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Fright Night

  • 1985
  • R
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
87K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,121
775
Fright Night (1985)
Trailer for Fright Night
Play trailer1:42
2 Videos
99+ Photos
Body HorrorDark ComedySupernatural HorrorTeen HorrorVampire HorrorHorror

"Fright Night" sees a teenager believing that the newcomer in his neighborhood is a vampire. He turns to an actor in a television hosted horror movie show for help to deal with the undead."Fright Night" sees a teenager believing that the newcomer in his neighborhood is a vampire. He turns to an actor in a television hosted horror movie show for help to deal with the undead."Fright Night" sees a teenager believing that the newcomer in his neighborhood is a vampire. He turns to an actor in a television hosted horror movie show for help to deal with the undead.

  • Director
    • Tom Holland
  • Writer
    • Tom Holland
  • Stars
    • Chris Sarandon
    • William Ragsdale
    • Amanda Bearse
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    87K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,121
    775
    • Director
      • Tom Holland
    • Writer
      • Tom Holland
    • Stars
      • Chris Sarandon
      • William Ragsdale
      • Amanda Bearse
    • 419User reviews
    • 172Critic reviews
    • 62Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 wins & 5 nominations total

    Videos2

    Fright Night
    Trailer 1:42
    Fright Night
    FRIGHT NIGHT (New and Exclusive) Trailer
    Trailer 1:41
    FRIGHT NIGHT (New and Exclusive) Trailer
    FRIGHT NIGHT (New and Exclusive) Trailer
    Trailer 1:41
    FRIGHT NIGHT (New and Exclusive) Trailer

    Photos352

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    + 346
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    Top Cast27

    Edit
    Chris Sarandon
    Chris Sarandon
    • Jerry Dandrige
    William Ragsdale
    William Ragsdale
    • Charley Brewster
    Amanda Bearse
    Amanda Bearse
    • Amy Peterson
    Roddy McDowall
    Roddy McDowall
    • Peter Vincent
    Stephen Geoffreys
    Stephen Geoffreys
    • Evil Ed
    Jonathan Stark
    • Billy Cole
    Dorothy Fielding
    Dorothy Fielding
    • Judy Brewster
    Art Evans
    Art Evans
    • Detective Lennox
    • (as Art J. Evans)
    Stewart Stern
    Stewart Stern
    • Cook
    Nick Savage
    • Bouncer #1
    Ernie Holmes
    • Bouncer #2
    Heidi Sorenson
    Heidi Sorenson
    • Hooker
    Irina Irvine
    • Teenage Girl
    Bob Corff
    Bob Corff
    • Jonathan
    • (as Robert Corff)
    Pamela Brown
    Pamela Brown
    • Miss Nina
    Chris Hendrie
    Chris Hendrie
    • Newscaster
    Prince Hughes
    • Bouncer #3
    • (as Prince A. Hughes)
    Christopher Lee
    Christopher Lee
    • Dracula
    • (archive footage)
    • Director
      • Tom Holland
    • Writer
      • Tom Holland
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews419

    7.186.9K
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    Featured reviews

    7deatman9

    So much better then the remake.

    This is another one of those examples where the classic is way better then the original. The remake completely changed the story line I would not even really call it a remake.The acting in this one is good and the special effects are actually creepy instead of that CGI crap. Really is a great classic horror.

    This movie is about a young guy named Charlie Brewster. While spying on his neighbours one day he sees things to lead him to the suspicion that his new neighbour is a vampire. He is scared for his life while everyone else is scared for his sanity.

    I have loved this movie since I was a kid it used to be scary then but now its just funny and enjoyable. Must see for horror fans if not might not enjoy it so much.
    7mmalsamie

    The first horror movie i've ever seen

    Classic, good vampire movie. Maybe not a great one, but still one of my favourites.
    7damianphelps

    Its as 80's as 80's can get

    The 80's dropped a few movies of this ilk that blended horror themes with comedy (House being another good one). Plants its tongue firmly in its cheek and just focuses on being entertaining. Its really good fun.

    Chris Sarandon is absolutely fantastic in this and the rest of cast contribute well.

