Fright Night | |
---|---|
Based on | Characters created by Tom Holland |
Release date | 1985–present |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $68,908,628 (Total of 3 films) |
Box office | ≤ $47,100,000 (Total of 3 films) [lower-alpha 1] |
The Fright Night franchise consists of American vampire horror-comedy films, including three theatrical releases with an original movie, its sequel and a remake, followed by one straight-to-home video sequel to the remake. Based on an original story by writer-director Tom Holland, the overall plot of each installment follows an adolescent hero who determines that his next door neighbor is a real-life vampire and his pursuits in defeating the monster.
The original film was met with positive financial and critical reception. [1] [2] Conversely its sequel lost money for the studio, and was met with negative response from critics. [3] Despite this, it has found some welcoming retrospective praise in later years. [4] [5] The 2011 remake movie was deemed a critical and box office success. [6] [7] In modern-day analysis, film critics have deemed the film to be one of the best horror remakes of all-time, [8] [9] [10] with some arguing that its a better movie than the original. [11] [12] [13] The film's respective sequel was met with overwhelming negative reception from film critics, and earned little income from video rentals. [14] [15] [16]
The franchise will continue with a legacy-sequel to the 1985 movie, currently in development. [17] [18]
Film | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fright Night | August 2, 1985 | Tom Holland | Herb Jaffe | |
Fright Night Part 2 | May 19, 1989 | Tommy Lee Wallace | Tommy Lee Wallace and Tim Metcalfe & Miguel Tejada-Flores | Herb Jaffe and Mort Engelberg |
Fright Night | August 19, 2011 | Craig Gillespie | Marti Noxon | Michael De Luca and Alison Rosenzweig |
Fright Night 2: New Blood | September 30, 2013 | Eduardo Rodríguez | Matt Venne | Michael J. Gaeta and Alison R. Rosenzweig |
Charley Brewster, a teenage fan of a weekly television series titled Fright Night who is an avid horror enthusiast, begins to question the intentions of the neighbor who recently moved into the neighborhood named Jerry Dandrige, and his roommate Billy Cole. After a number of occurrences, Charley begins to suspect that Jerry may actually be a vampire. When a series of suspicious homicides involving women are brought to light, Charley is convinced that Jerry is responsible. After attempts to inform the police prove unsuccessful, Charley, his girlfriend Amy, and his friend Edward "Evil Ed" Thompson seek the help of has-been host of his favorite television program, Peter Vincent. Though Peter is initially skeptical, he begins to realize there is more to Charley's suspicions than everyone realizes. Together the team looks for a way to kill the vampire living next door. [19] [20] [21]
After three years of overcoming his trauma from the events that transpired with his vampiric neighbor, Charley Brewster realizes that the incident is improbable. The now twenty-year-old survivor attends numerous counseling sessions, where his counselor is convinced that the undead monsters he came in contact with years before were merely figments of his overactive imagination. As a part of his therapy, he avoids contact with Peter Vincent who had helped him slay the vampires. When several new residents move into the neighborhood, including the seductive actress named Regine Dandrige, Charley begins to question their intentions. Charley realizes that she is Jerry's sister, as she begins to take unusual interest in Charley, his new girlfriend Alex, and Peter. The team come to the conclusion that she is a vampire seeking revenge for the destruction of her undead brother. Haunted by the past, and hunted by a monster, Charley must overcome his fears to once again defeat the monsters that feast on the civilians of his town. [5] [22] [4]
