Fright Night - Il Vampiro Della Porta Accanto

A very pleasant surprise, Fright Night is a lot of fun to watch. Very good performances and definately one of the better horror remakes and also one of the best vampire movies in a long while. Charlie Brewster, played by Star Trek's Anton Yelchin is shocked to discover that his new neighbour Jerry played by Colin Farrell is a vampire and enlists the help of a tv presenter played by Doctor Who star David Tennant to defeat him! This is tense, well made, thrilling with good effects. Anton Yelchin is very good as Charlie as is Toni Collette as his mother, Colin Farrell is very menacing as evil vampire Jerry, yes i know it's a rubbish name for a vampire but i didn't name him! And David Tennant steals the show as a famed Russell Brand like tv presenter and vampire hunter. This is good entertainment.

Im not a great fan of remakes to be honest,I would rather see someone trying to make something fresh than reheating something from the past,under the excuse of'putting a modern slant on a classic story'.So I wasnt expecting much from this film,and to begin with I thought it was going to fall into the catagory of yet another rubbish remake,as it seemed to be heading that way.It just came across as another in a long line of brain dead,teen movie,slasher flicks.But out of the blue,about 25 to 30 minutes in it suddenly got very good.Unlike most modern horror films it made it clear it wasnt going to rely on cgi gore overload,it was going to be creepy,and try and create and atmosphere.Which it did quite well,for the most part,though to be honest it was never scary in the slightest.It also kept its tongue planted very firmly in its cheek,which for this genre is a massive plus,you laughed because you were supposed to,not because what you were watching was that bad.
The major disappointment for me was Colin Farrell as the vampire,now I think Mr Farrell is a truly great actor,I'll watch him in anything to be honest,but his performance in this,for me,lacked any kind of presence.A vampire needs to be menacing,his was kind of flat for the most part,only towards the end of the movie did he,pardon the truly awful pun,get his teeth into the role and become threatening.On the other end of the scale David Tennant steals the entire film,with a stunning performance,as the alcohol soaked,swearing,Las Vegas showman Peter Vincent.He simply takes over every scene he is in,and dominates the screen so much no one else gets a look in.
As far as remakes go its not half bad,it lacks the originals sexual,seductive side,this could be what helps flatten Mr Farrells performance,as it was such a major part of the original story,but it keeps the sence of humour and self mockery.It rattles along at a fair pace,once it hits its stride,and some of the set pieces look very good and work well,relying on tension and thrills,rather than,as I already mentioned,cgi gore.Would I buy it on DVD now that Ive been to the cinema to see it,the simple answer to that is....Yes,if only to see David Tennant's brilliant performance again.

Fright Night is an excellent remake of an old horror-comedy classic. Despite a line of black humour the film sticks to its horror guns with plenty of creaking, gasping, hiding, running and screaming. The effects are excellent and the cast are having a great time; Colin Farrell being excellent as the Great White Vampire. David Tennant brings a nice addition to our star-crossed lovers and the mother. The supernatural appears seamlessly in the midst of the mundane. If only serious horror films could keep up this level.