The tone of the film is very stuck in the 1980s. You see it in the makeup effects, the music choices and the colorful lighting. (The nightclub scene could come from no other time.) Still, Fright Night was practically branded a classic before it was even released because the “vampire next door” hook is foolproof, as is the character of Peter Vincent. Named after legends Peter Cushing and Vincent Price, he is one of the local hosts of old Horror Movies that played on TV at the time. (Elvira is the most famous, my local version was named Dr. Paul Bearer.) Played here by Roddy McDowall, Vincent is a modern Van Helsing, with all the knowledge but no experience facing down actual vampires. Chris Sarandon gets to exude charm or menace as the main vampire, he would go on to voice Jack Skellington. The makeup effects are still rather impressive in how complex they are on a modest budget, and the extended finale packs in a lot. Same could be said for the sequel, which is also pretty good, but not coming up anytime soon.
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