Movies.ie

• Critic rating
• Currently 3/5 Stars.

Movies.ie Critic Review

Charley Brewster (Yelchin) lives with his mum (Collette) in an isolated Vegas suburban estate that might as well be called Burtonville, just off Spielberg Way. Moving in next door is Jerry (Farrell), who is unleashing some major DIY on the place. Just why becomes apparent early on to Charley’s geek friend, Ed (Mintz-Plasse), but Charley moves in a different circle now, and doesn’t want to hear about it. Until Ed goes missing. And he finally notices how Jerry looks at his ‘ripe’ girlfriend (Poots)…

THE VERDICT: A remake of Todd Holland’s 1985 outing, Colin Farrell’s slow road to career recovery gets a solid boost here as he puts his old natural born predator charms to fine use as the uncaring, unsharing but downright neighbourly vampire Jerry. Having the director of Lars And The Real Girl behind the camera meant this was always going to be that little bit smarter than your average horror classic remake, and if Fright Night doesn’t quite reinvent any wheels, it does deliver enough spills and wry thrills to make this a juicy night out. 

Review by Paul Byrne 

• Avg User rating
• Currently 3/5 Stars.

User Reviews

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  Onionhead

  

  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.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  jony_dols

  

  Featuring excellent performances from David Tennant & Colin Farrell, Fright Night a is thoroughly entertaining film, that has bucketloads of gore, & re-establishes vampires as violent blood-sucking monsters, rather than love-sick teenage pacifists!

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  Randy

  

  An enjoyable flick with plenty of suspense, horror, sexiness and a crip, clear 3D.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  ssconnolly

  

  A remake of the 1985 original, Fright Night is the story of teenager Charley Brewster who begins to expect that his new neighbour Jerry is a vampire responsible for a series of disappearances in their neighbourhood. When Jerry seems to take a liking to Charley's mother and his beautiful girlfriend Amy he enlists the help of self-proclaimed vampire killer and Las Vegas illusionist Peter Vincent to take down Jerry and save what's left of the neighbourhood. Generally speaking I'm against remakes of classic and cult movies. I admit there are some that I think could benefit from a modern retelling but I didn't think this was one of them. I mean its not just a case of having another remake, but its another vampire movie coming in at a time when the film industry has about as many of them as it can handle. However Craig Gillespie has done a great job with this remake. The film has been modernised in very subtle but clever ways. The idea of setting the action in Las Vegas was very smart as its one of the few places where it wouldn't be unusual for somebody to sleep all day and be up at night. Also it's a town where few people stay in for very long so the disappearances aren't as suspicion. It does include some of the vampire clichés but also puts a new twist on them and keeps this interesting. I did kind of think that the film could've used more set-up before we realise that the guy is a vampire and the action kicks off. That being said I did find it impressive that despite forcing the film into a showdown so early Gillespie still managed to keep the rest of the film very entertaining. It's paced really well, even between the thrills things never even begin to drag. And it also keeps you on your feet and isn't afraid to I was thoroughly entertained for the entire film. Gillespie set the perfect tone for the film, creepy and tense but still a film you can have fun watching. I did kind of think that the film could've used more set-up before we realise that the guy is a vampire and the action kicks off. That being said I did find it impressive that despite forcing the film into a showdown so early Gillespie still managed to keep the rest of the film very entertaining. It's paced really well, even between the thrills things never even begin to drag. And it also keeps you on your toes and isn't afraid to be a bit edgier and more daring than you would expect. And I can't underestimate the films emotionality. At the end of the day these are characters you begin to genuinely care about and at times the film does get a bit moving. Though I would expect nothing less from the director of Lars and the Real Girl. To be honest the film reminded me of a mix between Read Window and 30 Days of Night. Actually for the first 30 minutes or so the film really reminded me of the Rear Window inspired thriller Disturbia. It is similar to that film in how it starts off, young kid starts to suspect his neighbour is killing people. He calls the police, but they find nothing but then he break into his house etc.. As a result I expected more of the film to focus on the suspicion, the kid trying to convince all those around him that there is something sinister happening next door. But that's not how this film went and ultimately I'm glad it didn't go that way. The 3D on this one was a bit hit and miss for me. There are a few obvious crowd pleasing shots, the shameless moments when actors throw items directly into the camera or a spray of blood comes right at you.. And to be honest I only like 3D when it is used like this, such as in Piranha and Drive Angry. Unfortunately being about vampires much of this film is set at night, and the 3D glasses make everything very dark and it does make it harder to see what's happening on-screen. The cast of the film are fantastic. Anton Yelchin leads the film really well and puts in a solid display but it was some of the other stars that really stole this film. Colin Farrell is brilliant as Jerry, the evil blood-thirsty neighbour. He is perfectly cast and puts in what I think is a performance that can rival some of his best. When we first see him he's a nice and charming guy and then he gradually becomes a terrifying figure in the film and intimidates the audience as much as he does the other characters in the film. David Tennant was the star of the show for me though. He plays Peter Vincent and he adds so much life to the movie. He's cool, funny and charismatic and brings some humour to an otherwise rather dark film. If this doesn't launch him into a new level of stardom in America then I'm not sure what will. There are some other good performances in there from the likes of Toni Collette, Imogen Poots and McLovin himself Christopher Mintz-Plasse but they don't really make as much of an impact as their co-stars. So all in all Fright Night is an extremely entertaining film and is one of the few remakes that has turned out better than the original. As I write this the film isn't doing great at the box office which is a shame as this film is well worth a look. At a time when we are being subjected to waves a crappy vampire films this one raises the standard and could become this generations The Lost Boys thanks to some creative and very impressive work by both director Craig Gillespie and writer Marti Nixon. Not to mention some great performances by all the cast, especially David Tennant and Colin Farrell.

