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Released by: Twilight Time Releasing
Released on: January 21st, 2015.
Director: Tom Holland
Cast: Chris Sarandon, Roddy McDowall, William Ragsdale, Stephen Geoffreys, Amanda Bearse
Year: 1985
The Movie:
Written and directed by Tom Holland in 1985, Fright Night stars William Ragsdale as a teenager named Charlie Brewster. He lives alone in the suburbs with his mother, Judy (Dorothy Fielding), but on the night we're introduced to him he's alone in his bedroom with his girlfriend Amy Peterson (Amanda Bearse). They're watching TV, a show called Fright Night, in which a vampire hunter named Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall), slays fanged evildoers in typical Van Helsing-ish style. What's on Charlie's mind, though? Amanda is, but once she decides she's ready to let him do the deed Charlie looks out the window and sees two men carrying a coffin into the house next door.
Later, Charlie looks out his window and sees a man come up behind a naked woman and bite her on the neck. Convinced that his new neighbor is a vampire, Charlie talks to his friend Evil Ed (Stephen Geoffreys), the weird horror movie obsessed kid from school, to figure out what to do. It turns out that the new neighbor, Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon), really is a vampire but of course, nobody will believe Charlie. He even tries to get Peter Vincent to help him out, but Peter, he's not the fearless vampire killer in real life that he plays on television.
Fright Night is a lot of fun. It never asks you to take things too seriously but at the same time manages to offer up some decent suspense and a few good scares alongside some clever laughs. It does this, in part, by creating interesting and likeable characters. Charlie is easy to relate to - those around him figure he's got an overactive imagination, but we know he's right. His character is reasonably well grounded though, we're able to harken back to our own teenage years and the dilemmas that they carried through his own plights and Ragsdale plays the part just fine. Stephen Geoffrey's tends to steal a few scenes as screwy supporting character Evil Ed while Amanda Bearse, a few years before she'd play Marcy on Married With Children, is really just as cute as a button as the female lead.
The real stars of the show, however, are Sarandon and McDowall. Sarandon exudes both confidence and menace, easily winning over the female characters in the film with his suave sex appeal and intimidating the men with his strong physical presence. He's excellent in the part and goes a long way towards carrying the film. On the flip side is McDowall, playing a sort of cowardly counterpart to the type of brave, noble vampire hunters Peter Cushing played so well in the Hammer Films made in the decades preceding this picture. His character is the source of much of the film's humor but it's interesting to watch how a seasoned actor like McDowall lets his character evolve over the latter half of the film.
Not surprisingly, the film is also fairly effects heavy. The work on display here is both creative and effective and it adds to the film without taking away from what the performers are able to bring to the table. The end result is a film that is able to playfully reconstruct the genre without ever pandering or lowering the bar (so in that regard it works on many of the same levels as An American Werewolf In London). Briskly paced and endlessly entertaining, Fright Night stands the test of time as a highpoint in the eighties horror canon, a film completely deserving of its devoted audience and all the praise laid upon it.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The transfer on this disc uses the same master that was used for the previous Twilight Time Blu-ray release that came and went about three years ago, though this time they've upped the bit rate and used a 50GB disc in place of the previous releases' 25GB disc. Presented in AVC encoded 1080p high definition and framed at 2.35.1 widescreen, the image quality here is excellent, the transfer is remarkably clean but never to the point where it looks artificial. Grain is present but never distracting and you'll be hard pressed to spot any print damage at all. Although the movie does have a soft look to it (it always has), generally speaking detail is nice and strong and colors are reproduced very accurately. The disc also features solid black levels and very organic looking skin tones. There aren't any obvious compression artifacts of note nor is anyone going to notice any noise reduction or edge enhancement problems. Fright Night looks great here, there's no room for complaint.
Audio options are offered for the film in English only in your choice of DTS-HD 5.1 or DTS-HD 2.0 Stereo Master Audio tracks with removable subtitles provided again in English only. No problems to report here, both tracks sound quite good, offering decent dynamic range and crisp, clear dialogue. Levels are properly balanced throughout and hiss and distortion are never an issue.
Extras are interesting and plentiful starting with the commentary featuring writer/director Tom Holland who is joined here by cast members Chris Sarandon and Jonathan Stark as well as moderator Tim Sullivan. There's a fair bit of scene specific commentary here with Holland leading the charge and Sullivan keeping things going at a good pace. Everyone's got a decent sense of humor about this as they point out the style behind the opening shot, the importance of making the right casting choices in the film, how the film tries to 'throw off the trail by being funny' and how the picture works as a definitive eighties movie. They also talk about how the vampire character plays Charlie for all he's worth and how they never see him as a real threat, what some of the cast members in the film have gone on to do since this movie was made, the influence of Nosferatu on the makeup in the final scene and loads more.
