A teenager suspects that his new neighbor is a vampire.
Slick popcorn horror, faithful to the fun and flair of the original. The 3D works, the cast appeals, the action’s fast (but not so frightening). A decent remake – it just needs more bite.
Funny and scary — and sometimes both at once — it lives up to the original, even if it fails to surpass it.
Farrell is both funny and creepy, especially when settling down to watch Real Housewives Of New Jersey after a late bite, and there's a nostalgic bonus ball when Chris Sarandon, the original Jerry, pops up for a cameo appearance.
Best appreciated by male adolescents: this is Twilight for boys.
It's smart and funny, but (unlike the original) instantly forgettable, and, crucially, not remotely frightening – even with blood and intestines spattering out in 3D.
Colin Farrell proves his comedy credentials once more in this surprisingly effective horror remake.
I am not entirely sure who this is aimed at...but it's a decent enough remake.
If you're a teeny bit sick of the tremulous Twilight and want giggles with the gore, this is a safe bet.
Bitten but not smitten.
There are some neat twists on the notion of vampirism as a metaphor for puberty too, so it's a bit of a shame that pacing issues (Christopher Mintz-Plasse disappears for most of the movie), a plot-hole ridden conclusion, and 3D cinematography that is so dim it is at times almost impossible to see what's going on, prevent this from being the riotous film it could have been.
While it's not a strictly necessary remake, Fright Night gets its four stars because of this near-perfect blend of jolts and jokes, making it one of the best horror remakes I've seen in ages, even if, given the likes of Friday The 13th, Last House On The Left and I Spit On Your Grave, that's not saying much.
The original's homoerotic aspect has been dropped, the special effects are far more elaborate and the action infinitely more violent.
For its first half, Fright Night is very well-crafted fun...but it loses something once it gets out of high school and the suburbs, and into more conventional horror-comedy territory.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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