While it has a prime cast (Colin Farrell, Toni Colette) and some decent production values Fright Night does little more than conjure up pleasant memories of the original 1985 film. Mainly though it strikes out on one not so teensy detail: it’s neither terribly funny or scary.
The film’s biggest handicap may be that it’s the latest example of 3D gone stink. It’s downright shillyshally that we should even want to put on the glasses when all we get is a few vampire props jumping from the screen. And this is the purer (shot in 3D) 3D for what it’s worth (Not the secondary, transferred, Clash of the “my eyes hurt” Titans 3D).
Equally disappointing is a hackneyed by-the-numbers performance by David Tennant (Dr. Who), the vampire-slayer role originally nailed by Roddie McDowell. Tennant’s a magician who keeps a lot of vampire artifacts on his set and in his dwelling. He also has loose vampirettes slacking around for his pleasure and to insult him. We’re primed for a Russell Brand-like performance here but we get the inane chatter of a character who quickly makes himself irrelevant.
The movie achieves a small success in an oh-by-the-way nod to the sexual insecurities of main character Charlie (Anton Yelchin) while he has lush Amy (Imogen Potts) throwing herself at him at every turn. Eventually the viewer becomes as frustrated by the situation as Amy.
While silly in scope and annoyingly disposable, Fright Night can brag it has a vampire the likes of Colin Farrell, who even Charlie’s mom (the usually world-weary Toni Colette) is fooled by… Membership in the Colin Farrell fanclub can be had for a mere willing to bear whatever moral depravity he signs on to next. If you bought his crazed, ethically empty, yet highly enjoyable, character in Horrible Bosses, you’ll at first enjoy him trumping that as a leering, sicko vampire to ends all leering, sicko vampires… Until you realize he plays every scene like a broken record stuck on Katy Perry’s “T.G.I.F.”
Nostalgia for a film of this sort may be inflated like a cheap balloon given the current state of horror films as torture porn. I say stick to the original if you want a good time. And throw away your 3-D specs, cuz.
3.5 remakes out of 10