The disc also features a second commentary, also with Holland who is joined this time by actors William Ragsdale and Stephen Geoffreys, Special FX artist Randall Cook and moderated by journalist Jeremy Smith and again with Tim Sullivan. Again, this is a quickly paced track that has a lot of good information in it. This time with Cook's involvement we get some insight into the specifics of the effects work in the movie, which gives this a different flavor than the first track. Holland again has a lot to say, he's obviously (and rightfully) proud of this film and has no trouble whatsoever explaining its history and its place in his body of work. Of course, getting the 'good guys' onboard for the track (as opposed to the 'bad guys on the first track) gives us further insight into what it was like working as an actor on the film. Ragsdale talks about working with Bearse on the first day of shooting, Holland points out the importance of certain cuts in the way that the movie was edited, and the moderators do an interesting job of pointing out the importance of the one-upmanship between Charlie and the vampire in the film. Geoffreys talks about how his character hides a certain sadness behind his court jester persona and shares some interesting input into what makes Evil Ed as memorable as he is, and we learn how 'standard dental technology' can come in handy when trying to come up with effects ideas for a vampire movie!
Moving right along, check out the 'First Ever Fright Night Reunion Panel' which was recorded at Fear Fest 2 in 2008. Here Holland, Sarandon, Ragsdale, Geoffreys, Stark and Amanda Bearse take part in a roundtable talk about their experiences working on the film that's moderated by Rob Galluzzo. This runs just over fifty-four minutes and it starts with Holland talking about he became a director, then segues into why he made a vampire movie. The cast pop up and share some memories of working with one another and their thoughts on the film and quite a bit more. It's a spirited talk with Galluzzo asking some good questions of the participants. It's also unique in that it's the only extra on the disc that has Bearse involved (and she's got a great sense of humor about herself).
Shock Till You Drop Presents Choice Cuts with Tom Holland and Ryan Turek is a three-part series that is essentially an interview between the two men that takes a look back at the history of Fright Night. They start the discussion by lamenting the absence of a Fright Night special edition DVD (something that this release corrects) and then go on to talk about the making of the movie. Holland talks about having to travel to catch monster movies and cult films on the big screen in his younger days, the dedication involved with being a serious film fan and his acting and writing process as it relates to some of his work. They also cover the impetus to direct Fight Night, the themes that are explored in the film and how Peter Vincent is based on pretty much exactly who you think he is! The first part runs just under eleven minutes, the second just under seven and the third part just shy of eleven minutes. Not surprisingly, these also cover some of the same ground as the commentary tracks do but it's fun to see Holland here as well as to hear him as he's quite animated and he and Turek have a good chemistry together here.
The real surprise of this release, however, is the Vintage EPK. More often than not, EPK featurettes are quick little ten minute spots that are basically commercials. This time, that's not the case. This thing runs over ninety-minutes in length and while it's sourced from an old tape (it would have been shot on tape to begin with) and is included here with time code over top, there's a TON of stuff in here for the Fright Night fan to geek out over. The J. Geils Band song that is included in the movie? We get the video for there here with both English and Spanish opening bits and a bonus interview with the vocalist. We get loads of behind the scenes footage, some great bits and pieces showing off the effects work and scores of archival interviews with all of the principal cast and crew members as well as with Tom Holland. The picture quality won't blow you away but there's just a ton of very cool stuff included here - don't skip this section.
Rounding out the extras on the disc is an extensive still gallery including a load of Tom Holland's archival material, the film's isolated score in DTS-HD format, two different versions of the film's original theatrical trailer, menus and chapter selection.
Inside the clear plastic Blu-ray case is an insert booklet containing some original artwork on the cover, some archival photographs on the inside and the film's original one-sheet on the back cover. Additionally the booklet also contains an essay from Julie Kirgo that make some interesting and completely apt observations about the more voyeuristic aspects of the film, the use of sexuality in the story and how this film makes use of vampire clichés while simultaneously creating something unique in the pantheon of horror films. As always, it's a good read and a welcome addition to the disc.
The Final Word:
Fright Night was, is and probably always shall be a whole lot of fun and Twilight Time really have gone the extra mile in making this thirtieth anniversary Blu-ray release a special edition in the truest sense of the word. The movie looks and sounds fantastic and the extras are not only comprehensive but both interesting and entertaining as well. All in all, a fantastic release of a great film.
Note: This Blu-ray release is limited to 5000 pieces but it sold out on pre-order.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