Charley Brewster, a teenage senior in high school who's dating the most popular girl at school named Amy, is enjoying his school year. This changes however, when Jerry Dandrige moves in next door. Jerry is charismatic and becomes a person of interest, when Charley witnesses some unusual activity going on next door. After a series of events, Charley becomes convinced that his new neighbor is a vampire. Though he shares his theory with others, no one believes him. Together with his girlfriend, he seeks the help of an illusionist and expert of the supernatural named Peter Vincent. As a team, they set out to kill the monster that is plaguing their neighborhood, before he overtakes them all. [23] [24] [25] [26] [27]
Some time after their near-death experiences while encountering Jerry Dandrige, Charley Brewster attends a college in Romania as a foreign exchange student, alongside his friend "Evil" Ed and his ex-girlfriend Amy. Following a series of events, he begins to suspect that his seductive art professor Gerri Dandrige may also be undead. As he begins to investigate his suspicions further he discovers that she is actually the ancient Elizabeth Báthory, a vampire who seeks to complete a pagan ritual with the blood of a "new moon virgin" and that she plans to do so with Amy. Though their relationship didn't last, Charley still loves Amy, and is determined to stop the sacrifice from happening. As things seem to be hopeless he turns once again to the person that helped him defeat Jerry, the vampire hunter Peter Vincent. Together they race against time, to stop the monsters from completing their scheme which will turn them all into creatures of the night. [14] [28]
In October 2020, Tom Holland announced that a legacy sequel to the original film which largely ignores the events of Part 2 , was in development. Holland stated that he is working on a script that is tentatively titled, Fright Night: Resurrection. The project will largely, retcon the events of the 1988 sequel. Though the filmmaker would not reveal many of the story details, he stated that the plot involves original characters: Charlie Brewster, Edward "Evil Ed" Thompson, Jerry Dandrige, and Billy Cole. [17] [18]
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.
Character | Title | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fright Night (1985) | Fright Night Part 2 | Fright Night (2011) | Fright Night 2: New Blood | ||
Charley Brewster | William Ragsdale | Anton Yelchin | Will Payne | ||
Jerry Dandrige | Chris Sarandon | mentioned | Colin Farrell | mentioned | |
Edward “Evil Ed” Lee | Stephen Geoffreys | Christopher Mintz-Plasse | Chris Waller | ||
Peter Vincent | Roddy McDowall | David Tennant | Sean Power | ||
Regine Dandrige | Julie Carmen | ||||
Elizabeth Báthory Gerri Dandridge | Jaime Murray | ||||
Amy Peterson | Amanda Bearse | Imogen Poots | Sacha Parkinson | ||
Alex Young | Traci Lind | ||||
Film | Crew/Detail | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Composer | Cinematographer | Editor | Production companies | Distributing company | Running time | |||
Fright Night (1985) | Brad Fiedel | Jan Kiesser | Kent Beyda | Columbia Pictures, Vistar Films, Columbia-Delphi IV Productions | Columbia Pictures | 1hr 46mins | ||
Fright Night Part 2 | Mark Irwin | Jay Lash Cassidy | The Vista Organization, New Century Vista Film Company | TriStar Pictures | 1hr 44mins | |||
Fright Night (2011) | Ramin Djawadi | Javier Aguirresarobe | Tatiana S. Riegel | DreamWorks Pictures, Michael De Luca Productions, Gaeta/Rosenzweig Films | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | 1hr 46mins | ||
Fright Night 2: New Blood | Luis Ascanio | Yaron Levy | Don Adams | 20th Century Fox, Gaeta / Rosenzweig Films | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment | 1hr 39mins | ||
Film | Box office gross | Box office ranking | Video sales gross | Worldwide sales total | Budget | Worldwide total net income | Ref. | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North America | Other territories | Worldwide | All-time domestic | All-time worldwide | North America | |||||
Fright Night (1985) | $24,922,237 | — | $24,922,237 | #3,196 | #4,460 | figures not available | > $24,922,237 | $7,000,000 | > $17,922,237 | [1] [29] [30] |
Fright Night Part 2 | $2,983,784 | — | $2,983,784 | #7,324 | #11,283 | figures not available | > $2,983,784 | $8,000,000 | > -$5,016,216 | [3] [31] [32] |
Fright Night (2011) | $18,302,607 | $22,700,000 | $41,002,607 | #3,834 | #2,949 | $10,738,948 | $51,741,555 | $30,000,000 | $21,741,555 | [6] [33] |
