Fright Night – DVD Review

The Film

Welcome to Fright Night…for real. -Jerry Dandridge

Tom Holland cut his teeth as a screenwriter on a myriad of genre offerings, from the cicada rape sleazefest The Beast Within to the return home of Robert Bloch’s mamma’s boy Norman Bates in Psycho II. After proving he had the chops churning out quality genre scripts, the time had come for this future “Master of Horror” to get behind the camera to give us his finest achievement to date, and the rare occasion of the horror-comedy working seamlessly.

What drives the story from the get go is teenager Charley Brewster, who spends most of his time watching scary movies and trying to advance his lower body activities with his virginal girlfriend Amy(played by a pre-Married With Children Amanda Bearse). His best chum “Evil Ed” has issues of his own, it seems the cackling comic relief has a bully problem, while it is never shown in the film, it is however revealed in a melancholy scene later in the film. Was this a possible jumping off point for a recent indie darling that deals with vamps and the helplessness of being menaced? Anyways, a new tenant has moves in next door in the form of a handsome vampire named Jerry Dandridge and his “Reinfeld“(and possible gay lover). With a pair of binoculars(nice nod to Rear Window) our peeping tom pal Brewster finds out his neophyte neighbor is a bona fide creature of the night after witnessing the murder of a beautiful women. His friends think he has lost his marbles so he enlists the help of late-night horror host Peter Vincent, “the great vampire killer” for assistance.

From top to bottom everyone knows their roles and plays them with mucho gusto. Ragsdale, Bearse and Geoffreys feel like real kids, ones that you care about and want to see make it to the final reel. In the best casting move since Donald Pleasance in Halloween, Roddy McDowell was born to play Vincent, he’s vulnerable yet heroic, and runs the emotional gamut from scene-to-scene.

On the FX side Richard Edlund’s visual brilliance go hand-in-hand with Steve Johnson and Co. masterful make-up and puppet work. The hideous face of a turned Amy is a scene that still frightens me to this day. The pulse pounding soundtrack makes you want to party like it’s 1985, big hair and all. I enjoyed the music so much I paid a hefty $50 for copy at a Convention.

You’re so cool Brewster!

The DVD:

Audio/Video-

Shattered pieces of a broken glass and fingernails peeling back wood have never sounded so sweet to my ears. It’s overall a fine audio presentation that was well done for a 1999 DVD release.
Finally a chance to see a personal favorite in its correct aspect ratio of 2:35:1. It was almost like watching it for the first time and picking up little things that were cropped out, check out the scene in Charley’s bedroom before the first victim bites the dust, and you will notice his floor is covered with smut magazines. Never saw them before. After many viewings on my worn out VHS copy it was a revelation of sorts to see the colors pop of the screen(especially in the neon nightclub scenes). The 80’s were known for their color scheme and this transfer takes full advantage of it. 

The “Coming Attractions” element of a DVD has always given me the most enjoyment, recalling the first time you saw glimpses of the film and how excited you were to eventually see it.  Add the fact that the Barry White of voiceovers, the late Don LaFontaine lending his smooth vocals and you have a brilliant preview.

Language/Audio-

There is a 2-Channel(Dolby Digital) option as well as French and Portuguese subtitles.

Conclusion-Thank you Columbia/Tri-Star for sticking with the original poster art, a rare feat in these days of Vanity Fair covers and floating heads.. No doubt any fan of the film should not pass up the chance to see to see in its widescreen glory and its nifty trailer. One the down side this is a title that screams for a balls-out Blu-ray or Special Edition DVD release. Where are the documentaries, audio commentary and behind-the-scenes features that have become commonplace for even the lousiest releases. 2010 will mark its  25th Anniversary and I can’t think of a better time to revisit this classic.

The Film: Rating:

The DVD: Rating:

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