Fright Night

One of my favorite things about the month of October is it gives me the excuse to watch all my favorite scary movies all at one time. Well not really at one time, but you get the point.

This classic vampire film from 1985 isn't all that scary (anymore) but it is one of my favorite movies to watch once the weather starts to get a little colder and the nights start arriving earlier.

Synopsis From Back Cover:

Meet Jerry Dandridge. He's sweet, sexy, and he likes to sleep in late. You might think he's the perfect neighbor. But before inviting Jerry in for a nightcap, there's just one thing you should know. Jerry prefers his drinks warm, red - and straight from the jugular! It's Fright Night, a horrific howl starring Chris Sarandon as the seductive vampire and William Ragsdale as the frantic teenager struggling to keep Jerry's deadly fangs our of his neck. Only 17-year old Charley Brewster (Ragsdale) knows Jerry's bloodcurdling secret. When Charley can't get anybody to believe him, he turns to TV horror host Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall), who used to be the "Great Vampire Killer" of the movies. Can these mortals save Charley and his sweetheart Amy (Amanda Bearse) from the wrathful bloodsucker's toothy embrace?

The synopsis never even mentions Charley's best friend "Evil" Ed Thompson. He is probably one of the most annoying but funny characters to grace the silver screen. He is played by Stephen Geoffreys and is such a complete spaz that you can't but help love him while he is stealing scenes from his costars. Once he is turned into a vampire by Jerry Dandridge he gets even funnier. You almost feel sorry for him once he has his final showdown with Peter Vincent.

The other character I love in this movie is that of Peter Vincent. Played by the wonderful Roddy McDowall, Peter is the perfect combination of intrepid vampire hunter and washed up actor. The clips of his own movies are hilarious to watch and remind me of the old Hammer horror movies. I would hope they got the name Peter from Peter Cushing who starred as a vampire hunter in many of those movies.

So all I can say is for those of you who have never seen this movie, I implore you to watch it. For those of you who have watched it before, I ask that you give it another screening.