Here's a newsflash that some of you might not agree with. Some remakes are actually alright. Yes, most of them are made because a familiar title tends to bring in more box office dollars than an unfamiliar one, but every so often the right team of people get together and give enough of a shit about a story and its characters to make something old feel fresh. Welcome to FRIGHT NIGHT, one of the better examples of a horror remake I've seen in quite some time. The original story by Tom Holland (and updated by the great Marti Noxon) about a teenager and a late-night television horror movie host going up against a vampire or two to save a small town still has a bit of fun left in it and some neat new ideas.
My favorite part of the new FRIGHT NIGHT can be boiled down to casting. I actually think some of these actors play these parts better than those in the 1985 version. Anton Yelchin does a terrific job of conveying the sex-starved Charley Brewster, who is a changed man in recent years thanks to pretty girlfriend Amy (Imogen Poots) and his dad leaving him and his mom (Toni Collette). He's changed so much that he's forgotten his nerdy roots and friends, particularly his former best friend Ed (the perfectly cast Christopher Mintz-Plasse). But Ed breaks through to Charley briefly to let him know that his surveillance has revealed that the Brewster's new neighbor (in a suburb of Las Vegas) is more than likely a vampire named Jerry (Colin Farrell, once again pulling an unexpectedly stellar performance out of thin air, as he did in HORRIBLE BOSSES).
Charley doesn't believe at first, but then he starts to watch some bizarre behavior coming from next door, and what's worse, he's pretty sure Jerry knows he's being watched. Before it becomes a battle of crossbows and stake guns, FRIGHT NIGHT is first and foremost a battle of wills between Charley and Jerry. Each uses the other's weaknesses to keep the other at bay, but when Jerry threatens Charley's mother and Amy, he seeks the advice of self-proclaimed vampire killer Peter Vincent (David Tennant of "Dr. Who" fame), now a Chris Angel-style Vegas magician with a serious drinking problem rather than a monster-movie TV host. Although he doesn't really show up in the plot until about the halfway point, Vincent is one of the best characters in the film with his rock star/Russell Brand swagger and his penthouse atop the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino loaded with archaic tools for hunting and killing vampires that he's never used.
Vincent's life of torment and isolation is disturbed for the better by Charley entering his life, and their common goal of killing these Vegas vampires brings out the strength and courage he has long needed in his life. Plus, Charley is probably the closest thing to a friend he's made in ages. Their relationship is far more interesting than that between Charley and Amy. Director Craig Gillespie (LARS AND THE REAL GIRL) does a great job keeping FRIGHT NIGHT charging forward and making slight alterations to the vampire mystique and rules, while keeping most of them intact. But it's Farrell that rules the day. I've never seen him pull off being this cocky. He strides and glides through this movie like a snake sporting a pair of bull's testicles. I especially like how mad he gets when someone actually hurts him, but he still manages to smile all the way through it.
FRIGHT NIGHT is nothing more than a successful attempt to entertain an audience with copious amounts of blood and guts, with a few scares tossed in and a whole lot of laughs. If you can, feel free to skip seeing it in 3D; it isn't necessary, unlike last week's FINAL DESTINATION 5, which looked great in 3D. But I also liked the subtext of FRIGHT NIGHT, which is that it's OK (even desirable) to hold onto your geek roots, because it may one day save your life. That seems perfectly reasonable. Overall, I thought this was a total blood-soaked blast that deserves to be seen with an enthusiastic crowd.
