“Fright Night” on the Right Night

I’m sure you all have big, grand plans for this Friday night. It’s Halloween; the weather has been cooperating, and you are ready to whip out that killer costume that you have been hoarding since you snagged it off the clearance rack at Spirit last November. Actually, it is more likely that you will be making a frantic trip to the La Vale Walmart sometime in the next three days to try to throw together something not entirely lame for your friend’s Halloween party that she only invited you to yesterday. Procrastination, after all, is our greatest skill as college students. After Friday night’s shenanigans, you are sure to feel in a spooky mood. However, that pounding headache you’ll be enduring from staying up well past your bed time will implore you to stay in your warm bed. Good news: you can quell your spooky craving whilst remaining secure indoors! Netflix and Hulu have a wide variety of streaming titles themed for your fall enjoyment.

You could, of course, peruse the horror section of Netflix. There are also some wonderful classics available, such as “Ghostbusters,” “The Adams Family,” “Haunted Mansion” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” My recommendation, however, is for the movie “Fright Night.” It’s a 1985 film (you may have heard of the 2011 remake) about a teenage boy named Charley who lives with his single mother in a small suburb of Las Vegas. Charley absolutely loves sitting down to a good horror movie and is thoroughly convinced that most of the happenings around him are supernatural or sinister in at least one way. When Charley suspects that his new neighbor is a vampire, rather than the innocent and well-meaning man he claims to be, no one believes him and chalks the insane theory up to Charley’s overactive imagination. However, announcing to the whole town his sinister intentions, Jerry (the neighbor) reveals himself to Charley. He tells him, “Forget about me and I’ll forget about you.” Charley refuses and continues attempting to reveal Jerry’s true identity to the rest of his community.

Charley’s favorite show, “Fright Night,” is hosted by classic horror movie vampire hunter, Peter Vincent. Charley believes that Vincent will be ecstatic to help, but he brushes him off as an obsessed fan. Charley’s concerned girlfriend, Amy, worries that Charley is going crazy; she hires Vincent to pretend to prove that Jerry is not a vampire so that Charley can enjoy some piece of mind. Vincent agrees to get Jerry to drink fake Holy water (because using real Holy water would be sacrilegious), but he catches Jerry’s reflection (or lack thereof) in his pocket mirror and finally comes around to Charley’s side. Charley and Peter Vincent encounter many roadblocks in their quest to rid the world of evil vampire Jerry. Jerry uses Charley’s friends and loved ones against him, strategically transforming those who surround him into monsters.

The movie twists and turns and is all around a great film. Keep in mind that it was produced in the early 80’s, however, so it is a tad bit campy. The opening scene makes it seem way more outdated than it actually is; when the beginning credits roll, you only see the outside of a house while hearing dialogue that could only be found in a 1960’s B-movie horror flick. This is only a scene from Charley’s favorite show, however, so stick it out through at least the first five minutes because it gets better. There is romance, horror and action. It’s not scary enough to make you lay awake at night, but it’s not a 3 p.m. after-school special, either. This film is great for anytime of fall, but since it’s almost Halloween, it’s a great time to watch this creepy flick.

Above image from theosmovies.com.