    Keep an eye on your neighbour, you never know who lives next door?
    9elinspectordetimpanos

    One Great one

    After all this years (20) of vampire slaughtering, Blade's karate Vs vampire flicks, or even Carpenter's Rambo characters, Fright Night still offers the scent of a classic. Tom Holland's masterpiece holds by itself because of a great cast and a plot that gathers every single cliché of the genre and plays a bit with humor and a lot of effective spooks. Roddy Mc Dowall steals the movie with his over the hill terrified looser character. Even special effects are bizarre today as they're a craftsmanship result giving some scenes a bizarre concept that takes you directly into Roger Corman's "B" world. A true pleasure to watch from time to time. Happy 20 years
    8pjspeight_2k

    offbeat, cool, sexy and very 80s vampire tale (my favourite yet)

    Before I first watched Fright Night, I admit I was unsure about what to think about it. All I knew about it was from what I had been told from my Dad (though his likes/dislikes are generally on par with mine, they sometimes border on plain stupid). But when I saw it to the end, I was almost totally converted.

    Although the beginning is a bit cheesy and reminiscent of stereotypical horror B-movies, it soon becomes clear that this is part of what makes Fright Night so original. All the typical horror film genres are there: horror, romance, comedy (well maybe comedy isn't a typical horror element); but what makes this horror flick stand out a mile-and-a-half from the rest is that it's a very offbeat tale. It's creepily cheesy but gets away with it because it's atmosphere is so good.

    All this and I haven't mentioned the acting or special effects yet. Sarandon seems to give such an effortless performance as the vampire and as a result is almost perfect. I had thought of what a modern day vampire would be like before I saw Fright Night; but Jerry Dandridge just blew all these ideas away and has to be the coolest (and I don't often use that word) and sexiest vampire ever, and is one of my favourite movie villains. Roddy McDowall can't hold a candle to Sarandon but is still very good, and Stephen Geoffreys is one of the funniest and memorable movie characters ever to grace a film screen too.

    The special effects are good for 1985 and unlike where in modern films the SFX are the main point in the movie, here they add to the already present chilling atmosphere. And although on the one hand, Fright Night is quite dated, it also captures the atmosphere and the essence of the 80s. The soundtrack is excellent for the film, but paradoxically not very memorable (apart from one or two good songs).

    [I wish I'd been born before 1981 (maybe 1961) so that I could have lived in the late-70s and 80s, and would have memories of the best music from that time, and not the boybands/Beatles clones/dance ditties (not decent tunes mind) we have now.]

    All in all an (almost) perfect film: watch it and you'll (most likely) enjoy it and watch it again and again.

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    Related interests

    Jeff Goldblum in The Fly (1986)
    Body Horror
    Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Sian Clifford in Fleabag (2016)
    Dark Comedy
    Daveigh Chase in The Ring (2002)
    Supernatural Horror
    Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. in I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
    Teen Horror
    Tom Cruise and Indra Ové in Interview with the Vampire (1994)
    Vampire Horror
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Because of his theatrical roots and the long hours spent in the makeup chair, Chris Sarandon helped apply his own vampire makeup and often worked on the finger extensions while the makeup artists were putting appliances on his face.
    • Goofs
      In the attack scene in Charley's bedroom, Jerry Dandrige has his hand around Charley's neck and Charley drives a pencil into the top of his hand. In the next scene, Jerry pulls his hand away and looks at the pencil, and it is sticking more than halfway through his hand. If the pencil has been shoved that far down, it would have pierced Charley halfway through his neck.
    • Quotes

      [Jerry welcomes Charley and Peter Vincent to his home]

      Jerry Dandrige: Welcome to... Fright... Night! For real.

    • Crazy credits
      Just as the screen cuts to black at the end, Evil Ed can be heard saying, "You're so cool, Brewster!"
    • Alternate versions
      The Swedish version (cinema and video) misses the following: The transformation scene with Ed was removed (1m 50sec), and the scene where Dandrige's assistant melts was shortened by 16 sec.
    • Connections
      Edited into Fright Night Part 2 (1988)
    • Soundtracks
      Fright Night
      Written by Joe Lamont

      Produced by Seth Justman

      Performed by The J. Geils Band

      Courtesy of EMI America Records, a division of Capitol Records, Inc.

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    FAQ25

    • How long is Fright Night?Powered by Alexa
    • How did Jerry get into Charley's house if he wasn't invited inside?
    • What is 'Fright Night' about?
    • Is 'Fright Night' based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 2, 1985 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Sony Pictures
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La hora del espanto
    • Filming locations
      • Laird International Studio - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures
      • Vistar Films
      • Columbia Pictures Industries
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $9,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $24,922,237
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $6,118,543
      • Aug 4, 1985
    • Gross worldwide
      • $24,924,175
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 46m(106 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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