'Fright Night' Remake is a Successful Update

Whenever a remake of a beloved film is announced, there are always immediate screams that Hollywood is disrespecting the original or that they are going to tarnish its good name. I'll be the first to admit that when I read that a remake for the 1985 vampire horror/comedy "Fright Night" was being made, my blood began to boil. I consider the original "Fright Night" to be one of my all-time favorite vampire horror films of the 1980s.

Thankfully, I can report that the remake of "Fright Night" does everything right and avoids the pitfalls of the typical rehash. All it really does is update the characters and add some different situations to keep the movie from being an exact replica of the original. That's what makes a good remake. Just take the original concept and use it as a foundation to build on but don't completely go out of the box when changing or adding things.

There's not too much of a difference in the character of Jerry Dandridge between the two versions of "Fright Night." The only real difference was an updating of his wardrobe. Chris Sarandon had that college teacher look to him whereas Colin Farrell is a bit more hip and rugged looking. Farrell looks more like a working man.

William Ragsdale and Anton Yelchin play the character of Charlie Brewster completely different in the two "Fright Night" films. Ragsdale played him as a nerd who knew he was a nerd and was comfortable with it. He loved horror movies and his best bud Ed. Yelchin plays Charlie as a big jerk who is ashamed of his past geekiness and has been avoiding his old buddy Ed. He's desperately trying to fit in with the cool crowd to impress his popular girlfriend.

Brewster's best friend in the "Fright Night" films is "Evil" Ed. Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Stephen Geoffreys play the character in two completely different ways that both work in the eras they were made. Geoffreys plays Ed as a loud-mouthed punker type while Mintz-Plasse plays him as a nervous somewhat reserved gaming geek. He is prone to lashing out but for the most part stays calm. Geoffreys was constantly exploding in fits of laughter and screaming in the original "Fright Night."

Charlie's girlfriend Amy is different in that she is more headstrong and one of the popular girls in the remake of "Fright Night." In the original version, Amanda Bearse played her as being just as awkward as Charlie. She was definitely not one of the popular girls. Imogen Poots plays Amy as the girl next door that every guy in high school wants to be with.

The background of the vampires in the new "Fright Night" is explained in more detail than the original. We actually get a sense of what sort of vampire Jerry Dandridge is. It's still not fully explained but it helps to give viewers a bit more idea of what sort of creature Charlie is up against.

The character of Peter Vincent is really just updated to fit the times. Instead of being the host of a creature feature show on television like Roddy McDowell's portrayal, he is a magician/illusionist/actor in Las Vegas that is similar to Criss Angel. McDowell's character was more of an old retired recluse while Tennant's is a fiery rich womanizer who is extremely self-centered. David Tennant does a great job of updating the character.

the remake of "Fright Night" succeeded where others have failed. It took the basis of the original and just updated it for a new generation. It's not a watered-down PG-13 teen safe vampire film like the ones we're used to getting today. It's a smart and funny homage to the original while somehow staking claim as its own film.

For more articles by Eric Shirey, check out:

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