Fright Night is a 2011 supernatural horror comedy film directed by Craig Gillespie (The Finest Hours), starring Anton Yelchin (Star Trek), David Tennant (Jessica Jones), Colin Farrell (Daredevil), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Kick-Ass), Imogen Poots (Centurion), and Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense).  Serving as a remake to 1985’s Fright Night, the plot follows a teenage boy, Charley Brewster (Yelchin), who discovers that his neighbor, Jerry Dandrige (Farrell), is actually a vampire, which culminates to a battle between the two.

Positives:

• Good humor
• Great cast
• Great performances
• Good characters
• Great score
• Great premise
• Great effects

Negatives:

• Spotty cgi

Plot: The film is fun and exciting with a plot that actually does a great job of keeping it engaging.  The film does a better job of fleshing out the characters.  Unlike previous installments Charley’s suspicions of Jerry are gradual. (4 out of 5)

Characters:  Jerry (Farrell) is the main antagonist and a great character.  He just has so much personality; he’s likable, he’s charming, even has a bit of humor to him.  Charley (Yelchin) is the main protagonist and the film’s focus on his life makes him that much more pronounced.  Amy (Poots) is a likable character and good female character.  Charley and Amy have a really good relationship.  Also, Charley’s mother, Jane (Collette), is a great character and a strong female.  Vincent (Tennant) is pretty entertaining, has energy, has personality.  Ed (Mintz-Plasse) is actually a great character.  Unlike other installments, he’s actually likable and is more of a sympathetic character.  All in all, the film does have great characters.  (4 out of 5)

Cast:  Terrific casting as well as performances.  Colin Farrell completely killed the role of Jerry. Gave the character a very innocent yet creepy vibe.  Great chemistry between Colin Farrell and Anton Yelchin.  Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, and Toni Collette have good chemistry.  David Tennant is fun, bringing some good humor.  Christopher Mintz-Plasse does a good job. Good performances by the supporting cast. (4 out of 5)

Visuals:  Visually the film looks good.  Some of the effects are a bit spotty, specifically some of the transformations.  The make-up and practical effects when it comes to the creature designs look good. The film has this twilight look about it that definitely sets the mood. (3 out of 5)

Score: Fantastic score by Ramin Djawadi.  Jerry’s theme is the best and definitely gives a creepy vibe. (3 out of 5)

Writing:  The writing is done rather well.  The characters are well written.  The story is actually written well enough to provide a good setting that makes the film feel solid.  An example of this is the pacing with which Charley discovers Jerry’s secret.  Also, how strategic Jerry is by moving into a failing neighborhood.  The humor is written really well. (4 out of 5)

The Verdict: In the end, Fright Night is not only a great remake but a great horror comedy.  Despite some of the spotty cgi, the film excels with great characters, a well-written script, great score, great performances, a good story, with a great cast.  Fright Night gets 4 out of 5.