Fright Night is a campy movie trying to take itself too seriously

This afternoon, I had to admit to someone that I hadn’t seen the original Fright Night. He seemed to think that this made me less of a movie nerd, but 80s Horror Flicks aren’t exactly in my wheelhouse. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I watched the remake … the previews made the film look a little campy, but the film didn’t necessarily start with that same tone. What I quickly realized, however, was that the film was campy … just not on purpose.

The Fright Night remake stars one of my favorite up and coming actors, Anton Yelchin, as Charley Brewster, a fairly regular kid (living in, I might add, my old neighborhood in New Mexico … I was a street or two over while they were filming) with, apparently, a badass vampire (named Jerry … really? Jerry?) living next door, played by Colin Farrell. Toni Collette plays Charley’s single mom, who has a pretty hard time believing that the good looking dude next door wants to suck her blood (apparently she hasn’t seen the first Fright Night movie either). It’d be a lie to say I wasn’t happy to see The Red Mist himself, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, playing Charley’s friend Ed, who sorted out exactly why Jerry didn’t come out during the day before anyone else.

A pleasant surprise was Imogen Poots‘ portrayal of Charley’s girlfriend Amy. When the film starts, you’re led to believe that Amy is more Mean Girl than Girl-Next-Door … but that impression is more born out of Charley’s move into a different social tier in school. What we slowly learn, though, is Amy is fairly grounded and mature, moreso than Charley. Her journey through the film is much more interesting than his, too. Plus, she pulled off an American accent fairly well. I’m now a big fan.

Considering everything else I’ve read on the Internets, the supposed breakout star of Fright Night is David Tennant as Vegas stage magician/vampire expert Peter Vincent. I’m not sure what the fuss is about. To me, he simply came across as a toned-down Russell Brand. In my book, this is better than a regular Russell Brand, but nothing to write home about. This is my first non-Harry Potter experience with Tennant, but he received the biggest non-Game of Thrones fan reaction while I was at Comic Con, so it is obviously he’s a popular guy. I’m not saying it’s unjustified (my lack of desire to watch Dr. Who is well established), I just didn’t see anything in Fright Night to understand why.

The movie wasn’t bad; it just wasn’t very good. I’ve complained about the levels of camp, but it isn’t like it was 1960’s Batman or anything. I expected a little more from Farrell, whom I think is an underrated actor. He obviously was trying to keep Jerry more understated as a foil for Peter, who was over the top. I think he just took the too-cool-for-school vampire bit just a little too far. It wasn’t until halfway through the film before he came across as anything more ominous than a creepy next-door neighbor. At the end of the day, I just expect more out of Marti Noxon than this.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t take an opportunity to talk about how weird it was to see my neighborhood on screen. I’ve seen places I’ve been before, even places I’ve worked before, but not my actual home (definitely visible in the “flyover” shots). Albuquerque, or more specifically Rio Rancho, did a serviceable job playing the suburbs of Las Vegas.

Final verdict? Save this for a rental, especially if your lady friend (or significant other of any persuasion) is a fan of Farrell or Tennant.

Clacked by Ivey West
on Aug 19, 2011 @ 00:00 EST5EDT