Eww, it's another one of those 70s and 80s horror movie remakes. We've already had Friday The 13th, A Nightmare On Elm Street, My Bloody Valentine, I Spit On Your Grave, Last House On The Left, they weren't that great, do we really need more?
Apparently so, and hey, this one was made in 3D! Needless to say I wasn't going into this one with the highest of expectations. I haven't seen the original, and starting off with a blank slate is probably a nice thing too. Fright Night stars Anton Yelchin as Charley, a regular high school kid who has managed to bag one of the popular girls. He used to be a bit of a dweeb though, and his old best friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) feels a bit sore when he accuses Charley's new neighbour, Jerry (Colin Farrell) of being a vampire and is promptly shot down. But with kids going missing and Jerry exhibiting some odd behaviour, it's only a matter of time before Charley begins to figure out the truth.
Fright Night is actually a pretty good movie. Yes, it's about vampires, which may be a bit of a tired subject lately, but at least they burst into flames in sunlight instead of standing there, sparkling, Farrell plays the part of the villain well, being charming one minute, and turning into a ferocious hunter the next. The suspense is kept up well throughout, and there are some good action scenes thrown in with a lot of over the top gore. But Fright Night is also a comedy, just not in an obvious way. It never gets too silly, it's mostly in the form of one liners and reactions, but there are some good characters thrown in for comic relief. Charley's friend Ed often spouts off some great lines, and the appearance of David Tennant as a vampire hunter is extremely well implemented, and he really lightens up the situation.
That being said, it's not a perfect movie either. The pacing is a little bit off, the main characters live on the outskirts of the Vegas strip, but the action shifts between the two locations, making the whole thing seem a bit segmented. If all the actions took place in one location then the suspense could build up constantly rather than stutter a little. Still, as horror remakes go, I really enjoyed this one. It had a nice blend of gore, suspense and comedic moments, and with the amount of obvious 3D shots I could see throughout, I might have to track down the 3D version and watch it again. 'Cause everything's better in 3D, innit?
My rating: 4/5
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