By: debbie lynn elias
Going into FRIGHT NIGHT (2011) , I have to admit I had a lot of trepidation. I am more than familiar with the cult classic 1985 original given that I was on set for much of the filming and actually did some pick up work on it, plus I was fortunate enough to attend the at the invite of Roddy McDowall – the original Peter
Vincent. Given that the original FRIGHT NIGHT is something so many hold so dearly in their heart, one must ask “why” remake a beloved classic. For scribe Marti Noxon, the answer is simple. “The reason we remade the movie, why Dreamworks wanted to, and why I wanted to and why Craig [Gillespie] wanted to, was because we had such great affection for the original.” Having said that, when it comes to FRIGHT NIGHT 2011, I am more than impressed with what Noxon has done with the script, with what director Craig Gillespie has done with the visual reimagination, and as for the actors……the 2011 performances far surpass those of 1985 – particularly Colin Farrell who is delectably delicious as uber vamp Jerry, Imogen Poots (who puts 1985’s Amanda Bearse to shame) and David Tennant who takes Peter Vincent (now incarnated as a Las Vegas Master of Illusion who just happens to be an expert on all things vamp) to astronomical heights of illusion, drama and masterful sarcastic wit.
FRIGHT NIGHT starts off with a bang, biting onto your attention span and never letting go, sucking the fear out of you, as if using it for fuel for the film. The premise is simple but the telling of the story is wickedly crafted. Charley Brewster is your average teen. Living on the outskirts of Las Vegas in the middle of the desert, his life is pretty routine. He has a hot looking girlfriend, Amy, lots of cool friends, and has rebuffed his childhood geek friends like Ed. Mom is divorced and struggling to make ends meet as a real estate agent. But things perk up for her when she meets the hot, sexy dark stranger who has just moved in next door. Jerry. Apparently sleeping during the day, Jerry is more of a night owl. And he also seems to be doing a lot of home renovation given the mess outside and the dirt filled dumpster in the driveway which is a constant eyesore for mom Jane – that is, until she meets Jerry.
But strange things are happening in the city that never sleeps. Masses of people are disappearing. With Vegas being such a transient city, Charley doesn’t think too much of it. People routinely come and go. But Ed, on the other hand, is sure that vampires have come to roost and the biggest baddest uber vamp of all lives right next door to Charley. Begging Charley to help him investigate, Charley bails in favor of a night with Amy. But then Ed disappears and Charley is dealt a new hand in life.
As for the acting – step aside cast of 1985 as the cast of 2011 puts them to shame. Anton Yelchin is so much more an “every teen” with a Xander Harris-type reluctant hero aspect to him. (Never did care for William Ragsdale’s performance in ’85). Yelchin is likeable, believable, truly cares about his friends and family, and then walks that fine line of panicked mania that brings the comedy to light without being a parody. I cannot stress that enough about FRIGHT NIGHT 2011 – the film is a comedy, but done so with seriousness and never falls into the category of parody which could so easily happen with a film like this. All the acting raises the bar so high. Christopher Mintz Plasse is an absolute scream as the comedic foil Ed and as true to vampyric form, gets to not only be plain old geeky Ed but a delivery man in brown with some very unique powers, both to great delight. Imogen Poots simply shines as Amy and really gets to show herself as both sides of the coin – as devoted girlfriend, the virginal Amy, and then as sultry vampyric siren to Old Jerry. Toni Collette is pitchfork perfect as Mrs. Brewster. Nervous, edgy, single divorced mom trying to be sexy, pain the butt mom…and one kick ass vampire killer herself.
And then we have Colin Farrell – as Jerry, the man exudes a smoldering sensual sexiness that has the mystique of Dracula and the sexiness of, well, Colin Farrell. Thanks to the use of solid black contact lenses to capture that dark side of Farrell, when he looks directly at the camera, it’s as if he’s staring right through you. And then we see him transform into Old Jerry, the oldest, baddest of all vamps. Farrell brings such a powerful presence to the role both as New and Old Jerry. You just canft look away from the screen. He commands it as if wielding his own super vamp powers. He can bite me anytime. According to Marti Noxon, “Colin just has such fun with it and really embraced that part of it; the predatory nature of the character, the carnality and the enjoyment of playing with his food basically. He likes to have fun but he has no attachment to the humans in the movie.”
