Fright Night
1985, Comedy/Horror, 1h 46m
38 Reviews 25,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
Fright Night deftly combines thrills and humor in this ghostly tale about a man living next to a vampire. Read critic reviews
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Where to watch
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Movie Info
Teenage Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) is a horror-film junkie, so it's no surprise that, when a reclusive new neighbor named Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon) moves next-door, Brewster becomes convinced he is a vampire. It's also no surprise when nobody believes him. However, after strange events begin to occur, Charlie has no choice but to turn to the only person who could possibly help: washed-up television vampire killer Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall).
Cast & Crew
Chris Sarandon
Jerry Dandrige
Jerry Dandrige
William Ragsdale
Charley Brewster
Charley Brewster
Roddy McDowall
Peter Vincent
Peter Vincent
Amanda Bearse
Amy Peterson
Amy Peterson
Stephen Geoffreys
'Evil' Ed Thompson
'Evil' Ed Thompson
Jonathan Stark
Billy Cole
Billy Cole
Critic Reviews for Fright Night
Audience Reviews for Fright Night
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Jul 05, 2021Rarely does one get to witness lightning captured in a bottle, and I'm sure no one was more surprised than Tom Holland, the writer/director, but here it is. With a near-perfect confluence of ingredients, a modern horror masterpiece is born. Is there humor? You bet. But even better there is horror as Mr. Holland's Opus sinks its teeth into Universal's Dracula saga of old. Just a great time at the movies.Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
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Apr 22, 2019Iconic horror film and one of the better films for the genre during this era. Fright Night is a great horror because it takes a well worn formula and adds a twisted storyline. Think Rear Window meets Dracula. This is a cult classic for good reason and I only wish I could see this again on the big screen. The film has a strong central casting and each character has something to chew on, not like the normal horror films. The characters are important and the film has high stakes, pun intended. One of my favourite films of the vampire genre and a must see. 11/04/2019Brendan N Super Reviewer
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Oct 14, 2015I watched this after I saw the remake and went backwards, so I feel I must compare the two at least a little bit. Chris Sarandon plays a very charming Jerry that is quite different from the remake and I like both versions for their perspective films. Charley and his life are barely even touched upon in this version, they did a much better job of fleshing out his personal life and getting you invested in the character in the remake. This version is more of a B-movie creature feature where they spend more time devoted to transformations and trying to gross you out with the special effects (some of the shots last far too long). It is still fairly entertaining, but I like the script and plot of the remake more. I found it to be lacking in both areas.Josh L Super Reviewer
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Apr 13, 2014Unsurprisingly, even though I gave this film the same rating as the remake, I prefer this movie over that one. There's one reason for that and that's the practical special effects. 80s horror films are better than current horror films because of the fact that the gore is far more grotesque because of the practicals special effects. In horror films nowadays, if you wanna make something look absolutely monstrous, you just use CG in place of practical special effects. And that's just a shame. I'm not saying that CGi is bad, or that it should be done away with, I just think that in a lot of cases in horror films, the practical special effects work better than the computer generated ones. As evidenced by this film, the climax has some pretty incredible gore and it's all practical and, again, gives it that grotesque look that 80s horror movies had and just that already makes it better than the remake. And I had a lot of fun with the remake. Still, this film mixes horror and comedy into a neat little package with solid performances all around. Roddy McDowall is pretty damn great in this film. And Chris Sarandon, while not the most attractive man in the world, exudes the sexuality that's necessary for this type of role. But he can also be terrifying at the same time, so there's that contrast between the sexual nature of his vampirism and the monstrous side of it as well. I don't think I have much to say really, what else can be said? It's a damn good horror film with some fabulous gore and great performances.Jesse O Super Reviewer
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