Introduction"Fright Night" is a 2011 horror-comedy film directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and David Tennant. The film is a remake of the 1985 classic of the same name and admires the original while offering modern updates and a few new twists. The story revolves around a teenager who finds that his new next-door neighbor is a vampire, and his efforts to protect his liked ones and stop the vampire from creating chaos in his town.
Plot SummaryThe film is embeded in the suburban town of Las Vegas, where teen Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) leads a reasonably typical life with his mom, Jane (Toni Collette). Charley's life ends up being complicated when a new next-door neighbor, Jerry Dandrige (Colin Farrell), moves in next door. Charley's previous friend, Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), is encouraged that Jerry is a vampire, responsible for the disappearance of a number of people in the town.
At first, Charley dismisses Ed's vampire theory however soon starts to think it when he witnesses some unusual activity at Jerry's house. Charley decides to examine even more and slips into Jerry's house, where he discovers evidence confirming that Jerry certainly is a vampire. A frightened Charley enlists the help of Peter Vincent (David Tennant), a Las Vegas magician with a fascination for the supernatural.
Charley and Peter team up to remove Jerry and protect Charley's family and friends, including his sweetheart, Amy (Imogen Poots). As they battle against the effective vampire, they uncover a sinister strategy by Jerry to change the entire area into bloodthirsty animals. Through a series of intense fights, they handle to damage Jerry's vampire minions and foil his evil plan.
In a final face-off in between Charley, Peter, and Jerry, Charley cooks up a plan to use a stake made from among Jerry's previous victims to eliminate him. With Peter's help, Charley effectively impales Jerry, damaging him and conserving his area from further fear and death.
Main Characters and PerformancesAnton Yelchin provides a solid performance as the protagonist, Charley Brewster. Yelchin portrays Charley as a relatable, understanding character who goes through a significant improvement, from an unwitting witness to an identified vampire hunter.
Colin Farrell's portrayal of Jerry Dandrige is captivating, as he brings beauty and charisma alongside his sinister objectives and frightening strength. Farrell's performance really sells the scary aspect of this movie, as his cold and determining disposition makes him an enormous bad guy.
Christopher Mintz-Plasse provides comic relief through his role as Ed, Charley's unpopular good friend who at first seems more interested in vampire conspiracies than actual risk. David Tennant's performance as Peter Vincent is as amusing as it is important to the plot development, with his funny and eccentric personality working as a great foil to Charley's more major behavior.
Horror-Comedy ToneThe movie effectively handles to strike a balance between horror and funny, frequently using the tension of deadly scenarios to set up funny minutes. The comical scenes do not interfere with the overall thriller and seriousness of the vampire risk, rather adding an unique and entertaining layer to the story.
Conclusion"Fright Night" is an amusing and well-executed horror-comedy film that effectively pays homage to its 1985 predecessor, while still using a fresh take on the vampire category. With strong performances, remarkable characters, and a well-paced story, this film is sure to delight fans of both horror and comedy.
Top Cast
