There's plenty to like almost the original 1985 version of Fear Night : the performances from Chris Sarandon and Roddy McDowall, the cracking applied horror effects, and the thoughtful subtext about teens coming to grips with their burgeoning sexuality and the familiar inadequacies that come with it.  The remake of Fright Nighttime ditches almost all of these aspects but still manages to be an entertaining animate being feature filled with excellent performances, enough of humor, and some nice surprises equally it tries update the film for a new audience.

As in the original, teenager Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) has a smoking hot girlfriend (Imogen Poots) but he too has a serious trouble: a vampire named Jerry (Colin Farrell) has moved next door.  That'south where the similarities begin to autumn away every bit Charley has get pop and left his former all-time friend "Evil" Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) backside.  Ed desperately tries to convince Charley that Jerry is a vampire.  In his on-the-nose description, Ed says Jerry "Is the shark from Jaws."  Charley soon realizes that Ed was right and he has to find away to defeat Jerry and save his mom (Toni Collette) and girlfriend.  He tries to get some help from "professional person" vampire-hunter/entertainer Peter Vincent (David Tennant) only to detect that the Criss Affections-esque Las Vegas stage magician is a vainglorious ball of nihilism and hedonism.  Meanwhile, the threat of Jerry (yes, the film makes fun of the fact that the monster's name is Jerry) looms over everything Charley does.

fright-night-movie-image-anton-yelchin-hi-res-01

The remake of Fright Dark keeps the set-up and the climax of the original along with the character relationships, but throws about everything else away.  It's a modern film that doesn't really want to owe much to the classic horror movies and instead is more intense, fast-paced, and activeness-packed.  There'southward all the same a horror attribute to the movie and director Craig Gillespie shows he's well-equipped at building tension even if the payoff is predictable (although in that location'southward one bang-up surprise that threw the entire audition for a loop).  The activeness scenes could besides apply some polish equally the picture's big set slice has such obvious green-screen that the one-shot have gets overshadowed.

Only graphic symbol is where it counts and while it may not exist the scariest film this year or accept the all-time set pieces, Fright Night has one of the best ensembles I've so far in 2011.  Anton Yelchin shows some corking leading-homo chops as he assuredly goes from cocky-involved teenager to vampire slayer over the grade of the story.  Collette and Poots also make it some skillful moments, but the scene stealers are Mintz-Plasse, Tennant, and nigh of all Farrell.

fright-night-movie-image-david-tennant-01

Armed with angry nerd one-liners, Mintz-Plasse makes for a brilliant audience surrogate and he's the only character who seems truly aware of the outsized circumstances of the film's plot.  One of Fearfulness Night'southward biggest flaws is how information technology introduces Evil Ed, makes us love the character, and and then drops him out of the plot until the end of the 2d deed.  David Tennant suffers from the same trouble just in reverse.  We don't run into Peter Vincent until halfway through the movie, Tennant has the audience rolling over in laughter, and and so he doesn't come back until act three when he truly gets a risk to shine.  Marti Noxon's script has more than a few self-cogitating elements and Mintz-Plasse and Tennant make them piece of work.

But the true star of the motion-picture show is Farrell.  Chris Sarandon gave a nifty performance equally Jerry in the original, but his grapheme was bars to a one-on-one battle with Charley to the point where information technology seemed similar Jerry was more preoccupied with taunting his next door neighbor than doing vampire stuff.  Since the remake has a bigger upkeep and can go far across the suburban streets that confined the original, the new Jerry treats Vegas like his own smorgasbord and he should.  He really is the shark from Jaws if the shark could talk, walk on dry land, and was really, really handsome. Like in the original moving picture, Jerry enjoys taunting Charley, only Farrell takes it to a whole new level past showing the tremendous confidence of a creature that has survived for over 400 years and is the dominant species on the food chain.  The amuse, charisma, and devilish glee Farrell brings to the role are worth the price of admission alone.

fright-night-movie-image-colin-farrell-hi-res-01

Information technology would be nice if the moving-picture show shared some of that charm by embracing some applied effects of the original.  The new Fright Dark can indulge in all of the CGI blood splatter information technology wants, but the creativity of the gore is macerated by the over-reliance on digital effects.  There are some times when information technology's necessary, but elements like Jerry'south truthful vampire grade and some of his kills can look a chip cartoony.  And while I hate to go on harping on it, the 3D diminishes the motion picture.  Maybe if it were shown at the proper luminosity, information technology would be warranted because Gillespie is clearly having a good time throwing stuff out of the screen and providing the motion-picture show with its creature-feature vibe.  But the story mostly takes place at night and the consequence is i of the dimmest movies I've ever seen in the format.  Trying to find the characters is like trying to find a shade of gray against a back driblet of a slightly darker shade of gray.

Yous're not going to get the subtext of the original Fright Night.  The remake isn't about a teenage guy'southward fear that his girlfriend will run to a more than sexually experienced older human.  There's no subtext well-nigh Ed being a closeted homosexual.  But in their place the remake manages to drive through an enjoyable, fast-past paced action-horror-comedy that'due south filled with terrific performances.

Rating: B

fright-night-poster

Exclusive: Andrew Dominik Talks Extended Cut of 'The Assassination of Jesse James': "There Is a Ameliorate Version"

Read Side by side

Near The Author

Matt Goldberg (15131 Manufactures Published)

Matt Goldberg has been an editor with Collider since 2007. As the site's Primary Film Critic, he has authored hundreds of reviews and covered major picture festivals including the Toronto International Moving picture Festival and the Sundance Motion picture Festival. He resides in Atlanta with his married woman and their canis familiaris Jack.

More than From Matt Goldberg