• • Currently 5/5 Stars.

  ArrggghhhhJOHN

  

  A very entertaining watch. A bit of tough in cheek horror with some great performances from the main cast, only let down by Christopher Mintz-Plase's characters reincarnation toward the end of the movie.

• • Currently 5/5 Stars.

  BIGBADBRIAN

  

  Fright Night and its sequel were 2 of my favorite movies when i was a kid. When i heard it was being remade, i was a little angry. I am so happy that this was actually a fantastic remake. It's told for a new generation. Future remakes take note. This film is darker in tone than the original, quite gory and so funny at times. Farrell is fantastic as the creepy bastard Gerry. He is so menacing. Yelchin carries the movie and makes a good modern Brewster. Evil Ed is still a funny character. My only beef with the film is the lack of Tennant's Peter Vincent. I loved the modern day Vampire Killer but he's got so little screen time. Gillespie has proved with this excellently made film that remakes don't have to be mindless copies, but can be a force themselves. Inspired casting and great humour, slightly unwanted 3D, Fright Night is a must see.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  masonica

  

  It's so good when an unwanted remake of a minor classic acutally works out to be as entertaining and thrilling as the original. Thanks to a clever updating of the premise, everything works in today's jaded horror genre. Some great casting and a rejuvenated Farrell who is brooding with malevolence and not tween romance. Fright Night 2011 is a great date movie that doesn't bite off more than it can chew.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  bigslick184

  

  Must say this film was the highlight of Movie Fest for me. Great story and wound enuff horror, comedy and drama together. Would definitely recommended this to anyone.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  Gregomeara

  

  It was ok and a bit of a laugh at times. Colin Farrell was a bit rubbish but thought David Tennant worked well.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  filmbuff2011

  

  I approach remakes of classic horror films with a degree of caution. However, I try to give the remake a fair chance. In the case of the 2004 Dawn Of The Dead, I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. In the case of the 2011 Fright Night, it's a decent attempt to remake the 1985 classic - one of my favourite horror films. Colin Farrell was a smart choice to play Jerry and Imogen Poots continues to show great potential. However, I was disappointed with what was done with the Peter Vincent character. Perhaps the film-makers knew that they couldn't top Roddy McDowall's performance in the original, so they did a complete 180 on the character instead. The 3D is OK, but the frequent darkness of the film renders it a bit muted. All in all, worth watching but it won't be joining the original in my film collection.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  TheAngelicDiablo

  

  Funny and well place dramedy with a few shock scares thrown in for good measure. Wonderfully realized and Perfectly cast (With a possible breakthrough role form David Tennant), Fright Night really is more Bite than Bark.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  mart

  

  It improves on the premise it has been handed, producing a modernized version of a decades-old story that's superior to its predecessor in virtually every aspect.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  alanhorkan

  

  You know this a Vampire film right? Thankfully so do the film makers and they don't waste too much time getting to the point, and taking on "Jerry" the Vampire. Colin Farrell is suitably menacing as the pyschopath next door (no sparkly vampires here) and Anton Yelchin plays the hopeless hero, desperately trying to survive. The 3D is nicely done but as usual, unnecessary and largely pointless throwing of things directly at the audience trying to make you flinch. Good fun for vampire fans but nothing new (it is a remake).

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  ging-grr

  

  I was wary of this from the moment I heard about it as I have loved the original since I first saw it way back when. The trailer did make me curious though and I decided to give it a go and when it was announced as the opening movie of Moviefest, which I had decided I was going to anyway I thought it was the ideal way to see it as if I hated it there was going to 5 other movies over the weekend to help me forget about it. Can you imagine my surprise when it turned out to be the highlight of the weekend. Colin Farrell is suberbly sinister as vampire, Jerry and Anton Yelchin plays the geeky (though pretending not to be to impress Imogen Poots) Brewster. While the overall tone was much darker than the original there was still some great tongue in cheek moments, many supplied by David Tennant. There has not been many 3D movies that I genuinely thought the 3D was worthwhile in but it really worked here. I genuiney loved this movie, the only reason it lost a star was because I felt it took a little too long to get going but I strongly advise getting your 3D glasses out for this.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  SINEAD

  

  I'm not sure this movie would be as good without it's great cast, Colin Farrell and David Tennant are perfection in their roles in this movie, camp and sexy, with their tongues firmly in cheek. This is a great movie that doesn't disappoint.

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