In comparison to all the bad 3D movies I’ve seen recently (Cars 2, Smurfs, Captain America), Fright Night stands out as the best and there is one glaring reason: it was actually shot in 3D. It really shows. It’s not in-your-face and stuff coming out of the screen all the time, but the depth in most scenes is done really well and does add to the experience. It looks cool. Now, I wouldn’t say that you have to see this movie in 3D, but if you are looking for a decent 3D experience, this is what you should spend your money on. Now, on to the review.
With the popularity of the HBO series, True Blood, and also the Twilight Series, there is an prominence of vampire movies on the market. Fright Night, the remake of the popular 1980s classic (haven’t seen, shame on me), peaked my interest because of the involvement of Colin Farrell. Yes, he’s good-looking, but more importantly, he is damn good in almost everything he does. He brings a level of charm and boyishness to his roles that enhances his characters. Fright Night is no exception as he plays the charming vampire, Jerry, who’s moves next door to a woman, Jane and her teenage son, Charley. When Charley discovers Jerry’s secret, he and his girlfriend, Amy, become targets and seek out to kill the vampire.
What I liked about it is what I didn’t like about it. The pace. Director Chris Gillespie keeps the story moving so fast, you barely have a chance to process what is happening. It was almost like the movie was just in fast forward. I really did like that in a certain respect because there was no boredom and you were excited by every new 
scene. What I didn’t like was that because it moved so fast, there was little time to develop the story. There are glimpses into how the vampire survives, but nothing is explained.
Let’s talk cast. Colin Farrell is obviously very suave and charming as Jerry the vampire, but the other standout would have to be, David Tennant, who played Peter Vincent, the Las Vegas magician. (You may remember him from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.) In this role, he was very funny and I wanted more of him. I did have an issue with how his character was very eager to open up to some random teenager. Christopher Minzt-Plasse was also good, but I was really looking forward to seeing him more SPOILER as a vampire. Perhaps that slowed down the story a little too much. END SPOILER Now that I think about it, the entire cast was pretty great. Anton Yelchin (Charley) is proving to be very versatile and I can also see Imogen Poots’ (Amy) star rising. He has a leading man quality with a touch of geekiness and she brings a down-to-earth quality to her characters. Toni Colette, as mom Jane, was actually able put pull off being a mother believing her son.
I’m hoping the film does well and a splinter of faith can be restored in 3D. It’s funny, action-packed and keeps you wondering what’s going to happen next. The dialogue is very clever and also quick-paced. It has a wide audience appeal and will do very well.
Rating: Fun, straight-up vampire action movie. 7/10
FUN FACTS
- “Fright Night” boasts a truly international cast. Director Craig Gillespie and Toni Collette are from Australia, Imogen Poots was born in England, Colin Farrell hails from Ireland, David Tennant is from Scotland and Anton Yelchin is from Russia. Christopher Mintz-Plasse comes all the way from Los Angeles, California.
- Colin Farrell, who plays the role of the vampire Jerry, is such a fan of the original “Fright Night” that he has seen the classic horror film at least 12 times.
- David Tennant, portraying vampire expert Peter Vincent, is a classically trained British actor, who starred in the hit BBC series “Dr. Who.”
- When Imogen Poots shot an old revolver at vampire Jerry, it was the first time she had ever fired a gun.
- “Fright Night” screenwriter Marti Noxon has a lot of experience with the undead, having previously written for vampires on the popular television series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
- “Fright Night” is set in Las Vegas, where late-night activity is not viewed as out of the ordinary.
- Costume Designer Susan Matheson had great fun creating costumes for David Tennant’s character, illusionist Peter Vincent. For his stage-show look she designed a classic leather frock coat with an exaggerated collar. Then she gave him lots of rings on his fingers and some very tight, stretch leather pants with boots. For his vampire-fighting scenes, the look changed to another long leather coat with a revisionist 1980s feel, worn with a T‐shirt, jeans and sneakers.
- One-of-a-kind props include the St. Michael’s stake, which was whittled from wood and bone, the Assyrian Egyptian vampire stake, the Polynesian stake, crosses, vials of holy water and a stake gun, all designed and built by Prop Master Ben Lowney.
- Prop Master Ben Lowney used a sharp piece of bone to create one of the vampire stakes. On the cap, he inscribed something cryptic in ancient Greek and Latin, which he is keeping as a secret while waiting for someone to slow down the movie and decipher what has been written.
- To create a crucifix nail that looks ancient, Ben Lowney, the prop master, researched photos of Roman nails that are in the British Museum. To achieve the same look, he soaked an iron bolt in acid for a week. When finished, it looked like a relic.
- The gun created for Imogen Poots to shoot is actually a replica of a gun owned by World War II hero, General George S. Patton.
- The makeup effects were by Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero, who designed five distinctive stages of makeup to transform Colin Farrell into Jerry the vampire.
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