Fright Night 2: New Blood | — | — | — | — | — | $1,009,614 | $1,009,614 | < $2,100,000 | ~ -$1,090,386 | [16] [34] [35] |
Totals | $46,208,628 | $22,700,000 | $68,908,628 | x̅ #3,589 | x̅ #4,673 | $11,748,562 | > $80,657,190 | ≤ $47,100,000 | > ~$33,557,190 |
Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
---|---|---|---|
Fright Night(1985) | 92% (38 reviews) [2] | 62/100 (13 reviews) [36] | — |
Fright Night Part 2 | 30% (10 reviews) [37] | — | — |
Fright Night(2011) | 72% (180 reviews) [7] | 64/100 (30 reviews) [38] | B− [39] |
Fright Night 2: New Blood | TBD [15] | — | — |
The official stage adaptation made its debut at the Carnegie Stage in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 5, 2018. Directed by Erynn Dalton, with a stage-play written by James Michael Shoberg, the production was a joint-venture production between Rage of the Stage Players, and Infinite Abyss studios. Dan Finkel, Elena Cristina Lázaro, Greg Crawford, Corey Shaffer, Brian Ceponis, and Ryan Ott featured in the primary cast: Charley Brewster, Amy Petersen, Peter Vincent, Edward "Evil Ed" Thompson, Jerry Dandrige, and Billy Cole, respectively. The plot closely followed that of the original film, while adding additional content and plot devices.
The play was well received by critics with praise directed at its cast, the script, its use of nostalgic undertones, the cast's performance, the production quality including costumes and set design, the integration of horror-campiness, the suspenseful story, and the interactive nature of the play. Criticism was directed at its pacing. [40] [41]
Christopher Sarandon is an American actor. He is well known for playing Jerry Dandrige in Fright Night (1985), Prince Humperdinck in The Princess Bride (1987), Detective Mike Norris in Child's Play (1988), and Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Leon Shermer in Dog Day Afternoon (1975).
Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve classic horror characters such as Baron Victor Frankenstein, Count Dracula, and the Mummy, which Hammer reintroduced to audiences by filming them in vivid colour for the first time. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies, as well as, in later years, television series.
Fright Night is a 1985 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Tom Holland, in his directorial debut. The film follows teenager Charley Brewster, who discovers that his next-door neighbor Jerry Dandrige is a vampire. When no one believes him, Charley decides to get Peter Vincent, a TV show host who acted in films as a vampire hunter, to stop Jerry's killing spree.
James Wan is an Australian filmmaker. He has primarily worked in the horror genre as the co-creator of the Saw and Insidious franchises and the creator of The Conjuring Universe. The lattermost is the highest-grossing horror franchise at over $2 billion. Wan is also the founder of film and television production company Atomic Monster.
Robert William Ragsdale is an American actor. He is known for playing Charley Brewster in the cult horror-comedy film Fright Night (1985) and its sequel Fright Night Part 2 (1988), and Herman Brooks on the television series Herman's Head (1991–94).
Thomas Lee Holland is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, penning the 1983 sequel to the classic Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho, directing and co-writing the first entry in the long-running Child's Play franchise, and writing and directing the cult vampire film Fright Night. He also directed the Stephen King adaptations The Langoliers and Thinner. He is a two-time Saturn Award recipient. Holland made the jump into children’s literature in 2018 when he co-wrote How to Scare a Monster with fellow writer Dustin Warburton.
Fright Night Part 2 is a 1988 American supernatural horror film directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, the sequel to the 1985 film Fright Night. Roddy McDowall and William Ragsdale reprise their roles as Charley Brewster and Peter Vincent, alongside new cast members Traci Lind, Julie Carmen and Jon Gries. Composer Brad Fiedel also returned with another distinct synthesizer score.
