There’s really nothing that compares to the original Fright Night. This film is something of a vampire update on Rear Window. It marked the directorial debut of Tom Holland who had previously scripted the wholly underrated Psycho II and would go on to find even bigger success after Fright Night with 1988’s Child’s Play.
The story follows Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale), a refreshing take on a geeky teen in the 1980’s. He is a fan, to be sure, but he maintains a social life and is not as obsessive as his best friend, “Evil” Ed Thompson (played perfectly over-the-top by Stephen Geoffreys, who steals the movie.) Charley has been desperately trying to find “the right moment” with his girlfriend, Amy (Amanda Bearse). And when it finally looks like it’s going to happen, when she finally tells him that she’s ready, he looks out his window and sees two men carrying a coffin into the house next door. When he points it out to Amy, she takes one look at the old vampire movie playing on the TV and says “Sure, and they’re on the moors, right?”And that right there is the essence of Fright Night. It is tongue-in-cheek and completely sincere in equal doses.
When Charley cannot convince anyone to believe him about the vampire that has moved in next door, reaching the end of his rope, he contacts former horror movie star Peter Vincent (a name—and character—derived from Peter Cushing and Vincent Price.) Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) is the great vampire killer, he says so in all of his movies, so Charley knows that if there’s anyone that can deal with his problem, it’s this guy. But of course, there’s nobody more aware of how out of fashion vampire movies are than Peter Vincent. He’s gone from movie star to local horror host to unemployed. He’s not the great vampire killer, he’s a washed-up icon desperately clinging to his last shred of fame. He’s scared. When he becomes aware of the reality of Charley’s situation, his first instinct is to pack up and leave town. Everyone else believes he can be a hero but he lacks any real confidence in himself. Finding that strength of character that he brought to his old roles is a big part of Peter’s development as the movie reaches its end. And, really, I think it’s one of the best performances of McDowall’s entire career.
And then there’s Evil Ed. It is Ed that steals the show. From what we know about Evil when we’re introduced to him, it’s clear that he doesn’t have many (if any) other friends than Charley and that friendship does not come naturally to him. He has no control of his life, he has no sense of power and that’s precisely what Jerry offers him. In his brief few scenes as a vampire, Evil Ed cements his place as one of the most entertaining vampires in movie history. Evil is a spastic and flamboyant character to begin with and when he becomes a vampire, those notches get turned up to 11. He is just completely unhinged. He’s the only vampire (fully) turned by Jerry in the movie, as Lucy was the only vampire turned in Dracula. And there is actually a throwback scene to Horror of Dracula in which Evil is marked by a cross touching his forehead, just as Lucy was in that film.