EGL Magazine

7 October 2011

Some of us have wondered for some time whether or not the vampire would ever recover, and return to its former glory. No offence intended to any of our readers out there who enjoy the Twilight phenomenon and the current trend for lovelorn, teenage-friendly vampires, but some of us…well…we like to have our vampires with a little more bite.

Well, wait no more fellow (evil) vampire-lovers; you’re in for a treat. The new 3D remake of vampire movie, Fright Night has recently hit cinemas, and it’s a movie you can really sink your fangs into!

Darkness descends on a hot Nevada suburb, and the residents are starting to disappear. One of these unfortunates is Ed, (Christopher Mintz-Plasse of Superbad fame) who insists to his friend Charlie (Anton Yelchin) that Charlie’s new, rugged, night-working neighbour, the not-so-mysteriously-named Jerry (Colin Farrell), is a vampire and responsible for the disappearances. Soon after this, Ed vanishes also, and Charlie quickly reaches the same conclusion - that Jerry is in fact, one of the undead.

Its not often you come across a horror-movie plot that moves so quickly - time is not wasted in building suspense, making you wonder if Jerry is a vampire: we all know full well that he is (especially if you’re already familiar with the 1985 original). The tension comes from the audience knowing full well what Jerry is capable of. But for a tense movie, it’s also pretty funny, with black humour and amusing little observations all the way through. The tempestuous relationship between Peter Vincent (David Tennant) and his sweet-yet-somehow-coarse Ginger provides much laughter. In fact I would think it would be fair to say that for some people at least, David Tennant’s portrayal of the gothic-stage-illusionist-turned-vampire-hunter will steal the show. If not for his witty (and sometimes not-so-witty) remarks and tipsy Russell-Brand style charm, then probably for the skin-tight leather trousers.

Collin Farrel as Jerry is certainly easy on the eyes, but he is not a typical vampire beauty; possessing a very rough appeal and a blue-collar appearance rather than that of an ancient aristocrat. He is no pale-faced ethereal wraith, but he’d be pretty scary even if he didn’t tear out throats for sustenance, as his lack of regard for others and sharp-mind is just as dangerous as his bite.

Some may say that the original Fright Night was more focused on black humour than on horror elements, but while there are some comedic moments in this remake, this version holds more horror value. Tension coupled with scenes of outright violence may make some quiver in their cinema seats. We go from one extreme to the other and both will keep you hooked to the screen. The other vampires themselves are also monstrous- far more resembling their corpse-like ancestors of folklore, they eerily crawl about the silver screen in a way that no vampire has dared in recent years.

If Edward Cullen is your sort of vampire, than Jerry is your nightmare. Fright Night 3D is what evil-vampire lovers have awaited for some time; the vampires are not poetic and sad creatures, but true monsters. They don’t sparkle and play the piano, they tear throats out and terrorise their victims, and corrupt their prey. And to be completely honest, after years of watered down undead, this is just what I wanted, so I’m sure there are others out there who will feel the same way. Not since the release if 30 Days of Night have I seen something that brings the true horror of the vampire to life and now it has moved in next door on an average American street.