‘Fright Night’
Columbia Pictures, 1985

starring: Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse and Roddy McDowall
written and directed by: Tom Holland

the plot: During a late-night make-out session with his girlfriend Amy (Bearse), Charley Brewster (Ragsdale) spies his new neighbors involved in some suspicious activity—namely, carrying a huge black coffin into the basement. When a string of mysterious murders make the local news, Charley is convinced his neighbor Jerry (Sarandon) is a vampire. No one believes Charley, and in a bid of desperation, he tries to enlist the aid of Peter Vincent (McDowall), the aging host of “Fright Night” who played a vampire hunter in string of horror flicks. After a visit to Jerry’s house, Charley, Peter and company quickly realize Jerry is a bloodsucker—with his evil eye squarely on Amy. Once Jerry kidnaps and seduces Amy, Charley and Peter stage a daring nighttime raid on the vampire’s lair.

why it’s good: “Fright Night” is a quintessential 1980s horror flick. Sarandon and Ragsdale are perfectly cast as the sleazy, over-confident vampire and his awkward adolescent foil. Tom Holland’s script is clever and suspenseful and shows a clear reverence for classic vampire films, all while putting his own slight, modern twist on the genre. There’s also a fun ’80s pop soundtrack, complete with a title track by the J. Geils Band. However, the main attraction is Roddy McDowall. At first foppish and self-important, McDowall slowly transforms his character into the fearless vampire hunter he claimed to be all along. His performance is a loving tribute to the old Hammer Studios vampire films that starred Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Plus, McDowall gets the film’s best lines—including a bit where, after being fired from “Fright Night” for low ratings, he blames Charley’s generation for being obsessed with “hockey-mask clad maniacs,” a nice little dig at the glut of slasher-flicks in those days. McDowall and Ragsdale would reunite in 1988 for “Fright Night Part 2,” a sequel that failed to capture the original’s magic. 

why you should own it: “Fright Night” is a fun vampire movie that’s heavy on suspense and light on gore, at least compared to its fellow ’80s horror films. It’s worth owning, but pick it up used if you can—at a $20 list price, Columbia’s barebones DVD is too expensive.