The Film
Hollywood loves a good horror movie remake -- or bad, depending on how you look at it. Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, and (we hate to bring it up) Psycho are just a few that have been "reinterpreted" for today's audiences. The list goes on. Apparently, long enough that someone thought it was a good idea to remake Fright Night.
Now, don't get us wrong. We love cheesy '80s movies. However, the idea of remaking the 1985 horror flick seemed, well... weird. Then, came the casting.
Colin Farrell stars as new neighbor Jerry Dandrige. He lives next door to single mom Jane Brewster (Toni Collette) and her extremely suspicious son Charley (Star Trek's Anton Yelchin). Charley's alarm is certainly justified. After all, Jerry is an inappropriately named vampire. For good measure, the film throws in Imogen Poots for eye candy, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as the nerdy ex-friend, and most importantly, Doctor Who star David Tennant as a Vegas magician/vampire slayer.
Surprisingly, Fright Night is one of the better remakes we've seen. It could be because the film never takes itself too seriously, but still provides plenty of heebie-jeebies. Let's not get crazy, though. Filmmakers should be thanking their lucky stars for such a great cast, most notably Farrell and Tennant. (Also, keep your eyes open for a cameo from the original Jerry, Chris Sarandon.)
Want to get a real scare? Check out Lora Grady's theatrical review of Fright Night.
The Picture
Boo is right! Save your fright for this new release's image; it's downright disappointing. If ever there was a good argument against the release of Blu-ray 3D, it's Fright Night. The movie oozes style -- at least we think it does. The 1.78:1 transfer is so incredibly dark, it's hard to tell what the heck is going on for almost the entire movie. The film does look better in lighter scenes, with some good colors, better detail, and images you can actually decipher. However, this is Fright Night not light. Those brighter moments are few and far between. Flipping over to the 2D is better, but not by a whole lot. It's just sort of a dark mess overall.
As far as the 3D in concerned, if you can forgive it for completely destroying every scene in its path, there are a few pop-out effects to enjoy. When vampires meet there demise, there's a flash of raining ash and embers. There's also some decent depth, especially in the film's few lighter scenes.
The Sound
Thankfully, the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track fares a lot better than its visual counterpart. The film kicks off with a rumbling, maniacal soundtrack, which comes and goes as it pleases. From there, you can expect some club chatter, as well as plenty of crunches, thuds, and gunshots to keep you jumping through the film's 106-minute runtime.
The Extras
Based on the film's 3D presentation, it's probably a good thing that there are no 3D extras. That said, this release also includes a 2D Blu-ray and combo disc with standard-def DVD and Digital Copy versions of the film. Otherwise, there's nothing here too exciting. Besides the bloopers, deleted scenes and a music video, there's a short on the Peter Vincent character and a promotion piece titled, "The Official 'How to Make a Funny Vampire Movie' Guide."
Final Thoughts
Of course, this trip wasn't really necessary. That said, Fright Night is kind of a fun film. Much of that has to do with its stellar cast. The real horror, however, is the poor 3D presentation released in this package. If you're going to buy or rent, skip the 3D premium and go for the 2D Blu-ray set. The 3D is dim, ugly, and downright hard to watch.
Product Details
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