Day 14 Fright Night (1985)

As this project rolls along, I get a chance to revisit some movies I have not seen for thirty years, and others that I have seen dozens of times in that period. I also get a chance to see some of my favorite films of all time, and today is one of those films. I absolutely love “Fright Night”. I think the premise is great, the soundtrak is a lot of fun, but there are some things here that are very special, and they are unique because it is 1985.

In no particular order, here are some of the things that make this film essential and make it something that I love. Number one, if the historical context. This is one of the first times someone in a story is flipping a house and it’s a vampire of all things. That has got to be some sort of metaphor for living off the dead that just seems to fit with the economic entrepreneurship that so captivated people at the time. Jerry Dandridge and Billy Cole are carpenters, trying to turn a wreck of a house into a goldmine, while strip mining the town of blood. The idea of an aging star, getting by on his former fame as a horror movie icon, as host of a late night Fright program is perfect. You could not do that today because those formats just don’t exist anymore, regardless of Joe Bob Briggs efforts. Streaming has killed the idea of regular TV, and hosted movies only exist in limited places like TCM. When the remake came along, they abandoned the television angle entirely.

A second reason that the film sticks in my head is the soundtrack, made up of pop/rock tunes created for the movie rather than merely adapted to it. Hard Rock bands did pop tunes for the film, and J. Geil’s Band title song works great at setting the tone at the end of the film. Sparks is a band that I enjoyed a bit, right now there is a documentary making the rounds on their career, I’d be interested in seeing it but I was only a casual fan. April Wine and Devo were bands that seemed to exist only in the 80s, so the fact they are on this record is completely appropriate.

Third in making this an essential, are the practical effects used to make the scary parts of the movie. There is a terrific combination of make-up, puppetry and visual effects that make the things in this movie feel more real, despite the fact that they may not look as good as some CGI effect might. The shot of Jerry Dandridge’s hand, with the extra knuckles to accompany the long fingers, is a simple moment but it really makes it feel well thought out. Evil Ed’s transformation when he has been staked by Peter Vincent, is both horrifying and heart wrenching. Watching the body of the wolf with the stake through it was disturbing. It’s clumsy movements as it crosses the floor are chilling and sad. That is followed up by a series of moments as Ed returns to his normal form, but is obviously injured and in pain. As he reaches out to Peter, we almost want to have him take him in his arms to comfort him as he dies. Both actors get credit here, but the special effects makeup has to be given a big slap on the back to go along with that.

The fantastic practical effects continue in the climax. Amy’s jaw makeup was a startling reveal that provided a great shock in the moment. Jerry in his vampire form looks much different from the seducer that he was a few minutes earlier. The decay of Billy Cole matches anything from Raider of the Lost Ark. Hell, I even like the animated bat attack sequence, which mixes techniques and helps sustain some suspense as the characters are engaged in a final fight.

Ok, I lied, I did save the best two things for last, so there was a bit of an order here. Although I am not sure there is any way to prefer one of these over the other. The final ingredients are the performances of Chris Sarandon and Roddy McDowall. These two provide some of the best moments of the film, one by giving the movie a heart and the other by adding sex appeal. Vampire stories have always had a sensuality around them, even when the character is repulsive. For most of this movie, the vampire is the most charming character in the story. Sarandon makes Jerry Dandridge a Lothario, who snacks on fruit, moves in a sensual manner and speaks with a lilt in his voice that is hypnotic and threatening at the same time. He also comes close to making the character sympathetic, part of that is the script but most of it is in his eyes. The scene where he begins to transform Amy, is done with delicacy and more flair than your average teen horror film ever saw before.

McDowell is an old pro who has been given a chance to chew up a meaty part and make an impression on us. He is full of nervous ticks and rushed delivery. His voice cracks when he is frightened and he can make his eyes widen in fear very effectively. I love his bitter tone when denouncing the modern audience which rejects traditional monsters in favor of lunatics chopping up teenagers. I already said it, his most effecting moments are really silent as he watches in despair what he has had to do to Evil Ed. The facial expressions are detailed but very subtle. This is followed up by the influx of courage that he finally feels The moment when Dandridge laughs at him a second time and says “you have to have faith for this to work” and suddenly learns that Peter Vincent now does have faith, is earned by McDowell’s performance. I thought both hero and villain were award worthy in this film.

I saw this film with my wife Dee in Claremont, in August of 1985. We had dinner with her friend from high school and college, Karen Ayers. Her is how 1980s it was, we had dinner at the Black Angus. Twilight Time had a limited run Blu Ray of this film (3000 copies) that I missed out on and hope to some day remedy. Today, I screened it on the only format I have ever owned it in, once more the trusty Laserdisc has come to my rescue.

I am also happy to say that I am a proud owner of this fantastic movie poster. It once adorned the wall in my apartment, but after I had kids, I put up some less disturbing images. At some point I will dig it out of the bin that it is stored in, and place back in a location of honor.