(1985) Written and directed by Tom Holland; Starring: Chris
Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Roddy McDowall and Stephen Geoffreys;
Available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Rating: ****
“I have just been fired because nobody wants to see vampire
killers anymore or vampires either. Apparently, all they want are demented
madmen running around in ski masks hacking up young virgins.” – Peter Vincent
(Roddy McDowall)
“It was intent on my part to give Chris Sarandon’s
character, Jerry Dandrige, depth and to make him sympathetic at the same time.
To make the vampire more interesting as a character…” – Tom Holland (from A.V.
Club interview by Mike Vanderbilt)
I’m honored to return for this year’s Great VillainBlogathon,
hosted by the incomparable Kristina of Speakeasy, Ruth
of Silver Screenings and Karen
of Shadows & Satin.
Most folks would agree that a great villain is more than one note. They’re multi-dimensional
and, at least on some level, likeable. Submitted for your approval is Fright Night’s chief baddie, Jerry Dandrige
(Chris Sarandon), sophisticate, lover and vampire. To paraphrase a certain
ubiquitous ad campaign, he’s the most interesting undead man in the world.
With Fright Night,
writer/director Tom Holland has managed that rarest of feats, a successful
blend of horror and humor. The film works because Holland understands the
genre’s conventions, embracing the familiar tropes and bending them ever so
slightly. He wisely assumes we already know about vampires, and doesn’t need to
re-hash the rules that govern them.
Ordinary teen Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale)
suspects his new neighbor is a vampire, and the cause of recent serial murders
in his town. Unfortunately, he can’t get anyone else to believe him. His
frantic attempts to convince others about his murderous neighbor are met with
skepticism and derision, as the product of an overactive imagination or mental
illness. Influenced by his favorite late night TV horror show, and its enthusiastic
host Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall), he’s resolved to rid the world of the
deadly nocturnal denizen.
Okay, let’s face it, Charley is a bit of a dweeb. He’s
gawky, excitable, and has the finesse of a wildebeest when dealing with his
girlfriend Amy (Amanda Bearse). He becomes increasingly oblivious to her, while
his obsession with the neighbor continues to grow. But what he lacks in self-awareness,
he makes up in pluck. It’s easy to fault Charley for his neglectful attitude
toward Amy, yet we still root for him because of his determination to combat
the forces of darkness. We want him to prevail, not just because he’s the hero,
but because there’s something genuinely honest and decent about his character.
He believes in what he’s doing, even if everyone else thinks he’s a nutcase.
It’s no accident that Jerry Dandrige is the most complex
character in Fright Night. Holland
doesn’t bog us down in extraneous details, but we have enough information to
infer Dandrige’s back story. Our minds supply the rest of the details. One nice
touch, thanks to Sarandon, was his character’s fondness for apples. As a
vampire, we know he doesn’t gain sustenance from them, but it’s a tangible link
to his past human self. We also get a hint of his tragic origins from a
portrait of a past love, with a striking resemblance to Amy. Even when Charley
is attempting to destroy Dandrige, he subconsciously wants to be him. Dandrige
is everything that Charley isn’t: suave, cultured and comfortable in his own
skin. Although he’s been dating Amy for almost a year, Charley can’t manage to
get to second base with her. Meanwhile, Dandrige seduces her on the dance floor,
taunting Charley with his prodigious charms.* He takes pleasure from pitting
his formidable intellect against Charley’s accusations, cognizant of the fact
that everyone knows about vampires, but are unwilling to accept the possibility
that they really exist. Sarandon plays Dandrige somewhere between Lugosi and
Lee, traipsing the line between entrancing and animalistic. He’s the life of
any party he attends, the sort of guy you’d want to hang out with, provided he
didn’t drain your body of blood.
* He even manages to charm her into a different
hairstyle. Try that, Vidal Sassoon!
McDowall is also terrific, in a suitably hammy role, as
Peter Vincent (the name is an obvious amalgamation of Peter Cushing and Vincent
Price), the “Great Vampire Killer.” After fighting the ranks of the undead on
the silver screen, he enjoys a second life as the host of a late night horror
show Fright Night. The milk from the
cash cow has run dry, however, after his show is cancelled and he faces
eviction from his apartment. When Charley seeks his help in defeating a real
vampire, Peter concludes that Charley is insane. To Peter, it’s just an acting
gig, but to Charley, he’s the real deal. We soon learn the character he plays
in the movies and TV belies his timid nature, and confronting his inner demons,
as well as one outer demon, will put his skills and fortitude to the test.
Stephen Geoffreys somehow manages to skirt the thin line
between obnoxious and amusing, as Charley’s capricious friend Evil Ed. His
caustic personality provides a welcome contrast to Charley’s plain vanilla
character. Much like Dandrige, there’s an underlying sadness. He’s willing to
humor Charley for the entertainment value (not to mention a few extra bucks),
but his jokes at Charley’s expense reflect insecurities about being an
outsider. Dandrige appeals to his sense of feeling different, recruiting him to
join the ranks of the undead.
So much works well in Fright
Night that it’s easy to overlook a few of its minor trespasses. After going
to great lengths to conceal his identity, Dandrige chooses to make a very
public spectacle at the aforementioned dance club, killing two bouncers. It’s
also hard to sympathize with Charley’s neglectful treatment of his girlfriend.
It’s not surprising when Amy leaves in a huff after he ignores her, but it’s
strange that she doesn’t choose greener pastures. But then again, I suppose love
is blind.
Fright Night is
one of the landmark horror films of the ‘80s, succeeding as a modern horror
film and an affectionate nod to the movies that influenced Holland’s formative
years. It’s at once familiar and fresh, paying homage to the horror films
(especially Hammer) of yesteryear, but taking a more progressive stance with
its villain. Fright Night spawned an
inferior sequel, and was remade a few years back, which in turn resulted in its
own sequel. My suggestion: forget any of those offshoots existed, and go straight
to the original.