I know of no one but Marti Noxon who could deliver a script – and an adaptation of a known popular commodity at that – that is so on point with the perfect balance of comedy being performed with seriousness and walking the edge without ever becoming a parody. She has “revamped” the story for the 21st century while paying homage not only to the original FRIGHT NIGHT, but to her own deliciously wicked vampyric past with “Buffy”. In have to admit that at my press screening, the entire theater burst into laugh out loud laughter with Peter Vincent’s line about not wanting to be part of the Scooby Gang!! In re-vamping FRIGHT NIGHT, Noxon looked to her own desires. “I am a fan of the romantic vampire tradition. I am a ‘sucker’ for doomed romance. Angel and Buffy certainly fell into that category. But I also loved Spike at his most evil – when his soul is gone and there was no ‘there’ there except the charm and the way he could attract his victims. And I did feel like it was time for just a great old fashioned muscular American-style predator. . .That’s one thing that is obviously different from the original because in the original, Jerry does have kind of a romantic attachment to Amy and in this one it’s a much darker character.”
And I have to say, Noxon’s development of Vincent and David Tennant’s performance are so delicious and harkening to one of her most famous vampires, “Spike”. The character of Vincent and Tennant the actor are by far my favorite parts of the film. True to form, Noxon also gives us some strong female presence with Imogen Poots’ Amy and Toni Collette’s Jane. Neither is a shrinking violet. Key to the re-vamp and organic flow is Noxon’s inclusion of aspects of the actual Count Vlad aka Dracul legends with, among others, a victim slowly being sucked dry by a bevy of young female vampyr sirens. Noxon really celebrates the mythology and history of vampires, bringing it to all to believable light and life.
Director Craig Gillespie does a fantastic job creating and setting tone thanks to Javier Aguirresarobe’s cinematography. A master at light, shadows and “umber tones” (as he has demonstrated time and again in the “Twilight” series) here, Aguirresarobe punctuates those skills with explosive uses of light via explosions, pyrotechnics, etc. Once the action kicks into gear and Charley realizes who Jerry is, Gillespie keeps the film moving faster than the speed of the sound of a teen screaming for his/her life when being chased by a vamp. A climactic car chase is by far one of my favorite sequences, thanks to Gillespie’s use of every element of the car as being consumed in the chase and utilized by not only the passengers, but Old Jerry. Also notable is the camera work within the Brewster family house when Jerry incinerates it and Charley, Jane and Amy struggle to get out without Jerry capturing them. Exquisitely executed is a showdown in Peter Vincent’s palatial apartment. And here, huge kudos to the production designer Richard Bridgland and his team. WOW doesn’t justify the Vincent designs.
Shot and presented in 3D, this is one film where 3d is not only appropriate, but works brilliantly. It’s clear with the visuals that Gillespie was well aware of the medium and its capabilities given his all inclusive style of shooting scenes and bringing events and objects “into your face.” I would, however, have liked to have seen more of that.
A shortcoming of the film, however, is the first act. After a great thriller of an opening, the next 20 minutes or so lags and doesn’t keep the pace and energy of the rest of the film and Tatiana Riegel’s tight editing. Character introductions move at too slowly a pace as does the set up after the initial shocking kill. While I appreciate “breathing room” throughout a film, to pull back from the energy so early is a detriment to an otherwise superbly made and acted film.
Now, my day – and Marti Noxon’s – will be made if someone tells me there will definitely be a sequel with all the players returning and Noxon writing the script. Raise the stakes this weekend and take your own bite – – – of FRIGHT NIGHT.
Jerry – Colin Farrell
Peter Vincent – David Tennant
Charley Brewster – Anton Yelchin
Jane Brewester – Toni Collette
Amy – Imogen Poots
Ed – Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Directed by Craig Gillespie. Written by Marti Noxon.
