Post by Quorthon on Dec 4, 2005 10:44:42 GMT -5
Fright Night
Horror/Horror-Comedy
1985
COLOR.
MPAA Rating: R
Directed by: Tom Holland
USA
Recently, I found this "classic" horror film on my cable company's "On Demand" set-up, and, bored out of my mind, I gave it a shot. Of the three movies I wasted an evening watching, this was easily the most entertaining.
We have Charlie, plucky teenage hero, of the film who just happens to live next door to what he believes is a vampire (Chris Sarandon--that detective from Child's Play). Sexy women (only one of which we actually get to see) are mysteriously vanishing around the area and our young hero is out to stop the evil vampire. He attempts to enlist Roddy McDowell, who plays a "vampire hunter" movie & television star to help. And Charlie's girlfriend is Amanda Bearse. Marcy Darcy from "Married with Children."
Here’s the breakdown:
The Good:
--Very simply, this movie is a lot of fun. From the characters to the action sequences to the cinematography--pretty much everything, this movie is just a good time.
--For the most part, the acting was actually pretty good, and the characters were believable and generally enjoyable.
--Good dialog and conversations.
--Nice pacing.
--Entertaining action sequences and gore. Some good (though not exactly great all the time) suspense, as well.
--Strong atmosphere and really nice cinematography.
--During the climax of the movie, Amanda Bearse is fucking hot. Who knew she could look that good? Too bad she's a lesbian, am I right guys? Ha!
Didn’t Hurt It, Didn’t Help:
--The special effects, and vampire make-up, were at times pretty laughable. Generally, the effects were pretty good, but about average for the time. Sometimes, the attempt to make scary make-up ended up looking cheesy or rubbery.
--Wacky "totally radical 80's" music. That part New Wave, part Rock, part Pop music that was often creamily spread over movies from the 80's permeates this movie. But hell, I'll take cheesy 80's Rock over Rap or Hip-Hop in a horror movie any day!
--Somewhat "loose" writing here and there. Generally, very enjoyable and entertaining, but occasionally you'll have moments of head scratching where you'll be wondering "why not just do this or that?" Watch it, you'll see what I mean.
The Bad:
--Charlie's best friend is one of the 80's most obnoxious teenage characters. On a plus side, he's actually played by a teenager and not some 29-year old nimrod desperate to hold on to his youth. Occasionally, the kid is also very amusing--which creates kind of a love/hate relationship between him and the viewer. And that laugh is just awful.
--The term "Fright Night" is said about a million times.
The Ugly:
--Roddy McDowell's "Joe Bob Briggs" type TV show--"Frrrrrrright Niiiiiiiiiiiight." Still funny, though.
Memorable Scene:
--Roddy versus the wolf.
Acting: 8/10
Story: 8/10
Atmosphere: 9/10
Cinematography: 9/10
Character Development: 8/10
Special Effects/Make-up: 6/10
Nudity/Sexuality: 2/10 (prostitutes and quick breasts)
Violence/Gore: 7/10 (average for the time)
Dialogue: 9/10
Music: 8/10 (zany 80's Rock!)
Direction: 8/10
Cheesiness: 3/10
Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 8/10
I was originally going to give this a "7," but realized just how much fun the movie actually was. So it gets an "8." Bear in mind, though, this won't be for everyone--what with the teenagers, sometimes silly special effects, and radical 80's tunes. But, it is a great guilty pleasure--and it's for people that enjoy horror films of this nature. A rare horror film that manages to actually be fun without forgetting that it is a horror film.
Horror/Horror-Comedy
1985
COLOR.
MPAA Rating: R
Directed by: Tom Holland
USA
Recently, I found this "classic" horror film on my cable company's "On Demand" set-up, and, bored out of my mind, I gave it a shot. Of the three movies I wasted an evening watching, this was easily the most entertaining.
We have Charlie, plucky teenage hero, of the film who just happens to live next door to what he believes is a vampire (Chris Sarandon--that detective from Child's Play). Sexy women (only one of which we actually get to see) are mysteriously vanishing around the area and our young hero is out to stop the evil vampire. He attempts to enlist Roddy McDowell, who plays a "vampire hunter" movie & television star to help. And Charlie's girlfriend is Amanda Bearse. Marcy Darcy from "Married with Children."
Here’s the breakdown:
The Good:
--Very simply, this movie is a lot of fun. From the characters to the action sequences to the cinematography--pretty much everything, this movie is just a good time.
--For the most part, the acting was actually pretty good, and the characters were believable and generally enjoyable.
--Good dialog and conversations.
--Nice pacing.
--Entertaining action sequences and gore. Some good (though not exactly great all the time) suspense, as well.
--Strong atmosphere and really nice cinematography.
--During the climax of the movie, Amanda Bearse is fucking hot. Who knew she could look that good? Too bad she's a lesbian, am I right guys? Ha!
Didn’t Hurt It, Didn’t Help:
--The special effects, and vampire make-up, were at times pretty laughable. Generally, the effects were pretty good, but about average for the time. Sometimes, the attempt to make scary make-up ended up looking cheesy or rubbery.
--Wacky "totally radical 80's" music. That part New Wave, part Rock, part Pop music that was often creamily spread over movies from the 80's permeates this movie. But hell, I'll take cheesy 80's Rock over Rap or Hip-Hop in a horror movie any day!
--Somewhat "loose" writing here and there. Generally, very enjoyable and entertaining, but occasionally you'll have moments of head scratching where you'll be wondering "why not just do this or that?" Watch it, you'll see what I mean.
The Bad:
--Charlie's best friend is one of the 80's most obnoxious teenage characters. On a plus side, he's actually played by a teenager and not some 29-year old nimrod desperate to hold on to his youth. Occasionally, the kid is also very amusing--which creates kind of a love/hate relationship between him and the viewer. And that laugh is just awful.
--The term "Fright Night" is said about a million times.
The Ugly:
--Roddy McDowell's "Joe Bob Briggs" type TV show--"Frrrrrrright Niiiiiiiiiiiight." Still funny, though.
Memorable Scene:
--Roddy versus the wolf.
Acting: 8/10
Story: 8/10
Atmosphere: 9/10
Cinematography: 9/10
Character Development: 8/10
Special Effects/Make-up: 6/10
Nudity/Sexuality: 2/10 (prostitutes and quick breasts)
Violence/Gore: 7/10 (average for the time)
Dialogue: 9/10
Music: 8/10 (zany 80's Rock!)
Direction: 8/10
Cheesiness: 3/10
Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 8/10
I was originally going to give this a "7," but realized just how much fun the movie actually was. So it gets an "8." Bear in mind, though, this won't be for everyone--what with the teenagers, sometimes silly special effects, and radical 80's tunes. But, it is a great guilty pleasure--and it's for people that enjoy horror films of this nature. A rare horror film that manages to actually be fun without forgetting that it is a horror film.
