Fright Night - Il vampiro della porta accanto

It has occurred to me that when people refer to a new "reimagining" of a beloved film, they use the term "unnecessary remake." I've been guilty of that myself. I really tend to think, however, that technically any remake is unnecessary. No one "needs" to be told what is basically the same story (in most cases) twice. I've also heard the argument that bad films are the ones that should be remade, not good ones. I can understand that to an extent, but do people really want to sit through a new version of something they hated the first time? No remake is going to make everyone happy; it's just not possible. Unless of course, you haven't SEEN the original.

So, just how should a remake be judged? As a stand-alone film, or how it compares to a previous one we love so much? And I do love writer-director Tom Holland's 1985 vampire flick FRIGHT NIGHT. It is just the right mix of comedy, terror, suspense, terrific performances, and an affection for old-fashioned scares. Many others have fond memories of it as well, so I relate to the "why"s and the "oh don't screw it up"s, and the "leave it alone"s. After all, beloved films are dumped on all the time by would-be filmmakers out to make a quick buck for the safe Hollywood studios.

Most of the central story is intact: Anton Yelchin leads the cast as Charley Brewster, a used-to-be high-school misfit who comes to the realization, thanks to childhood buddy Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) that his new neighbor Jerry (Colin Farrell) is a vampire. It isn't long before he's convinced his single mother (Toni Collette) and his girlfriend (Imogen Poots) of this discovery...at which point all sorts of bloody hell breaks loose.

Screenwriter Marti Noxon has infused a basic story (whose plot points and situations weren't always very believable) with some new smarts, including adding more depth to the central characters. And the setting has changed to a cookie-cutter suburb of Las Vegas, where people sleep during the day, work at night, and are much more transient. Another interesting change is the character of Peter Vincent. In the original, Roddy McDowall played a hammy horror host and actor: Peter Vincent, the Great Vampire Killer. Here, David Tennant assumes the role, but Vincent has become an elaborate Vegas magician who performs vampire-killing antics on the stage. In both versions, they are recruited by our hero to help slay the bloodsucker. It's an ultra- modern twist, but within the location context, works beautifully.

During the first hour or so of 2011's new incarnation, I was shocked to think that I may end up liking this remake even more than the original. But after some hair-raising moments in the first half, culminating in a dark, desert car chase, the film threatens to go off the rails in a sequence that's a bit hokey, over the top, and unfortunately timed. And there are a few iffy CGI instances as well. Luckily, things get back on track with a climax that's executed with a uniquely creepy wit, and a few good shocks and surprises. Director Craig Gillespie (LARS AND THE REAL GIRL, "United States of Tara") earns respect for pulling off (for him) an unfamiliar genre; he also pays homage to a few memorable scenes in the original without trying to copy or disrespect them.

Most of the performances are engaging and authentic (aside from Mintz-Plasse in his later moments), with Tennant's wry turn a real treat, and the ever-wonderful Collette's naturally grounding presence adding a needed weight of normalcy. It is Farrell, however, who is the real deal; he absolutely nails this role (no, he won't make you forget the original's suave Chris Sarandon, but in fairness, Jerry is written much differently in this update). Farrell combines sexiness and utter menace to the fullest: this vamp means business! Some of the best work of his admittedly spotty career is on display, including the film's most brilliant moment, where Jerry's fidgety impatience with being invited into the Brewster home is both hilarious and nerve-wracking.

FRIGHT NIGHT is a solid film in its own right; if there's not enough love from the original's fans to spread out to its remake, that's unfortunate.

1985 is a popular year for remakes. Some of the movies remade from that year in one form or another are "Weird Science," "Teen Wolf," "Mad Max," "Day of the Dead," and "Fright Night." It's rare that a remake is as good, or better than the original. "Fright Night" was respectable, but not as good.

The movie takes place in a tiny suburb outside of Las Vegas. Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) and his mom Jane (Toni Collette) live next door to Jerry (Colin Farrell), the vampire. Charley and his mom are wholly unaware of this. Charley is far too consumed with his new life of popularity now that he has the hot girl, Amy (Imogen Poots), as a girlfriend. He is made aware of his neighbors night time activities by his nerdy ex-best friend, Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), vampire tracker extraordinaire. When Ed went missing Charley decided to act.

Because I saw the original and it was such a classic, this version only reminds me how much better the original was. The original was funnier and quirkier while "Fright Night" 2011 goes for a more serious approach. They threw Christopher Mintz-Plasse in there, gave him a few funny lines, and dubbed this a comedy. It was hardly a comedy. So now, instead of a rather plain, yet funny girlfriend, Amy (who was played by Amanda Bearse in 1985--well known as Al Bundy's neighbor Marcy Darcy in "Married with Children"), we get a hot-and-she-knows-it Amy who looks like a clout chaser and didn't have a single funny line.

