Fright Night (2011)

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  TheMovieDiorama

  5 / 10

  Fright Night does not make me frightened of night, rather instead makes me tolerate it. Within the dark depths of Hollywood, some mortal thought it would be a genius idea to remake the 1985 cult classic. Whilst it retains some enjoyment, it is messier than a vampire's drunken night out (hint: pretty messy). At the time of this review, I have not seen the original so shall not be making comparisons. A suburban teenager realises that his friends are rapidly becoming missing, he investigates the disappearance of his old best friend only to find that he may be living next door to a vampire. Marketed as a horror thriller, but actually rather a cacophony of gothically presented genres that feel mundane and outdated. Very reminiscent of 80s classics like 'The Lost Boys' and I'm sure the original 'Fright Night', but this symmetrical representation is costly. The campy aesthetics negates any horrifying thrills, particularly in 2011, and the comedic elements frequently miss. That's not to say the two don't complement each other, as brutal fights with the undead should always be finished off with a one liner. "Welcome to the fright night". Enjoyably cringeworthy, fortunately the film acknowledges that and takes full advantage. Fantastic performances from Farrell and Tennant, who play a chiselled pouting vampire and self-proclaimed vampire hunter respectively. Mintz-Plasse was an unusual casting choice who adds no humour to the narrative. The visual effects and monster makeup were poor. I'm not beating around the blood soaked bush, it was bad. Blood spluttering from freshly bitten necks looked terrible. Human faces transforming into elongated vampiric jaws was hideously mediocre. The constant need to produce 3D gimmicky effects hindered certain scenes and made the whole film look cheap, as if it was more appropriate being a TV film. However, Gillespie's directing talent prevents this. Just a shame that the old school approach ironically adds a hundred years onto the film. Enjoyably outdated, but outdated nonetheless. More importantly, how the heck did Farrell not get any blood on his shirt?

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