Fright Night Remake (2011) - Page 5

The Limey · #41 20th August 2011, 11:09 AM

Looks as though Dreadcentral are also fans of the remake:

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Let's start off this review by just going ahead and addressing the elephant in the room. Yes, Tom Holland's Fright Night is by far one of the best vampire movies to come out of the 1980s, and like many of you horror fans out there, I have been completely apprehensive about DreamWorks remaking it ever since the film went into production late last year.
Sure, you had one of the most compelling genre writers behind the script ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer" alum Marti Noxon), an imaginative director at the helm (Lars and the Real Girl's Craig Gillespie) and an insanely gifted cast assembled to introduce a new generation of fans out there to the world of Fright Night; and yet, I still couldn’t help but be skeptical. After all, Holland's original film remains one of my very favorite movies (genre or otherwise), and initially I felt like a part of my childhood was being stolen from me.

But now that I've had the opportunity to check out the new Fright Night for myself (twice), I've definitely done a 180 on the subject. Not only is Fright Night a brutally fun horror flick. but it's also one of the best remakes I've seen over the last few years. And for those of you nervous about seeing another one of your favorites getting remade, don't worry too much- it's absolutely clear after seeing it that both DreamWorks and Gillespie approached this project with the utmost love and respect for Holland's original story.

In a filmmaking climate where so many remakes stumble, Fright Night has managed to get everything right and make a fan out of me. With an exceptionally talented cast assembled, an innovative director at the wheel and one of the best genre writers attached, Fright Night is one of those rare remakes that has the ability to hold its head up proudly on its own merits (there are plenty of surprises in the last 20 minutes that should manage to keep fans of the original guessing until the very end) but also manages to loving pay its respect to its source material without ever taking anything away from the original film or trying to duplicate what made Tom Holland's classic film so special to its loyal fans.

4 out of 5

Fright Night (2011) | Horror Movie, DVD, & Book Reviews, News, Interviews at Dread Central

Slippery Jack · #42 20th August 2011, 11:38 AM

I haven't seen the original - waaaah!

I have the chance to see it at Fright Fest next weekend. Thought about giving it a miss, but I'll probably check it out . . .

benoitfunk · #43 21st August 2011, 11:54 AM

Slippery Jack, I think it would be interesting to hear the opinion of someone who HASN'T seen the original film. Personally, I think the trailers make it look a lot of fun (and reviews certainly seem pretty glowing). As a fan of the original and its sequel, I'm certainly in no great hurry to see it, but that could just be me being blinkered by childhood memories. (Like many, to me it's redundant).

It would be horrible to think that this new version puts people off checking out the original, but on the basis of what I've seen in the trailers, I think it's possible that a whole load of new (non-teeny bopper) horror fans (who aren't basing their opinions on nostalgia) might discover it. I like to think it's safe to say that they'll love the original as much as the rest of us...

Slippery Jack · #44 21st August 2011, 04:18 PM

I think it was Kim Newman's rather average review that put me off a bit, plus the trailer didn't interest me all that much. But like I say, I'll probably end up watching it - I'll let you know a week on monday!

platostotal · #45 21st August 2011, 04:30 PM

I've come to respect the thoughts of my peers posting here higher than any critic, so will check this out. But as a big fan of the original, I'm hoping to get big kick out of it.

wayfarer · #46 21st August 2011, 04:52 PM

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Originally Posted by Slippery Jack

I think it was Kim Newman's rather average review that put me off a bit, plus the trailer didn't interest me all that much. But like I say, I'll probably end up watching it - I'll let you know a week on monday!

The trailer didn't interest me either although it wasn't as bad as the new Howling trailer. So, i was pleasantly surprised that the movie was so much better. In fact, in my review I urge potential viewers to avoid the trailer.

BTW Where was Kim Newman's review published?

Slippery Jack · #47 21st August 2011, 05:51 PM

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Originally Posted by wayfarer

BTW Where was Kim Newman's review published?

Well I did read it on empire's site a few weeks ago, but I couldn't find it again last time I looked. Maybe it was a mistake and it got put up too early . . .

wayfarer · #48 22nd August 2011, 08:07 AM

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Originally Posted by Slippery Jack

Well I did read it on empire's site a few weeks ago, but I couldn't find it again last time I looked. Maybe it was a mistake and it got put up too early . . .

Thanks. I was curious. I've been embargoed until 29th August and Kim Newman was at that same showing. Not that I'd expect him to have the same restrictions.

Detector · #49 25th August 2011, 01:50 AM

just seen a few trailers for this and i think they have killed the good name of Fright Night. firstly they have not even bothered about any good makeup or contacts. just a crapppy cgi.

secondly, whoever wrote the part of peter vincent needs sacking, david tennant is much better than that. instead he is an absythe alcoholic. wasted

wayfarer · #50 25th August 2011, 08:04 AM

Totally disagree, having seen the film and not just the trailers. It's an entertaining movie. If you want a carbon copy of the 1985 original then don't go and see this. It resembles the original about as much as the later version of Dawn of the Dead resembles the 1978 version; but if you want a fun, thrilling film using elements from Tom Holland's story then Fright Night 2011 works for different reasons.

For more views on the movie, see this thread; http://www.cult-labs.com/forums/horr...ue-2011-a.html