Tag Archives: Fright Night

Saturday is Horror Day #189 – Sharknado 2: The Second One, Fright Night (1985)

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Sharknado 2: The Second One

Having successfully defeated the Sharknado in LA, Fin(Ian Ziering) and ex-wife April (Tara Reid) head to New York City for some family time with Fin’s sister Ellen (Kari Wuhrer) and her husband Martin (Mark McGrath) and their children Mora (Courtney Baxter) and Vaughn (Dante Palminteri). Despite having been close friends at one time, Fin and Martin are barely on speaking terms now. On the plane to New York, a freak occurrence happens in the form of another Sharknado! In the course of fighting if off, in order to save the plane and its passengers, Fin is forced to fly the plane and April ends up losing a hand.

They arrive in New York safely. The original plan is for April to join Ellen and Mora for some girl time,

while Fin joins Martin and Vaughn for a Mets game. But plans change, due to April’s injury. As if this wasn’t bad enough, strange weather patterns are emerging – an arctic front from the north, which is bringing snow to NYC in July! And a warm Gulf stream bearing sharks from the South., which are feared will form into Sharnados. Al Roker and Matt Lauer follow the action for their viewers on The Today Show as Fin finds himself having to go to Met Stadium to rescue his brother-in-law and nephew and hopefully meeting Ellen and Mora at their agreed upon rendezvous point. Meanwhile, April refuses to lie quietly in the hospital when there is work to be done.

The second Sharknado film is actually funnier and more interesting than the first one as it doesn’t even pretend to take itself seriously. There are a number of Easter eggs, and I’m sure I didn’t get them all. For example the Airplane references in the airplane they take to New York, including Robert Hays as the pilot. They end up in a taxi driven by…. Judd Hirsch. Andy Dick plays a cop, Richard Kind a one time baseball great, Robert Klein is the mayor, and so on. Vivica A. Fox plans an old wanna-be girlfriend of Ziering and she kicks major add in this. Some I didn’t realize were there until I saw the credits include Billy Ray Cyrus and Kelly Osborne.

Great moments in filmmaking? No, it’s not. Fun to watch? Yeah, I thought so. And I plan to keep watching them. I’ll give this film 3 Stars.

Fright Night(1985)

Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) is a typical teen with the usual things on his mind – having sex with his girlfriend Amy (Amanda Bearse) and watching late night horror shows such as Fright Night, hosted by premiere vampire killer Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowell). But he quickly becomes more interested in what’s going on next door when he sees two men carry what looks like a coffin into a newly sold house. He learns from his mother Judy (Dorothy Fielding) that the house has indeed been sold. While looking out his window, Charley spies a pretty young woman in the window next door, next to a man who unexpectedly bares what appear to be fangs, before drawing the shade on whatever is happening. The next day, Charlie learns of another murder of a young woman in their city, and he knows it was the woman he saw, and his next door neighbor is a vampire!

Neither Charley’s best friend Evil Ed (Stephen Geoffreys) nor Amy believe him. Charley tries to

involve the police, but ends up looking foolish. Desperate, he doesn’t know where to turn until he remembers Peter Vincent and turns to him, unaware the actor has just been fired and is in rather desperate straits himself. But even the vampire killer doesn’t want to help Charley. What’s a boy to do?

Charley thinks he has the answer because Ed tells  him a vampire can’t enter your home unless he is invited, but that plan fails when his mom calls him down to meet their new neighbor, Jerry (Chris Sarandon), whom she has invited over. The vampire lets Charley know he is on to him and has unpleasant things in store for him. Charley has to find a way to contain Jerry and keep him continuing to kill the residents of his town.