The Peter Vincent (David Tennant) this time also wasn't as appealing. Peter Vincent was the Vegas showman who Charley went to for help against Jerry. In '85 Peter Vincent was hosting a fledgling late night vampire TV show. He was played by Roddy McDowall, an older man with this funny look of fear on his face nearly all the time. 2011 Peter Vincent is a younger British man who drinks, swears, and is surrounded by scantily clad women. He was comedic, but he wasn't funny.

So, as I mentioned, the 2011 version is not as bad as a lot of remakes out there, but the original is still better.

Free on Tubi.

R.I.P. Anton Yelchin (1989 - 2016). It is a tragedy he past away yesterday so young and he is no longer with us anymore. So my review is dedicated in memory of Anton.

Fright Night (2011) I s a really good decent remake of the original horror flick Fright Night (1985). Usually I hate remakes and reboots, but there are some good remakes that I like. Fright Night is one of them! I love Vampire movies and this one is pretty good and well done. I know that Original is the best vampire slasher horror film, but that doesn't mean that remake is awful, which is not! This movie is good and has a good story and does not copy the original. The idea of this film is pure originality. The writers and the director did not copy the original film, but he used his imaginative, that's what makes this film so good. This film is very hated and bashed from critics and fans who just don't understand this film, I do and I love it. It is my favorite slasher comedy horror vampire flick! Sorry but I love it!

This remake is actually good, it Is not bad it is good! - I enjoyed it - The scene when Colin is in the doorway and he is telling Charlie that it's up to him to look out for his girl & his mom - Colin plays that scene just about perfect - a warning & menacing at the same time:)!!!! This movie is fun I loved it. It didn't drag, it was just right, It had a comedy and it had a horror to it, it was a good remake! An example of a good horror remake. Colin Farrell is extremely, extremely underrated in everything he does, it is sad because he is awesome as Jerry the vampire, I like him as vampire. This awesome actor made me lough before he even told a joke. And I just lough because this guy is awesome. This was just a good fun time at the movie theater, I didn't see it in movie theater but you know what I mean, it is a good fun time. It has fun with it, doesn't take it self too serious, like the original one did, which kind a brought the movie down for me. This one knows it is a satire comedy, horror comedy and it treats it as such. Too bad this movie failed! Of all the remakes this one failed! Well the sucky remakes make the money! This is by far the second good horror remake I believe, the first one will always gonna be My Blood Valentine 3D (2009) and the third will be Sorority Row (2009) not that good horror flick but still a good horror film! I am sorry that was awesome, I did enjoyed this movie.

This was an excellent film that distinguished itself from the amazing original but still through out a few shout outs here and there. The cast was awesome with amazing performances by Colin Farrell & Anton Yelchin in the staring roles. The good thing: Amy's (Imogen Poots) part from the original as a girl not sure of herself has been changed to more of a girl who isn't shy about herself or how she feels about Charlie. Also, instead of Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) being the skeptic, it's now Charlie (Anton Yelchin) who doesn't believe his next-door neighbor is a vampire. The bad: I have one problem with it and that is David Tennant as great vampire slayer Peter Vincent, don't get me wrong but for me will always be Roddy McDowall as Peter Vincent, cause this actor can kick the out of David Tennant''s ass and any vampire out there. I wish they would putt Roddy McDowall back in the role instead of David Tennat. I don't like this version of Peter Vincent AT ALL - they should have kept him true to the original. But Roddy McDowall died in 1998 before they could cast him back. May the actor rest in peace. It is sad he is no longer with us anymore.

The basic plot is about Jerry Dandridge (Colin Farrell). He's dangerously charming – and utterly lethal. That's because he just happens to be a vampire, and out for blood…buckets of it. After high school senior Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) makes the connection between Jerry's suspicious activity and a steadily rising body count, he vows to end the reign of terror next door. But he can't do it alone. His only hope is Las Vegas magician/vampire-slayer Peter Vincent (David Tennant). Together, this unlikely duo set out to end Jerry's evil rampage. But Jerry is a ruthless, relentless killer, and he's not going down without a fight. Get set to sink your teeth into this thrilling re-vamp of the terrifying horror classic. Fright Night will captivate you from the very first bite!

The rating to this movie I am giving an 8/10, because this film deserve it and it was really enjoyable horror flick!

