Within the dark depths of Hollywood, some mortal thought it would be a genius idea to remake the 1985 cult classic. Whilst it retains some enjoyment, it is messier than a vampire's drunken night out (hint: pretty messy). At the time of this review, I have not seen the original so shall not be making comparisons. A suburban teenager realises that his friends are rapidly becoming missing, he investigates the disappearance of his old best friend only to find that he may be living next door to a vampire. Marketed as a horror thriller, but actually rather a cacophony of gothically presented genres that feel mundane and outdated. Very reminiscent of 80s classics like 'The Lost Boys' and I'm sure the original 'Fright Night', but this symmetrical representation is costly. The campy aesthetics negates any horrifying thrills, particularly in 2011, and the comedic elements frequently miss. That's not to say the two don't complement each other, as brutal fights with the undead should always be finished off with a one liner. "Welcome to the fright night". Enjoyably cringeworthy, fortunately the film acknowledges that and takes full advantage. Fantastic performances from Farrell and Tennant, who play a chiselled pouting vampire and self-proclaimed vampire hunter respectively. Mintz-Plasse was an unusual casting choice who adds no humour to the narrative. The visual effects and monster makeup were poor. I'm not beating around the blood soaked bush, it was bad. Blood spluttering from freshly bitten necks looked terrible. Human faces transforming into elongated vampiric jaws was hideously mediocre. The constant need to produce 3D gimmicky effects hindered certain scenes and made the whole film look cheap, as if it was more appropriate being a TV film. However, Gillespie's directing talent prevents this. Just a shame that the old school approach ironically adds a hundred years onto the film. Enjoyably outdated, but outdated nonetheless. More importantly, how the heck did Farrell not get any blood on his shirt?

After a mysterious stranger moves into his neighborhood, a teen and his friends accidentally stumble upon his terrifying secret about being a vampire and recruits a famous vampire hunter to try to stop the trail of carnage left behind and his friends become the next target.This was a surprisingly decent enough affair that wasn't really all that bad with some good points to it. Among the better parts here is the absolutely fun storyline throughout here that does compare favorably against the original since the ruse is discovered early on. This has a lot of rather fun antics that really push this along, from their initial meeting that clues him, the strange way he continually creeps around the neighborhood to pop up at exactly the wrong time or the few behavioral ticks that give him away which all go wrapped together alongside the previously-discovered videotapes that all help to give this one the work needed to fully reveal the ruse. Beyond this, the scenes stalking around the house where he has to free the captive inside and her eventual fate not only gives this one yet another charge for the ruse yet also features quite a really suspenseful sequence to help build that section more beyond the friendly scenes. There's a lot to come off of that in its action in here, from the house destruction and eventual high-speed chase along the highway that has a lot to like about it during their various chases and encounters with him to the battle in the office that includes some nice stalking scenes through the endless rows of artifacts stored away or battling the creatures in the panic room. As well, this here has the final assault on the underground hideout with all the turned victims providing enough of a battle to allow for some big action moments before the one-on-one confrontation, which is rather entertaining in its own right as there's some rather fun fighting here with their contraptions and some decent enough gore scenes to make it interesting. Along with the vampire makeup and gore, this is a pretty good effort with a lot to like although there are a few problematic elements here. The film's biggest flaw is the fact that the ruse is found out far too early and far too easily, since there's little investigation required to find out his true identity and it's all out in the open with such little push- back or need to look further into who he is which makes for some questionable storyline points. Along with this effort, the film also manages to stumble somewhat in it's CGI which is rather cheesy and clumsy throughout here as there are some exceptionally weak shots in here. The fact that so many of them are due to the wounds inflicted upon him which is quite obvious due to his spastic movements and disorienting behavior during the attacks, and along with the transformation scenes and use of blood and gore all just make for a rather flawed experience. These do knock it down somewhat but not enough to lower it overall.Rated R: Graphic Language and Graphic Violence.

If you liked 1985s Fright Night, you're in for a treat. This remake takes notes from the original, loosens the tongue from cheek a bit, and gets the ball rolling quick. Good nods (apples), great acting (Farrell surprised me), and cool FX without overdoing the gore factor. Peter Vincent is still a coward pulled into a realm he doesn't want to believe in, Mom is still clueless, The loner friend is still a prat, and the damsel is still pretty; but all else is new and exciting. For laughs and suspense, this holds up. Somehow there needs to be 10 lines of text, so... I liked seeing Yelchin is something other than Star Trek. I'll be sure to watch Huff now as well. Toni Collette was just about unrecognizable since I saw her in Sixth Sense and Muriel's Wedding, but her acting is still great. Enjoy!

I can't actually remember the original nineteen eighties Fright Night. I did watch it somewhere around 1989 and promptly forgot it. I don't know what that means - either I didn't think much of it or my memory's shot to bits.The original is still heralded as a classic by many horror fans, but, as I couldn't remember it, I went into this remake with little to no expectations. And, from what I saw, it copied the original pretty well. It didn't do a shot-by-shot remake, but kept the overall feel of the first movie (based on what I've read about its predecessor), i.e. a blend of comedy, horror and gore.Maybe this remake would have sunk without a trace, but it's lent a hand by a pretty decent cast. A good start is A-lister Colin Farrell as the enjoyably evil vampire, then you have ex Dr Who David Tennant, Toni Collette, Imogen Poots, Anton Yelchin and the always amusing Christopher Mintz-Plasse.Charming Colin Farrell moves in next door to Anton Yelchin and it's not long before he's 'outed' as a vampire. Soon people start getting their throats torn out and a decent amount of bloodshed is to follow.Fright Night is nothing too revolutionary, but vampires have been so in fashion of late that it's hard to find a completely original movie in the genre. It's a popcorn flick. It you fancy something frothy and lightweight then you might enjoy this (alternatively, the ladies may just fancy Colin Farrell - I'm sure they'll be happy with what they get).Fright Night (2011) gets a respectable 7/10. If you're tired of seeing vampires that sparkle in sunlight, try this one. It's old school throat-tearing.