Before I watched this, I saw the 2011 version and I wasn’t sure what to expect from the original, or how closely the two films resemble one another. The answer is they do have the same characters and basic plots. And the original was actually pretty good. I was afraid it would be a cheesy 80s flick but it wasn’t. It’s usually fun to watch actors in their younger days, and this is true here. I remember William Ragsdale, who plays Charley, in a series which I enjoyed called Herman’s Head, while Amanda Bearse/Amy is best known for playing Marcy Darcy in Married With Children. Roddy McDowell is famous for many things, but if you want to see him do more horror, watch the comedy horror film Arnold and a segment of Night Gallery called The Cemetery, both of which I enjoyed

I liked Fright Night, and I plan to look for the sequel. Not sure if I want to see the modern sequel, since it looks like none of the original actors came back. This version is enjoyable. And I have to say the dance sequence between Jerry and Amy was rather seductive. I give this film 4 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #188 – Bunny Lake is Missing, Fright Night (2011)

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Bunny Lake is Missing

 


Moving can be a very busy  and confusing time, especially if you’re moving to another country. Ann Lake (Carol Lynley) has just moved to London with her daughter Bunny to live with her brother Steven (Keir Dullea). Steven has to work so he can’t deal with the movers, so Ann has to drop her child off at the school earlier than she had planned. She takes her to a particular room as instructed, but no one is there except for another child, who is a baby. Leaving Bunny there, Ann searches for the staff, and ends up in the kitchen where she encounters the cook (Lucie Mannheim). The cook has her own rant and barely listens to Ann, telling her to go on and go, she will watch the child for the few minutes until the others arrive. Ann reluctantly does so and oversees the move. She returns later, at lunchtime, to pick up her child – but Bunny is nowhere to be found and no one remembers seeing her.

 

Panic-stricken, Ann calls Steven and he hastens to her. They question everyone in the school, but the 


responses they receive are evasive and uncaring. Steven threatens to call the police and then does so. Superintendent Newhouse (Laurence Olivier) arrives with Police Sgt. Andrews (Clive Revill) and begin to take down the facts. Ann is beside herself with worry, but she seems to be the only one. Eventually, she begins to realize that the questions that are being asked are all leading toward a different question – does Bunny Lake actually exist, or is she a figment of Ann’s imagination?

 

I remember when this book came out, years ago, but I don’t think I ever got to read it (I would have 


been too young at that time and forgot about it). But something jogged my memory recently and I requested the movie from the library. This is a beautifully crafter psychological thriller. Ann is becoming increasingly frustrated that people think she doesn’t even have a daughter, and she is being dismissed as another hysterical woman. Keir Dullea’s performance as Steven led to him being offered a role in Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Otto Preminger directed Bunny Lake. And of course there is the amazing and unforgettable Laurence Olivier as the only person who seems to be interested in what Ann has to say.

 

 

 
As you watch this film, you begin to doubt whether Bunny exists at all, and maybe Ann is more than a little unhinged. The pacing is awesome, and I think that being in black and white sets a mood that color couldn’t do. I enjoyed this film greatly and highly recommend it. I’ll give it 4.5 Stars.
 
Fright Night (2011)
 

Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) has always been known as a nerd, but now that he has a girlfriend, Amy (Imogen Poots), he’d rather change his image. So it’s almost inevitable that he doesn’t want to listen to his ex-best friend, Ed (Christopher Mintz-Passe) when he warns Charley that his new next door neighbor, Jerry (Colin Farrell) is a vampire. Whoever heard of a vampire named Jerry? He might be annoying, sure, but that’s because Charley’s mom Jane (Toni Collette) is flirting with him. But a vampire? The idea is ridiculous.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Until suddenly Ed disappears, and Charley sees things he can’t explain. So naturally he breaks into the 

alleged vampire’s house and realizes he is in over his head. Who can he call on that will know anything about vampires? Turns out, since he lives in Las Vegas, there is someone. None other than the great Peter Vincent himself (David Tennant). But getting the renowned performer to listen is another task. And he has to keep his mother from inviting Jerry into the house! What’s a guy to do?
 
 
 
 
 
This is a remake of the 1985 film, which I haven’t seen yet but probably should. So I can’t really compare them yet. But I found this one enjoyable. Colin Ferrell plays a rather intimidating vampire – I sure wouldn’t go up against him. I think everyone did a good job, it certainly held my interest. And David Tennant was awesome, not to mention rather hot as Peter Vincent, although not without some character flaws of his own. I enjoyed watching this, and I think it’s a fun movie, especially if you like vampires, as I do. I’ll give this film 3.5 Stars.