FRIGHT NIGHT

Jerry is the new neighbor of young Charlie Brewster, a kind and charming man who immediately captures the attention of the boy's mother. But Ed, Charlie's former best friend, immediately puts the boy on alert: Jerry is a centenarian vampire and is also the cause of the disappearance of some of their schoolmates. Initially, Charlie does not pay attention to Ed's delusional theories, but when the latter disappears, Charlie begins to suspect that Jerry is involved. Ed was right and now it is up to Charlie to stop the bloodthirsty vampire who lives next door before he harms his girlfriend Amy. To fight the monster, the boy decides to ask for help from Peter Vincent, a showman who hosts a popular TV show on the occult. Few do not know "Ammazzavampiri" ("Fright Night" in the original), an undisputed cult of American horror cinema of the 1980s, a small masterpiece of irony and tension that launched the career of director Tom Holland. Like many other cults of that period, it seemed inevitable to update for younger generations and so "Ammazzavampiri" had its remake which this time in Italy was retitled "Fright Night - The Vampire Next Door". This new version of that classic is signed by Craig Gillespie, author of a small but delightful film about loneliness like "Lars and the Real Girl"... let's say that the premises were not particularly exciting: remaking a film that is almost "untouchable", a talented director but definitely far from the world of horror and a Disney/Dreamworks production that in the USA has the rated PG-13. Yet the result is not at all despicable, a real remake that remains respectful of the original material, showing having understood the formula that lay behind the prototype. Let's start with the characters and the actors called to portray them. Charlie Brewster is a boy like many others, carries the weight of the family, living alone with his mother and dates a beautiful girl whom he almost does not understand why she fell in love with him. To portray Charlie there is Anton Yelchin, the Chekov of the last "Star Trek" and young Kyle Reese in "Terminator: Salvation", a versatile actor and surely suitable to give body to the ordinary boy suddenly faced with the supernatural. Charlie's nemesis is Jerry, a handsome forty-year-old with gentle manners who soon turns out to be a bloodthirsty vampire. In the original film, the vampire was played by Chris Sarandon (who here appears in a cameo as an unfortunate motorist), quite different in appearance and manners from the new vampire, played by Colin Farrell. Farrell, rippling muscle and languid gaze, works against all expectations, proving to be a convincing and threatening vampire when needed. Then there is Peter Vincent, a TV vampire slayer who turns out to be a cowardly rogue devoted to women and alcohol. The character of Peter Vincent is probably the one that has undergone the most substantial metamorphosis over the years: in Holland's film he was played by Roddy McDowall and embodied the prototype of the Hammer Films character (and in fact his name was a tribute to two icons like Peter Cushing and Vincent Price), also engaged in hosting a series of old horror films for cable TV. In the new "Fright Night", Peter Vincent rejuvenates and becomes a showman engaged in illusionism numbers, a sort of David Copperfield in dark key. To bring him to life there is David Tennat, the last TV "Doctor Who", who perfectly embodies the womanizing charlatan and represents the film's comic character. A functional and well-chosen trio of protagonists, therefore, to which are added the beautiful Imogen Poots ("28 Weeks Later"; "Black Death"), who plays Amy, Charlie's girlfriend, Christopher Mintz-Plasse ("Superbad"; "Kick-Ass"), who is the odious Ed and Toni Collette ("The Sixth Sense"; "Little Miss Sunshine") who is Charlie's mother, a character to whom more space has been given compared to the previous film. Craig Gillespie proves to be up to the task entrusted to him and on a couple of occasions also places some beautiful visual insights like the anomalous and wide plan sequence in the long car scene after Jerry's vampiric revelation. Perhaps this new "Fright Night" deliberately aims too little at fear to allow itself a teen comedy atmosphere, but fortunately (and in spite of the PG-13, which in Italy is a VM 14) it does not skimp on blood either, although we are talking about edulcorated violence and strictly in CGI. Here, the major flaw of "Fright Night - The Vampire Next Door" is an excessive use of computer graphics, even in occasions where traditional sfx and makeup had been able to do a better job. A flaw common to many current productions, where it is preferred, for example, facial morphing to show the true face of the vampire to the more classic (and more fascinating, in the opinion of the author) tricks based on prosthetics and blood based on food coloring. And in this, "Ammazzavampiri" by Holland abounded. Ok, you can't have everything and yet you can be satisfied with the new version of "Fright Night", which proves to be a fresh and fun product, rich in rhythm and with a spot-on cast. "Fright Night - The Vampire Next Door" was also presented in cinemas in 3D version.