Let me start by saying I went into this movie with very low expectations. The original Fright Night was a movie I just did not see the need to remake. The main reason being Roddy McDowell's Peter Vincent. The character belong to Mr. McDowell in my opinion and to see someone else play this part was a little heart breaking.
Yet, I'll admit there was still a curiousity factor to see what they would do with the property.
For those who are not aware. Fright Night is a remake of a 1985 Tom Holland film.
The premise is pretty much retained for the remake which involves a young man by the name of Charley who ends up suspecting his neighbor of being a vampire and then enlists in the help of Peter Vincent.
Of course if you are going to remake a movie you want to bring something new to the table and director Craig Gillespie does exactly that. For instance, the famous side character from the original called Evil Ed (played here by Christopher Mintz-Plasse), is now the catalyst for Charley (Anton Yelchin) thinking his new neighbor Jerry (Colin Farrell) is a vampire.
Another major change from the original is the character of Peter Vincent. (The character I was very leary about someone else playing.) In the original film Peter is an aging horror film TV host who also starred in a number of vampire movies. In the remake Peter Vincent is played by David Tennant and is a occult magician with an act in Las Vegas. Definately a major change and one I thought I was going to hate, however, surprisingly enough, David Tennant pulled the character off masterfully. He captured that same spirit of a man totally fearful of the creatures he knows so much about, but when the stakes are down (pun intended) he comes through in a pinch. (There is also a very creative backstory added for him in this film.)
Colin Farrell's Jerry is more or less an animal with just a pinch of charm that makes him all the more dangerous. Toni Collette does a good job as Charley's mom and actually listens to her son, to an extent, about the danger living next door. Imogen Poots is Charley's girlfriend Amy, and while she doesn't really stand out, per say, I think it is mainly because she is given so little to do here.
Anton Yelchin is our main anchor and he does a decent job of playing the geek trying to pass himself off as cool. His paranoia just came way to quickly in the film as he's not the one suspecting Jerry of a vampire, he just happens upon his friend's evidence which down right confirms it.
There are some really good set pieces throughout the film and if you tend to allow yourself to get sucked in you just might find yourself on the edge of your seat.
And of course with this being the digital age, CGI is used here instead of good old fashion makeup to show Jerry's true face but the director does not over utilize it and allows Colin Farrell to really come off as the menacing vampire.
In closing, I must say I was impressed by this remake and the changes were just enough for it to stand out on it's own. While not a great film it does go to show that if a remake is done right, it can still be very entertaining and not just a rehash of the original. Grade B.