole movie.

KurRatcrusher

Same! I just kind of wrote Colin Farrell off until this movie. He’s so good in it.

Roook36

David Tennant looks like he is also

Illithid_Substances

He's also so hot in the movie that I can totally buy him being able to lure anyone. I could already know he was a vampire and it would still work

ThingsAreAfoot

bonk

horny jail 👉

Chastain86

I never make a lot of friends when I say this, but the Fright Night remake is a pretty damn fine movie, and mostly better than the original. Everything gets a massive upgrade, and I loved the idea of Charlie's "neighborhood" being one of those planned communities that just never really got finished.

Noirceuil_182

but the Fright Night remake is a pretty damn fine movie,

Completely agree: this is a remake done right. It makes its own take on the material.

and mostly better than the original

It's pistols at dawn, sir. The remake is a fine horror flick on its own merit, but the original is just perfect, lightning-in-a-bottle cheese that would be impossible to replicate.

Manting123

The original had Stephen Geoffrey’s (evil Eddie) who I think stole the movie. Just don’t check his filmography between 1990 and 2006.

DepartureMain7650

Seconded, the remake kicks ass. It’s perfectly cast and executed so well. Colin Ferrell is fantastic in it.

ArtfulMegalodon

I'll be your friend. I also hold this opinion, and I always feel like I'm missing something huge when people praise the original.

MorePea7207

Evil Ed character is the most tragic as it's clear that he's struggling with being gay and Jerry "turns" him. The actor was also gay and ended up starring as the "vulnerable" young man in 90s gay softcore and B-movie horror. Stephen Geoffreys would have been a great actor in the 2010s as he would have been "accepted", but gay actors weren't accepted in the mainstream, although gay comedy characters were...

Jackieirish

This scene is straight up evil and made me hate the Jerry character so much.

MovieMike007

Not to be confused with Magic Mike

Chris Sarandon is not only terrifying in this but he's gorgeously charismatic as well. What a combination!

Noirceuil_182

I think one of the reasons the remake works is that Collin Farrell, ruggedly handsome man that he is, knew that he couldn't turn the Sarandon suave in, so he made his Jerry a working class vampire.

"Jerry's actually real cool, I don't have to call him 'master' or anything, it's just 'Jerry.'"

gerryf19

No one even mentioned William Ragsdale and Amanda Bearse (married with children)

Frankie6Strings

Even Charlie's mom is memorable, though a small role.

nnefariousjack

I love that he's drinking a Bloody Mary, and they make sure that he has no reflection when he comes in through the mom's window.

monty_kurns

It's a great one! I even love the sequel about as much as the original...if only just because Roddy McDowall still dominates the screen as Peter Vincent.

MorePea7207

Brad Fiedel's "Come To Me" score is classic 80s sexiness...

Angry_Foamy

The arm break in the club terrified me as a kid.

nnefariousjack

Yeah up until that point in the movie, it only shows the audience him injured as a Vampire, and holding Jerry up in his room.

Then when you see him again, it's this scene where he takes out the bouncers like paper.

DurtyStopOut

One of my all time favourite posters/ vhs covers too.

new_wellness_center

Halloween classic.

Cloudy_mood

One of my favorite vamp movies. Chris Sarandon is EXCELLENT in it!! Also I actually have the song “Give it Up” downloaded now because it’s such a banger.

TylerBourbon

I love the original. Even II isn't bad. I think movies like the og Fright Night really illustrate why horror movies were so successful in the 70s and 80s compared to today, and just movies in general to be honest. The lower budgets forced them to film in a more grounded ways, even with the special effects, and they achieved some really great creepy looks. like the vampires in Fright Night that actually look scary and unique.

talon007a

I posted a while back that this is the best vampire movie ever. Almost everything I know about vampires I learned from this movie! Not to mention it's just a wonderful film.

beebs44

Check our A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night

Scottyflamingo

And an awesome theme song by the J Geils Band

Ok_Ad3986

Man one of my all time favs, love the 80s stuff, this is also a movie you can have on replay. Like the Goonies, and Big Trouble in Little China!

KurRatcrusher

And it spawned a fun little musical.

spidermanngp

I actually just watched this movie for the very first time about 2 weeks ago. I really loved the practical effects. The creature death scenes were fantastic.

EnvironmentalMix421

Is it better than Colin Farrell one? Since I thought it’s pretty gd

Snoo-6568

It's so good. The remake is halfway decent, too! (NOT as good as the original, but also a fun watch.) I agree with you that this one is way scarier than Lost Boys. Scared the bejesus out of me as a kid.

Expensive-Sentence66

Iiked Fright Night and Lost Boys. Both are solid, but totally different films.

Fright Night was creepy in the paranoia next door kind of way, and it executed it very well. The less you see is more. And yeah, Roddy McDowell was great. Film got drowned out by a lot of much worse 80s crap. Always thought Disturbia borrowed a lot from Fright Night.

Lost Boys was at its best being surreal and Keifeer being just too cool.

Frazzled_Vitality

For years, I could kind of picture that giant open mouth but couldn't remember where it was from. Then I rewatched Fright Night a few years ago and I saw that face! I was going to add a pic of the movie poster or a gif of the woman, but the more I looked at them, the creepier it got. 😕

reddit_sucks_clit

I'm too tired to say anything other than fuck yeah. the new one is great too. if you like colin. and how doesn't like colin?

TrenterD

It has one of my favorite vampire rules which is that a cross only works if you believe in it.

It's one of those perfect 80s horror movies where everything just works. I would include The Blob and Tremors in this category.

nnefariousjack

There's a lot of heart in that movie too, a lot of attention to detail.

Own_Instance_357

I'll be honest, I lost my taste for Roddy McDowell when I heard the story of how terribly he treated the actor Rodney Dangerfield. This is from a 1995 "Movie Answer Man" column by Roger Ebert:

Q. What's the story on the refusal of the actor's branch of the Motion Picture Academy to admit Rodney Dangerfield to membership? (Charlene Smith, Dubuque, Iowa)

A. He still don't get no respect. Dangerfield has been top-billed in five features, two of them grossing more than $100 million, and last year had an acclaimed supporting role in "Natural Born Killers." But his bid for Academy membership was turned down. "I got a letter from Roddy McDowell, the head of the actors branch," Dangerfield told me. "He wrote that I should 'improve my craft,' and apply again later. Hey, I'm 73 years old. What am I gonna do? Apply again when I'm 104?"

Dangerfield died without ever having been granted membership. Roddy McDowell was kind of a cunt in this situation.

Jswimmin

19h

I would stay at my dad's on weekends when I was like 4 and 5 years old. He would always have me watch horror movies. Fright night is one of the ones I remember. I didn't understand then just how great the movie was, I was just afraid lol.

SirSignificant6576

-1

I had sex with my first girlfriend while watching this movie at her parents' house, so I have to agree - all timer. 🫡