Fright Night - (August 19th, 2011): R
Distributor: Touchstone Pictures (subset of Walt Disney Pictures)
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #6 with $7,714,388
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $14,207,000
Gross Revenue: $14,207,000
Production Budget: $30 million
Director: Craig Gillespie
Before Robert Pattinson caused legions of teenage girls to swoon and start biting their boyfriends to recreate some warped notion of affection, a surprising number of high profile A-listers donned fangs on the big screen. Gary Oldman and Gerard Butler have both played incarnations of Count Dracula, while Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, and Kirsten Dunst all terrified audiences as bloodsuckers in 1994’s Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles…it was now Colin Farrell’s turn to bring a horror icon to life (in a manner of speaking). In addition to Farrell, Fright Night was also stacked with a diverse and popular cast, which included Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Terminator Salvation) and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad, Role Models, Kick-Ass)…even David Tennet would draw a strong crowd, because even though I know him best for his role as Barty Crouch Jr. in 2005’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, he has a devoted fan following from his time on the insanely popular series Dr. Who. A remake of the 1985 original, Fright Night had some serious hurdles to clear…thanks to Stephanie Meyers and Twilight, few people now regarded vampires as something scary, so could an attempt at a legitimate horror film be taken seriously? Early trailers certainly didn’t help, as the story looked ridiculous (if your neighbor is a vampire, sell your house and get the hell out of there), but as devoted fan of vampire mythos, I still hoped the film could return some legitimacy to the movie monster that was once a feared horror icon.
Set in a suburb of Las Vegas, Fright Night follows teenager Charley Brewster, (Anton Yelchin), who lives happily with his mother (Toni Collette) and enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, Amy (the undeniably sexy Imogen Poots). This domestic bliss is shattered when Charley’s childhood friend, “Evil” Ed Lee (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), reveals that he has been investigating a number of local disappearances, and that he believes the culprit is Charley’s new neighbor, Jerry Dandridge (Colin Farrell). When Ed claims that he has evidence that Jerry is a vampire, Charley dismisses him, but once his former friend disappears, Charley decides to investigate his new neighbor and discovers the startling truth. Soon enough, Jerry lets on that he knows Charley is aware of his secret, and that Charley’s mother and girlfriend represent his next intended victims, so the panicked teenager decides to consult Vegas magician and self-proclaimed vampire “expert” Peter Vincent (David Tennant). Though it takes some convincing, Vincent eventually agrees to help Charley, and the two newly converted vampire hunters must work together in order to find a way to destroy Jerry before he is able to hurt anyone else.
Easily the best part of Fright Night is that the film is able to blend both horror and humor without overdoing either element. What makes the film so scary is Colin Farrell’s performance as the centuries-old vampire who clearly loves killing and has no qualms about terrorizing others or mocking anyone who could ever attempt to stop him…anytime he shows up on screen coolly smirking, you know that any human in his immediate vicinity doesn’t stand a chance. Special effects were also key additions in regard to the horror element, as Jerry’s lack of reflection, healing ability, and monstrous appearance are as cool as they are horrifying to watch…in 3D. The humor comes from the fact that, while Fright Night is loyal to vampire mythology, it still pokes fun at some of the more ridiculous elements of the subject matter. A few examples: vampires cannot enter a home without an invitation, so Jerry proceeds to open a gas line and blow up the house; one way to kill a vampire is trough beheading, but when Charley tries and fails, the vampire comments on how difficult bone is to cut through; and when Jerry is shot with a silver bullet, he removes the casing and quips: “Not a werewolf.” The one cast member who further enhances this balance of film elements is David Tennet, who clearly has fun as the skeptical vampire authority, lamenting the uselessness of a weapon he purchased on eBay or suggesting that Charley cook Jerry a garlic omelette. You will undoubtedly laugh during the jokes and panic anytime a character enters a dark hallway, but if I had to define a weaker element of Fright Night, it would be the simplistic story…thankfully, a few clever film elements help gloss over this shortcoming.
As I mentioned earlier, when I first heard about the plot element of a vampire as a neighbor, I dismissed any validity on the grounds that if the intended victims moved away, the movie was over. Thankfully, the characters and narrative pacing frame this simplistic story in such a way as to make it believable…once Jerry’s identity is revealed, chaos ensues so quickly that its obvious that Charley and his family have no time to react any differently. And, in order to school the audience on the finer elements of vampire lore, the casting director couldn’t have made a better choice than Christopher Mintz-Plasse, the cool nerd who is more than capable of claiming a neighbor is undead and not sounding like a complete moron. Still, the rapid way in which many characters accept the existence of vampires without question is a little unsettling, but then again, how would you react if Colin Farrell sprouted fangs, chased you and your family down, and then proceeded to kill everyone in sight in as gory a manner as possible? In the end, it is clear that everyone involved in the film had fun with this project, and by extension, the audience will be undoubtedly entertained as Fright Night reminds them that vampires are to be feared, not loved.
I may have been excited to see Fright Night, but apparently true vampire fans are few and far in-between, because this horror flick’s performance at the box office is sure to cause a few nightmares for Hollywood executives. In its first weekend, Fright Night placed sixth at the box office and was only able to drum up around $7 million, nowhere near enough to displace The Help or Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It really is a shame, because the film is a pleasant surprise that is thoroughly entertaining and has charmed critics, hopefully word-of-mouth can push the numbers a little higher to cover the modest budget. Perhaps this is nothing more than an instance of failed distribution strategy…just like Mr. Popper’s Penguins would have performed far better around Christmas, I know that a stronger audience would have followed Fright Night had it been released right around Halloween. Disappointing performance aside, I cannot emphasize enough how strong and enjoyable this newest summer film is as the 2011 Summer Movie Season draws to a close.
Overall Recommendation: Very High
