Sucking blood, and probably something else.

#29 - Fright Night - 1985

"Apparently your generation doesn't want to see vampire killers anymore, nor vampires either. All they want to see slashers running around in ski masks, hacking up young virgins."
-- Peter

Better than 'Lost Boys'. There, I said it.

I make no apologies for that fact. Truth is while people would fawn over Keifer and the two Corey's, I would always come back to Peter Vincent Vampire killer and the further adventures of Evil Ed.

Charley Brewster and his girlfriend are about to get down to business for the first time, but Charley is more interested in the Man moving Coffin's into the House next door. It doesn't take long for Charley to deduce his new Neighbour, Jerry Dandridge, is a Vampire. Mainly because he see's him putting the moves on a Woman. And biting her in the neck.

'Fright Night' is a joy. Writer/Director Tom Holland crafted a film that works as a straight Horror film, or if you want to look at it this way, a film that's all about the Gay. Now bear with me here, Charley isn't interested in fucking his girlfriend when he sees the new Man next door. The Man next door has a "Roommate" he seems all too comfortable with. And consider this speech he gives to one character...

"Hello, Edward. You don't have to be afraid of me. I know what it's like being different. Only they won't pick on you anymore... or beat you up. I'll see to that. All you have to do is take my hand."

Gay.

He gives that speech to a character that's played by Stephen Geoffrey's. Geoffrey's starred in a number of 80's movies before moving on to more um...erotic fair. Gay Erotic fair mainly - starring in films with such distinguished titles as 'Latin Crotch Rockets' and 'Guys who crave big Cocks'. Truly titans of the genre.

Actually Geoffrey's character Ed is a Horror fan, the prototype of Randy in 'Scream' if you will. It shows foresight on Holland's part, to create a part that was later to become a staple of the genre. He never uses it as a Wink-wink-nudge-nudge device, Ed just happens to watch too many Horror films. He's a geek, like you and...well you know.

Special mention should go to William Ragsdale as Charley and William Sarandon as Dandridge. The former completes my trifecta of Actors that look like each other, along with Rob Morrow and Zach Galligan. But he's great here, believable as no one takes his claims seriously. Sarandon is fantastic. He's suave, menacing and dare I say a little sexy package all rolled into one. And then there's Roddy McDowall, starring as B-Movie actor Peter Vincent, he's the guy that Charley turns too because he thinks that hey, if there's anyone who knows how to kill Vampires, it's a guy who does it in the Movies.

Richard Edlunds effects get a special mention, utilizing some of the Puppet work he used just a year earlier in 'Ghostbusters' (Indeed, one of the puppets used here is the abandoned Librarian puppet from the opening of that film). Why this film still hasn't had a decent DVD release is beyond me, instead we're still stuck with the bare bones (And badly transferred) copy from 1999.

This isn't a film I visit regularly, but when I do it never fails to surprise me with how well it holds up.