What do you know, another vampire movie. I wasn't originally planning on seeing Fright Night but it has gotten pretty favorable reviews and I was in the mood to watch something light. I'll just get this out the way first, watch this movie in 2D if at all possible. I got suckered into watching it in 3D because of timing issues but if I knew the film would be this dark and murky I would have simply waited for the next 2D showing. (I should have known though, it's a frigging vampire movie after all.) The picture is just way too dark in 3D and the effects are pretty lame anyways.
Charley is a teenager going to school in Las Vegas. His dorky former best friend Ed has been noticing a recent string of student disappearances. His conclusion? Charley's next door neighbor Jerry is a vampire. Obviously Charley does not believe him at first, but when he notices strange stuff going on as well, he begins to wonder. I don't think I'm giving anything away by saying that their suspicions turn out to be correct. There is no mystery here, we already know Colin Ferrell is a vampire. It's in the previews, it's in the premise. It's just a matter of seeing how Charley brings Jerry down and how entertaining they can make it. Pretty entertaining as it turns out.
The strength of the movie lies in Colin Ferrell as Jerry. He's not a good vampire like in Twilight. He is a bad-ass. He is brooding. He has a natural bad boy charm. He smiles and those who don't know who he really is want to run to him, those who know what lies underneath run away. You watch his eyes dart around, shifty and calculating. This is a role Colin Ferrell was born to play. I think the first rule to playing a good villain is to make sure you are having fun and you can sense that in him here. Anton Yelchin as Charley is not nearly as charismatic and makes for an unlikely and awkward hero, but he doesn't mess things up too bad.
The scares are actually pretty tame but enough to get you a little anxious. When all the chips are on the table, Jerry pursues Charley and company with relentless force. You wonder where he's going to pop up next and whether Charley can escape his grasps in time.
The movie doesn't take itself too seriously. It takes time to make sure to get in a few laughs and the action flows briskly enough to get you leaning forward (or backwards). Nothing groundbreaking or remarkable, but that's to be expected. You just want your cheap thrills and chills and Fright Night delivers.
Grade: B-
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