Fright Night (2011)

6 Reasons Why The ‘Fright Night’ Remake Is Better Than The Original, I Swear

Okay, hear me out. I know that the original 1985 Fright Night is a classic–and for good reason. Chris Sarandon, Roddy McDowall, it was full of a great cast and a unique version of an otherwise staid vampire genre. But the 2011 remake? It just stuck with me way more than the original. I know it’s sacrilege to prefer a remake to an original movie–especially when it comes to horror–but what can I say? I just love the Fright Night remake! Here’s why:

The casting is stellar.

Left to right, Toni Collette, Imogen Poots, Anton Yelchin. Fright Night (2011)

I’m not knocking the original Fright Night’s casting or anything (mostly), but the remake is something special in this regard. First, Anton Yelchin. He’s so convincing as the nosy neighbor kid with slightly questionable social skills. The world is a little less good without him in it, RIP.

David Tennant rocks as faux vamp-hunter Peter Vincent. The scene where he finally takes off all of his goth makeup is seared into my brain. And Toni Colette kills it in this as Charley’s mom, like she kills it in absolutely everything she ever does. But I’ll get more into that later.

And let’s not forget about the best casting choice of all: Colin Farrell as sexy neighbor vampire, Jerry. I was never really a Colin Farrell fan until this movie, and when I heard he’d been cast, I kind of rolled my eyes. It turns out I was dead-wrong about that one. He plays this role so perfectly; he’s mesmerizing.

It’s a lot darker and moodier.

Jerry’s creeping on us from the dark. Fright Night (2011)

The original Fright Night came out in 1985, and as a result it has that bright aesthetic that permeated most ’80s movies. For a film about vampires, it felt more like a buddy comedy in it’s lighting, scene design, and cinematography. Whether or not it’s your preference, the remake is a lot darker and moodier. Sure, we get the bright Nevada sunlight during the day, but that helps contrast the deep and foreboding darkness of the desert evenings even more. Once the sun goes down, it creates this dread. Because now Jerry has free reign and he could be anywhere.

Charley’s mom is a badass.

Charley’s mom in the original Fright Night kind of felt like an absent mother. She totally fell for Jerry and Charley had to fend for himself. In probably one of the biggest departures from the original story, Toni Collette’s Jane Brewster is not only present, but she’s a totally badass. Sure, she likes Jerry at first and doesn’t quite believe Charley in the beginning, but she comes around and fights like crazy. Let’s all hope our moms would be this badass if we had a sexy vampire move in next door.

The car chase.

It all starts in Charley’s house. Jerry, vampy neighbor from hell, is ready to finally end this, so he attacks the kid in his home, along with his girlfriend and his mom. Jerry finds the gas line going to the house to blow it up. The trio finds their way out and now there’s a big car chase. This action scene is amazing. That dark desert road seems to go on for forever, and nothing can keep Jerry out of their SUV. This scene alone is enough to give major props to the remake.

The cameo.

Chris Sarandon is back! (Briefly.)

Fans of the original likely appreciated the big cameo during that car chase. Jerry and the crew manage to involve another car on the road and, when the man gets out of his car, the audience is happy to see Old Jerry himself, Chris Sarandon. Sure, he doesn’t make it much longer, proving that he’s not a cameo of his original role. But still! Clearly the man must have felt positively of the remake if he decided to play a small part in it.

It doesn’t feel like a mindless cash-grab.

Horror remakes are usually terrible. They are very clearly hoping that name recognition alone will help them make a quick buck. The plot, cast, and cinematography are almost always sub-par. The same can’t be said for Fright Night. While you maybe won’t agree with me that it’s better than the original, I think it’s still clear that they had more heart, purpose, and support in this remake that most out there. For that reason Fright Night (2011) gets an A+ from me.