The horror genre is one that has always intrigued audiences. The idea of someone scaring you for entertainment has grown more and more popular over the years, and the way in which movie makers create fear has continued to develop. Films like James Whale’s Frankenstein and George Waggner’s The Wolf Man have stood the test of time and have remained favorites throughout the film community. By the 1960’s and 1970’s the genre was more popular than ever, with films like Alfred Hitcock’s The Birds and Steven Spielberg’s Jaws making their entrance into the world of film. By the next decade the world of cinema was introduced to greats such as Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, John Carpenter’s The Thing and Tom Holland’s Fright Night. Fright Night follows the story of high school student Charlie Brewster (William Ragsdale) as he faces a harsh reality that his new next-door neighbor, Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon), is a vampire. When his friends, family and closest confidants do not believe his claims, his life and his will to live will be tested by the newcomer. Will he be able to survive a brutal attack from what he claims to be a vampire, or will he meet his demise?
Horror comes in all shapes and sizes. Audiences see horror in the form of terrifying images, jump scares, psychological horror, etc. Each works well in its own regard and appeals to different groups of viewers. Writer-director Tom Holland makes a decision to script a film that combines all three of these tactics in order to appeal to the masses and create a fun and exciting product. Images of a demented and horrifc vampire create a sense of fear immediately after the film begins, and Holland continues to play on this fear throughout the story. While the frightening images and the jump scares are welcomed by audiences, it is the psychological aspect of Fright Night that makes the story so appealing. When Charlie Brewster confides in friends, family and the notorious vampire killer, Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) he finds himself being ostracized for his seemingly asinine beliefs. Holland is able to dive deep into the human psyche and plays on the paranoia that most humans feel at some point during their life. His ability to reach audiences on a psychological level makes his story enjoyable, and, on some levels (despite the nature of the film), believable and relatable.
Holland manages to dive deeper into the potential horror of the Fright Night by presenting Jerry Dandridge as a stalker of sorts. While Charlie becomes obsessed with Dandridge, Dandridge becomes equally obsessed with Charlie and his girlfriend, Amy Peterson (Amanda Bearse). The obsession, while overtly human, develops into something more sinister and demented as the story progresses.
As wonderfully layered and developed as Fright Night is, the actors in charge of presenting his vision to the viewers hold the success of the film in their hands. Sarandon, Ragsdale and Bearse are talented actors and deliver in each of their particular roles. Sarandon, in particular, is very endearing. He is an aesthetically pleasing individual and his presence on screen draws audiences in while creating disturbing images in the process. Ragsdale and Bearse are simple, but do just enough to portray their respective roles to the audience. McDowall and Stephen Geoffreys (who portrays Charlie’s friend, Evil Ed) struggle to perform. The scenes in which either of them are present come off as terribly corny. They both appear to have difficulties portraying the appropriate emotions, and Geoffreys oftentimes is quite comical in scenarios that are meant to be serious and terrifying. Furthermore, Geoffreys’ voice and mannerisms are terribly annoying. His very presence is often frustrating and a massive turnoff to viewers. Some of the performances are unbecoming and ruin aspects of the film.
Holland’s storytelling ability is incredible; he develops a film that plays on the many fears of its potential viewers. With his focus on developing horror, however, it appears that Holland puts the development of some backstories off, and leaves some aspects of the creatures present in the film almost completely in the dark. He delivers on his promise to scare his audiences and develops serious suspense from the opening moments of the film, but struggles to effectively explain some of what takes place. Even with this oversight, his film is successful, but would find more success had Geoffreys and/or McDowall been omitted from the film or if casting director Jackie Burch had chosen others to play those roles.
Fright Night is fun, suspenseful and somewhat frightening (especially considering the fact that it was released in 1985). One must suspend their disbelief in order to appreciate some of the visuals (and one should take into consideration that Fright Night was released more than thirty years ago and that some of the technology used in this film is outdated at this point). It has its moments of struggle, but is a must watch for movie buffs and those who consider themselves fans of horror.
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