What would happen if the new guy in the neighborhood that everyone seems to like turns out to be a vampire? That is the central question raised in Fright Night. Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) a teenager lives across the street from the new arrival, Jerry (Colin Farrell) but Charley is so busy with his new hot girlfriend and recently found acceptance by the most popular kids that he doesn’t give Jerry much thought. But he does take note when his mom, (Toni Collette) flirts with Jerry and his former best friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) points out one of their friends as well as other kids have stopped coming to school. Ed believes there is a connection between the disappearances and Jerry. Since entering into the ranks of the cool kids, Charley has dropped the nerdy Ed but reluctantly agrees to go with him to investigate the disappearance of their friend. That investigation leads Charley to realize there really is something very strange about Jerry.
Fright Night fails to deliver and gets a ghoulish Dead on Arrival rating. The first problem is Anton Yelchin as the lead character. He has almost no screen presence and is overshadowed by any one that he shares a scene with. Christopher Mintz-Plasse who plays Ed is funny, yet determined and unashamed to be who he. Mintz-Plasse seems to make Yelchin irrelevant whenever they are on the screen together.
However on the other hand, Colin Farrell is eerily effective as Jerry your friendly neighborhood vampire.
Then there is the story itself which conveniently ignores details that realistically would be important. Like know no one seems to notice, accept Ed that KIDS HAVE STOPPED COMING TO SCHOOL! Wouldn’t parents report their kids missing?! Wouldn’t the schools officials become concerned? A house explodes and the next day it just sits there in the neighborhood. No police investigation. No yellow tape. Nothing.
And the dialogue is laughable at times it shouldn’t be. When Jerry the vampire has just tried to kill them and they escape in their car with Jerry in hot pursuit, Charley’s mother turns to Charley and says: “This is seriously NOT okay”. I guess when Jerry tried to kill to them that was kind of not okay but chasing them in the car was now SERIOUSLY not okay.
As to our Cast Diversity rating, Fright Night gets a “D”. Only a few people of color in minor roles.
The point is Fright Night is frightfully bad. It’s “R” for bloody horror violence, and language including some sexual references and is two hours long. Again, it’s Dead on Arrival.
harlemcritic 