Fright Night

Fright Night follows affable teen Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) as he discovers that his charismatic neighbor (Colin Farrell’s Jerry) is, in fact, a vampire, with the film subsequently detailing Charley’s ongoing efforts at evading Jerry’s malicious advances and, eventually, killing the psychotic bloodsucker. It’s a strong (albeit familiar) premise that’s immediately threatened by a surprisingly (and distractingly) low-rent visual sensibility, as filmmaker Craig Gillespie, along with cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe, has infused Fright Night with a hackneyed artificial darkness (ie it’s almost as if the pair were trying to emulate the appearance of David Fincher’s movies) that both holds the viewer at arm’s length and highlights the laughably unconvincing computer-generated special effects. And while Farrell is admittedly quite good as the smooth, charismatic Jerry, Yelchin is simply unable to become the compelling protagonist that the narrative clearly requires – with the actor’s less-than-engrossing performance matched by an underwhelmingly bland supporting cast (eg Toni Collette, playing Charley’s concerned mother, is hopelessly wasted here). The movie’s various problems are compounded by its regrettable lack of strong horror elements, as Gillespie places a consistent emphasis on set-pieces of a decidedly lifeless nature (eg there’s a palpably awful Children of Men-like sequence in which Jerry attacks a car full of potential victims). By the time the nigh endless climax rolls around, Fright Night has certainly established itself as just another in a long line of needless horror remakes – with the movie’s failure especially disappointing given the strength of Farrell’s engaging performance (and it’s also worth noting that David Tennant does manage to inject some life into the proceedings with his small role as a Vegas vampire hunter).

*1/2 out of ****