Fright Night is a 2011 American neo-noir comedy horror film directed by Craig Gillespie. A remake of Tom Holland's 1985 film of the same name, the film was adapted by Marti Noxon. The film premiered at The O2 in London on August 14, 2011, was produced by DreamWorks Pictures, and widely released by Touchstone Pictures on August 19 in Real D 3D.

8/10 Grade: B+ Studio: Touchstone Pictures, DreamWorks Studios, Reliance Entertainment, Michael De Luca Productions Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Starring: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, David Tennant, Toni Collette Director: Craig Gillespie Producers: Michael De Luca, Alison R. Rosenzweig Screenplay: Marti Noxon Story: Tom Holland Based on Fright Night by Tom Holland Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 46 Mins. Budget: $30.000.000 Box Office: $18.298.649

Fright Night is a remake from an underrated 1985 horror gym that doesn't get near the praise it should. However, I watched the remake open minded and was pleased with a lot of new elements to the movie. There are a few nice plot twists and I really liked the main leads especially Colin Farrell and Imogen Poots. I liked that it was a bit more modern and that the setting took place in Las Vegas. It set up nicely the fact that Peter Vincent's magic show was one of the famous Vegas highlights. The movie has a few flaws though one being a poor job on character development for the three friends, which I thought they could have extended a few scenes on in the beginning. Also, it was a huge bummer seeing the fake computer generated vampire effects. That was a huge turnoff that made me say "UGH!" out loud a few times. The Fright Night remake (6/10) is not total rubbish but it's really nothing to seek out.

Twenty-six years ago, "Fright Night" premiered in theaters and went on to become a fondly remembered title amongst horror fans. The movie cleverly combined horror and humor to create a fresh take on the vampire and teen horror genres which had started to grow stale. While the movie spawned a largely forgettable direct to video sequel, the original film has remained popular over the years. So, when I first heard that they were planning on remaking the film I was skeptical as I felt it would be very difficult to match the original film.

Boasting an impressive cast which includes Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, David Tennant, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Toni Collette, the remake does not try to reinvent the wheel, but instead takes the formula of the original and creates an entirely new entry into the saga.

For those unfamiliar with the series, Yelchin stars as Charlie Brewster, a young man who is trying to balance watching over his single mother, and his growing relationship with a girl way out of his league named Amy (Imogen Poots). He is also wrestling with becoming part of a cooler crowd at the cost of alienating his geeky former best friend, Ed, played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

Colin Farrell plays the handsome and suave new next door neighbor who easily charms Charlie's mom, played by Toni Colette. Unbeknownst to his neighbors, the charming and charismatic Jerry, played by Colin Ferrell, is actually a vampire who's come to their Las Vegas suburb to continue his nighttime hunts. Ed has become suspicious of the recent disappearances in their community and confides to Charlie that he's had Jerry under surveillance and knows that he is a vampire.

Needless to say this does not sit well with Charlie, who distances himself further from Ed. But when Ed goes missing, Charlie decides to do some investigating of his own. Charlie turns to a local Vegas performance artist named Peter Vincent (David Tennant), whose vampire-themed show portrays him as an expert in fighting the undead. While at first skeptical over Charlie's claims, a few devastating confrontations with Jerry and his minions forces Vincent to rethink his role. The two unlikely allies soon find themselves in a deadly race against time to defeat Jerry and save their loved ones before it's too late.

The film cleverly combines horror and comedy and does a good job of providing some suspenseful moments in between the blood and gore, managing to squeeze in more than a few laughs along the way. While not overly scary, the visual effects work is solid and aside from the converted 3-D is a really enjoyable to watch. The film would've been much better had it been shot in 3-D or simply left as a 2-D film as the conversion really didn't offer anything of value as is often the case in these lab converted efforts.

The cast works very well with one another and Farrell cheekily introduces a few new wrinkles to the vampire lore. I really enjoyed David Tennant's performance and should they do a sequel I certainly hope that they bring him back. Anton Yelchin gives a reliable performance but I was surprised that Christopher Mintz-Plasse did not have a bigger role but he does have some memorable moments in the film. What really impressed me was that the film did not attempt to do a shot-by-shot remake of the original but instead took the premise of the original and offered a fresh take that easily could have been issued as the third chapter in the series rather than a reboot. While there were nods to the original, outside of the premise it was very much its own film.

The film is not going to set any high marks for new standards in horror nor is the plot fresh and original. It simply knows what its target audience and source material are and sets a course right down the middle without attempting to deviate too much one way or another. "Fright Night" just might be perfect for those looking for a dose of nostalgia and some highly suspenseful, fun entertainment.

Three stars out of five