Critical Thinker (labyrinththirteen) Yes, I am a fan of the original 1985 version of Fright Night, so much so that I consider it as one of the best in the genre of vampire movies. I am not a fan of the majority of reboots/remakes of films, particularly when I feel that the original was great. So I had little hope that this version would be any good.I'm happy to report that I was mistaken. This new version of the story is done quite well, and adds in some new elements to the plot that I found refreshing. Actor Colin Farrell is sufficiently creepy in the role of Jerry, the vampire. And I liked the fact that the Peter Vincent character was morphed into a cheesy Las Vegas act and that he gets forced into becoming an actual - though largely reluctant - vampire hunter. Nice work, Nine stars!

MisterWhiplash At the time it came out, a remake of Fright Night seemed like one of those unnecessary movies - what was so wrong with the Tom Holland original, which gave us a subtle/over-the-top performance from Chris Sarandon and some cheeky humor from Roddy McDowell as a vampire named Jerry and the would-be 'celebrity' vampire hunter? Did it need an update? But upon the sudden and to put it mildly tragic death of Anton Yelchin, I thought it was certainly time to watch it. And among a cast that features really major talents like Colin Farrell, David Tennant and Toni Collette, Yelchin holds his own. More than that, he is necessary for the movie to work: he has to be believable as a young guy who starts off somewhat unsympathetic (trying to be 'cool' by ditching his nerdy friend for an attractive girl), and over the course of the story has to man up and not do what his dad did, which was ditch the family behind.Yelchin plays the 'straight man' to a point where we can find him believable as being both completely scared and yet ballsy enough to go for what he has to go through to save and protect the ones he cares about - his mother and then, when she's taken by this 'Jerry' fella, Amy - and it's interesting to see this *after* Green Room, where he played a somewhat similar character though in a different setting (actually substitute Nazis for vampires and you got a somewhat similar premise, with Yelchin as the vulnerable but strong-willed and tough protagonist). If you've ever liked this actors work, this is a must-see of his.Looking at 2011 Fright Night on its own terms, outside of viewing it as some kind of after the fact thing for Yelchin, it's... good. Better than expected, really, as far as these kind of remakes can go (in other hands it could be easily disposable trash like Sorority Row or something). With Yelchin there as the main core for the audience to put their 'what would I do if' perspective on, Farrell and, in the second half of the film, Tennant get to have the time of their lives in these roles. Farrell is so evil he even eats an apple to show off how much of a nasty fella he is! Though it may not possibly require, shall one say, 'range', it takes real screen presence and a sense of menace, and I think Farrell makes this a memorable vampire as far as a) sex appeal (I mean, women and some men wouldn't kick him out of bed), and b) when he gets nasty and violent, the threat feels real. For Tennant, it's not a complicated character either - a fraud of a "vampire hunter" who is mostly for Las Vegas show - but he also gets to have fun in the role and can deliver exposition that is not in the least boring or distracting. And Toni Collette is... Toni Collette, good in all of her scenes. Even McLovin' and Dave Franco give some good supporting turns, turning cliché parts into something with personality.At any rate these characters are put into a setting that is rather novel: having it in/around Las Vegas makes it so that it's believable that people would be out and about largely at night, being the primary time vampires get their food. I liked seeing that and that it was used to good effect. Where the movie loses me most is in certain parts of the execution of the action. I don't know if it's because I'm tired of wasteful or lackluster CGI, but any time Farrell or any of the other vampires "Fully turn" (which doesn't seem to have a lot of logic, it only seems to occur when they're extra mad) it looks really bad and fake, and a particular over the top car chase, which is attempted in part in one "long" take ala Spielberg's War of the Worlds (no coincidence I think it's a Dreamworks production, the setting and lack of/absentee father seem like Spielberg notes). Practical effects could have taken more time or been more intensive, but the results would last longer and not take one out of the movie like here.If one can look at the substance of Fright Night it does work - the screenplay comes from Buffy the Vampire Slayer creative Marti Noxon, and the sense of whip-smart timing in the dialog and come-backs about how people look at vampires is especially funny, even from Peter Vincent most of all - and is a fitting tribute to the original. That film had a little more deadpan wit due to McDowell as Peter Vincent, though it too had some dated things as well (maybe in a cool way) like 80's synth music. Will this hold up so well? I don't know. But for what it is, it's entertaining and successful for being bloody (it looks as if the blood is not all CGI which is good) and knowing of the genre (it's self-conscious of vampire lore and movies, but it doesn't wear you out on it like the other 2011 post-modern horror, Scre4m)

Davis P Fright Night really did improve in qualify as it went along. At first, I wasn't too sure if it would be my cup of tea, but soon I realized that it was exactly my cup of tea. The actors do their characters justice, especially Colin Farrell, he was by far the film's best performance! No one could have done Jerry better justice or fit the role better than Farrell. Anton was awesome too! He was the perfect choice for that role! He totally embodied the starring role of Charlie, and brought some real depth to him. Toni Collete is here too, and I was very pleased with her portrayal of Charlie's mother here, she doesn't have a whole whole lot of screen time, but she definitely makes good use of the time she is given. The plot is intriguing and the execution of the plot is what makes this remake of the 80s film so good. The chemistry that the characters have on screen is spot on and it brings a lot to the movie, chemistry is very crucial factor when it comes to all films. The screenplay is entertaining, fun, and engaging. The fight/action scenes aren't too overly graphic, and they are thrilling and fun to watch. Now, as far as the effects go, I wasn't all too impressed with them, they seemed just a bit lackluster if you ask me, but that's one of very few flaws in the movie. The beginning is slightly slow, but I mean I guess it's not snail pace slow. But not to worry, it picks up quickly, hence the title of my review. 8/10 for fright night. A job well done.

Tony Hernandez This 2011 version of the latter-day classic _Fright Night_ is as good a time you will have watching a vampire movie these days. The cast is great, the direction fast paced and the script witty and reverent at the same time. And, while it is a remake of my favorite vampire movie of the 1980s, it is also pays homage to the best American vampire movie ever, _The Night Stalker_.While Charlie Brewster is getting the week-willed Peter Vincent to help him save Amy from Jerry Dandridge ("Jerry the vampire!?!"), the movie is also quoting pretty liberally from that classic 1972 Darren McGavin/Richard Matheson masterpiece. The new Fright Night shares a setting (Las Vegas) with the McGavin movie. But more importantly, the first half of the long sequence when Charlie searches Jerry's house and becomes a believer is an almost shot-for-shot quote of McGavin's suspenseful search of the vampire's house at the climax of _The Night Stalker_. Of course, the new movie has its own payoff to that scene, one that elicits a shudder and a laugh. The laugh comes from the fact that we should certainly have seen that payoff coming, but the suspense of the action just prior has thrown us off guard. This scene, like most of the effects shots, works even better in the original 3D.There are many other pleasures to this movie, including solid performances by Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots and Toni Colette as the frightened but sophisticated protagonists. Colin Farrell is able to pull off a modern version of the Dandridge character, sexy in a rougher, sweatier way. He may not have the gravitas of Chris Sarandon, but Charlie is right to be wary of this guy, vampire or not.David Tennant and Christopher Mintz-Plasse steal the show. Tennant updates Peter Vincent by turning McDowell's kindly but cowardly gentleman into a drunken primadonna, Simon Cowell as vampire slayer. And Mintz-Plasse's Evil Ed is hilarious in nerd mode and vampire/nerd mode. His longing for a lost friend is very real and makes his fate all the more touching.If you have not seen this, check it out. For some reason it did not do well at the box office, but it is the perfect antidote to the sparkling vampires and cuddly werewolves of recent years.