Director: Craig Gilespie
Cast: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Imogen Poots, David Tennant, Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
Running Time: 106 minutes
Certificate: 15
Synopsis: When his classmates begin to disappear, Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) suspects that his new next-door neighbour Jerry (Colin Farrell) may be a vampire. He enlists the help of Las Vegas magician Peter Vincent (David Tennant) to destroy the monster…
These days its difficult to move in your local multiplex for remakes, reboots, re-imaginings, sequels, prequels, spin-offs, and whatever else Hollywood passes for simple lack of imagination. And with the millions of dollars tied up in established franchise movies, this is a trend that isn’t going away anytime soon, if ever.
As film fanatics, it would be best for our own mental wellbeing and stress levels if we were to accept this, learn to view the latest remake within its own context, and not let the memories of our beloved originals become too tainted. This should be the case for the 2011 version of FRIGHT NIGHT, which has much to offer – exciting action, engaging characters, entertaining performances – but to compare it too closely with the 1985 original would only serve to irritate and spoil the enjoyment of both. And screenwriter Marti Noxon (MAD MEN) has done a credible job in reworking the material; it is both reverent and inventive, adapting and tweaking some elements from the original, either to bring the story up to date, or to make the film distinctive in its own right. Some of this works, and some of it doesn’t. Regardless, it’s one of the more successful remakes in recent memory.
This time around, the action has been transported to Las Vegas, in one of the smartest changes from the original movie. Vegas is a nocturnal town with a transient population, and proves the perfect hunting ground for Farrell’s Jerry (‘Jerry the vampire?!’ the characters say, poking fun at the original). The character of Peter Vincent has also seen a few adjustments: no longer the Hammer-esque star of vampire movies who reveals himself to be a coward in the face or true evil; now he is Vegas magician and master of the occult – somewhere between David Copperfield and Siegfried and Roy – who still reveals himself to be a coward in the face of true evil. The modern version of Vincent is well-conceived and relevant for contemporary viewers, though there are changes to the character that aren’t quite as successful. He has been saddled with a backstory that never quite rings true, and feels unnecessary more than anything. This is mostly forgiven though due to Tennant’s performance, poncing around like a drunken, lusty Doctor and nabbing all the best lines.
The remainder of the cast also do a good job with the material: Christopher Mintz-Plasse is a smart choice for ‘Evil’ Ed (one of the most distinctive parts of the original), but is criminally underused; Anton Yelchin is perfectly adequate as the do-gooding schoolboy; and Farrell is perfectly cast, giving it plenty of ham as he gets his smooth on with every lady in his path of destruction.
In fact, there is a definite sexual undertone beneath the entire movie, particularly between Charley and Amy (Imogen Poots) in an element lifted from the original. But we something of a role reversal here: it is Amy (Imogen Poots) who is keen to get Charley between the sheets, not the other way around.
However, there are also negative points to be made, and not all changes from the original work as one would hope. Though director Craig Gilespie has put together exciting action sequences, they are somewhat tainted by the unnecessary 3D. Though it serves a purpose on the big screen, moments of rogue debris flying toward the camera will only serve to date the movie in the long run. There are also some plot details that remain even more unbelievable that the existence of vampires: a supernatural monster who leaves a spare key in a false garden pebble for instance(just in case he locks himself out?), or baby-faced Yelchin walking freely around a Vegas casino. Let us not split hairs though, the film is about vampires living next door after all…
Mostly, FRIGHT NIGHT works. It has made crucial and effective changes to character, plot, and design of the original, whilst remaining respectful and cautious, particularly in its underlying themes. What changes don’t work are easily overlooked as Gilespie has approached the film with a knowing self-awareness; despite its flaws it is ultimately lots of fun, which surely, is what FRIGHT NIGHT should be.
