Fright Night

It totally makes sense, vampires in Las Vegas. There are plenty of night jobs, a transient population, and a culture of decadence that makes it easy to get people alone. What makes even more sense is casting Colin Farrell as a Vampire. He is such a good actor that he elevates the genre and can switch effortlessly from light to dark, sexy to savage, and he navigates every tonal change like a master tightrope walker never making a false step.

Fright Night is a perfect date movie or a night out with the friends. It is scary, funny, and full of perfectly pitched performances that makes this movie better than the average scare fest. Anton Yelchin plays Charley Brewster, a teen-age boy who has ditched his childhood friend (Christoher Mintz-Plasse) in order to be with the stunning and vivacious Amy (Imogene Poots). When his former best friend tries to warn him that a vampire has moved next door, he blows him off to be with his new, cooler friends. But when Ed goes missing, Charley begins to take the warning more seriously. And when he discovers that Ed was right he goes to the only person who might believe him, Peter Vincent (David Tennant) a Vegas performer and vampire expert.

Peter Vincent is the star of a show called Fright Night and every evening he slays vampires on stage. But he is also a collector of vampire lore and artifacts so Charley and Amy go to him for help. David Tennant is hysterical as the pampered Vegas headliner. He lives in a pent house apartment which is decorated in display cases filled with everything vampire. But as fierce and courageous as he is on stage, in the privacy of his home he is a total coward. It is fun to watch him as his on-stage persona is literally peeled away revealing the milksop underneath.

Once Charley is convinced that vampires are real and his 400 year old neighbor is one of them he has to convince his single mom (Toni Collette) to stay away from the hot new neighbor. And Colin Farrell is hot. His vampire is charming, manly and hard to resist. He is also smart and it also doesn’t take him long to figure out that his identity has been revealed. His solution is to be even more aggressive and this is where the horror begins. He sets his sights on Charley, his mom and even Charley’s girlfriend. The stakes are high as Charley tries to drive in his own stake in new and creative ways. This film is a lot of fun and will satisfy the horror fan. It also plays well as a comedy. Fright Night is creative, fast paced, well-acted and a lot of laughs. Be sure to bring your garlic and crucifix.

Rating: First Run Colin Farrell will have you craning your neck