Comedy is hard.Comedy plus horror is even harder.
There have been a handful of movies that have successfully walked the tightrope that is horror/comedy. An American Werewolf in London, Shaun of the Dead, Tremors, Slither and Zombieland spring to mind. Oh, and let’s not forget Fright Night.
Back in 1985, we were treated to the scary, yet tongue in cheek, Fright Night. Before he was Prince Humperdinck, Chris Sarandon was cool and scary as Jerry, the next door neighbor with a secret penchant for drinking blood. Fright Night was fun and scary, it was self-reflexive way before Scream, and it was on cable all of the time!
Since both remakes and vampires are currently in vogue, it was inevitable that we’d see a new take on Fright Night. From the cast alone, this one is shaping up to be promising. Anton Yelchin (the new Checkov) plays the teen convinced that his neighbor is more than he seems. Former drunkard Colin Farrell is the thirsty neighbor in question. Toni Collette, Christopher “When Will People Stop Calling Me McLovin’ Already” Mintz-Plasse and Dr. Who himself, David Tennant, also star.
With vampires quickly reaching a saturation point, only time will tell if the movie manages to be as clever, as meta or as sharp (pun kinda intended) as the original. After all, they totally missed the boat on the direct-to-DVD Lost Boys sequel. But I can't help but root for this remake to work.
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