Fright Night (1985)
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A teenager discovers his new neighbor is a vampire and must seek help from a horror host to stop him.
The story
Seventeen-year-old Charley Brewster is a fan of a late-night horror television program hosted by the fictional vampire hunter Peter Vincent. His life is upended when he discovers that his new next-door neighbor, Jerry Dandrige, is actually a vampire responsible for several local disappearances. When his mother refuses to believe him, Charley seeks help from his friends and eventually reaches out to the real-life persona of Peter Vincent. As the threat of Jerry's predatory nature grows, Charley must find a way to confront the vampire before he becomes the next victim, leading to a desperate alliance with the man who hunts the undead.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Charley Brewster discovers his neighbor Jerry Dandrige is a vampire. After his mother refuses to believe him, Charley enlists the help of his friends and the horror host Peter Vincent. The plot follows their escalating conflict with Jerry, who eventually turns Charley's friend 'Evil Ed' into a vampire. The story culminates in a confrontation at Jerry's house where Charley and Peter must use a crucifix and sunlight to defeat the vampire. The film ends with a final scene where Charley and his girlfriend Amy are together, while a mysterious presence is glimpsed in Jerry's empty house.
- First release year
- 1985
- Runtime (minutes)
- 106
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tom Holland
- Writers
- Tom Holland · writer
- Cast and characters
- Chris Sarandon · Jerry Dandrige; William Ragsdale · Charley Brewster; Amanda Bearse · Amy Peterson; Stephen Geoffreys · Evil Ed; Roddy McDowall · Peter Vincent
- Genres
- supernatural horror
- Tone and mood
- horror; humor
- Premise and plot tags
- vampire; teen horror
- Franchise connections
- Fright Night
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics and became a cult classic.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 83% · scale: percentage · review count: 66; Metacritic · score: 62 · scale: 100 · review count: 13
- Production trivia
- The character Peter Vincent was named after icons Peter Cushing and Vincent Price.; The film was the lowest-budgeted film for Columbia Pictures at the time.; One of the props used in the film was an early or possibly the first example of a vampire killing kit.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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