Friday, October 14, 2011

10-13-11: The Boy Who Cried Vampire


FRIGHT NIGHT (1985) ***1/2 D: Tom Holland. William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Roddy McDowall, Chris Sarandon.

A teen who loves old-horror movies has trouble convincing everyone that a vampire has moved in next door.

This is a fun '80s horror gem that still holds up even to this day. While I still think the 2011 remake was better, the original still stands on its own as a well made horror-comedy.

Overall, the performances are spot on. Ragsdale and Bearse win you over as the teenage couple. Sarandon exudes charm and menace as Jerry. McDowall is just perfect as Peter Vincent. However, my one qualm with the film is, I felt this way when I first saw it in '85 and still do, Evil Ed as played by Stephen Geoffreys is just plain irritating that I didn't like him. I'm sure it was meant to be amusing but I just found him annoying.

Great touches of humor through out, great practical effects, great make up, not to mention a great '80s score.

If you want your horror with some sly black humor, the original is for you. If you want a straight up horror-thriller, then the remake is where you wanna go. You can't go wrong with either one.

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