Forums Horror Movie Reviews
FRIGHT NIGHT: The Remake - The Review

Fright Night hits the ground running. There's no other way to put it. After the opening credits/logos/etc. you are thrust into the movie completely unprepared and it opens quite shockingly. It becomes clear within the first minute or so that this movie is not for the blood-queasy but then what did you expect from a vampire flick?

Right from the first scene you could tell the sound effects and muc departments had put everything they had into the film. Both did an outstanding job from beginning to end and when I say end I'm including the clong credits!

The script is so well-written that I never felt like there was a time during the movie that I DIDN'T know the characters; getting to know them was very organic and I really liked that. (Note: Keep in mind that I have seen the original 1985 film several times so it's posble this has a lot to do with it.) I never felt like I was being TOLD who these characters were but that I was slowly finding out for myself who they were including their strengths and weaknesses. Hats off to screenwriter Marti Noxon for being able to provide that for each major character without overdoing it and making it feel staged!

The casting was perfect! Every ngle actor was a spot on choice for his/her character. It never felt like anyone was trying too hard or not hard enough. The characters that were meant to have conflict within themselves were portrayed very believably. I was very impressed with the actors individually and the ensemble as a whole.

And one of those actors was, of course, Mr. David Tennant who played the role of Peter Vincent. Very early on in the film we are introduced to Peter Vincent's name and image; it is brought up a number of times before we actually meet him in person which adds to the mystery surrounding who he really is. When we finally do meet Mr. Vincent, we learn he is the true humor of the film. Line after line (more like profanity after profanity!) he lights up the screen with nothing but a word or two and his acting craft. But it's not all fun & games for Peter Vincent. As the movie progresses, Vincent's thoughts and emotions evolve and you do get to see some emotional depth from David Tennant.

The other actor that really stood out was Anton Yelchin. I had never seen his work prior to Fright Night and walked away very impressed. Yelchin nails the part of Charley Brewster, the conflicted-teenager-turned-hero, and by the end we are whole-heartedly rooting for Yelchin's Charley.

Overall, a pretty solid remake of Fright Night. Hands down, the best remake I've ever seen. Noxon took an old story and changed it just enough to make it feel fresh again while director Craig Gillespie immersed the audience in the film far more than the original ever did. A surpringly fun movie all-around; I'll definitely be seeing it again come opening day!

Score: A-

Good to hear.

I'm not normally a big fan of remakes, but I've been looking forward to this.

I'm so glad they did a good job I'm a huge fan of the original and as per usual couldn't see any good reason for a remake. I'm really looking forward to seeing david tennant ham up the vincent part

I've been reading reviews for this all over the place today. This is the only one I've found which leaves a lot of doubt in my mind. I'm going to have to REALLY try to head into this one with no expectations. After reading all the horrible stuff about this one today... it's going to be tough :(

Must----try.....!