Stephen Geoffrey Miller, known professionally as Stephen Geoffreys, is an American actor. Rising to prominence in teen films in the 1980s, Geoffreys is perhaps best known for his role as high school misfit-turned vampire, "Evil Ed" in the 1985 horror film Fright Night, in addition to both starring and supporting performances in Heaven Help Us (1985), Fraternity Vacation (1985), At Close Range (1986), and 976-EVIL (1988).
Francis Fitzgerald "Larry" Vincent was an American television horror host, famed for his character Seymour, who presented—and heckled—low-budget horror and science fiction movies on Fright Night on KHJ-TV and Seymour's Monster Rally on KTLA, both local stations in Los Angeles between 1969 and 1974. He was noted for his style of criticizing the movies he presented in an offbeat and funny manner, usually appearing in a small window which would pop up in the corner, tossing a quip, then vanishing again. Sometimes he would, using blue-screen, appear in the middle of the movie, apparently interacting with the characters in the movie.
John Skipp is a splatterpunk horror and fantasy author and anthology editor, as well as a songwriter, screenwriter, film director, and film producer. He collaborated with Craig Spector on multiple novels, and has also collaborated with Marc Levinthal and Cody Goodfellow. He worked as editor-in-chief of both Fungasm Press and Ravenous Shadows.
Christopher Charles Mintz-Plasse is an American actor. Primarily known for his work in comedy films, he has performed roles such as Fogell (McLovin) in Superbad (2007), Augie Farcques in Role Models (2008), and Chris D'Amico in Kick-Ass (2010) and its sequel Kick-Ass 2 (2013).
Fright Night is a 1985 horror film.
FrightFest, also known as Arrow Video FrightFest is an annual film festival held in London and Glasgow. The festival holds three major events each year: a festival running five days over the UK late August Bank Holiday weekend, a Halloween event held in London in late October, and a festival in Glasgow held around February as part of the Glasgow Film Festival.
Fright Night is a 2011 American supernatural horror film directed by Craig Gillespie and produced by Michael De Luca and Alison Rosenzweig. A remake of Tom Holland's 1985 film, the film's screenplay was adapted by Marti Noxon. It stars Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Toni Collette, Imogen Poots, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and David Tennant. The plot follows a teenaged boy who discovers that his neighbor is actually a vampire, which culminates in a battle between the two. The film held its world premiere at The O2 in London on August 14, 2011. It was released in the United States by Touchstone Pictures on August 19, 2011.
"No One Believes Me" is a song by American musician Kid Cudi, written and produced alongside his fellow WZRD bandmate Dot da Genius, for the 2011 horror film Fright Night. The song was released on August 23, 2011 for digital download. Kid Cudi and Dot da Genius wrote the track staying true to the original Fright Night (1985) but also to "stand on its own, separate from the soundtrack".
Jerry Dandrige is a fictional character from the Fright Night franchise, a vampire who first appears in the 1985 film Fright Night portrayed by Chris Sarandon, which was later spun-off into a comic book series that used Sarandon's likeness. Dandrige, portrayed by Colin Farrell, also appears in the 2011 remake, in both of which he is the main antagonist. The original screenplay and film credits spell his last name "Dandrige", but some secondary sources, including the makers of the tie-in comics, use the spelling, "Dandridge".
Curse of Chucky is a 2013 American slasher film and the sixth installment of the Child's Play franchise. The film was written and directed by Don Mancini, who created the franchise and wrote the first six films. It stars Fiona Dourif, Danielle Bisutti, Brennan Elliott, Maitland McConnell, Chantal Quesnelle, Summer Howell, A Martinez, and Brad Dourif. The film grossed $3.8 million in DVD sales.
Fright Night 2: New Blood is a 2013 American horror film directed by Eduardo Rodríguez. It is a direct-to-video homage sequel to the 2011 remake of Fright Night. None of the actors from the previous film reprise their roles, and the plot is similar to both the original Fright Night and its remake.
Fright Night is a 1988 comic book series published by Now Comics. It is based on the 1985 film Fright Night. The first two issues simply adapt the film, but after that the plots are original.