2.35 STARS: A pretty decent sequel as far as sequels go.
The orignial "Fright Night" is a very entertaining movie, but it wasn't scary and neither is "Fright Night 2", but one has to admit that both movies have style, vampire style. "Fright Night 2" does what many sequels don't do and that is that it actually follows up where the original left off, at least relatively speaking. Bringing back Roddy McDowell and William Ragsdale (notwithstanding his mullet) as Peter Vincent and Charlie Brewster was a great idea as the sequel maintains some of the flavor and attitude of the original "Fright Night"
The plot of "Fright Night 2" is quite simple. Charlie Brewster is now in college and is trying to move on with his life...he is seeing a psychiatrist who has convinced him that vampires do not exist and that group hypnosis was to blame for his and Peter Vincent's hallucinations of vampires. Charlie has a new girlfriend, but deep down inside, Charlie still feels something is not right and that's where Regine Dandridge comes in as she is a vampire, the sister of Jerry Dandridge who was vanquished by Charlie and Peter in the first movie. Naturally, Regine wants revenge for her brother's destruction. Charlie experiences terrible nightmares and begins to suffer mightily. It is up to Peter Vincent and Alex (Charlie's new girlfriend) to stop Regine from making Charlie one of her own.
Tommy Lee Wallace, who also directed "Halloween III", does some interesting things with the vampires in "Fright Night 2". At times, the vampires look like ridiculous looking monsters and the movie was vague at best and sometimes ambivalent about whether the man with sideburns was a vampire or a werewolf...he ended up coming off looking like a dork if you ask me. At any rate, it is clearly evident that the vampire makeup that was so well done in the original "Fright Night" is a bit lacking in the sequel. It appears that Wallace and others thought to spice things up with the vampires' appearance and so on and so forth, but the prowess and effectiveness of the vampires are diminished from what was produced so very well in the original "Fright Night".
The plot of "Fright Night 2" is what makes the movie work and the movie is entertaining, but there is no doubt that the wild and flamboyant attempts to spice things up in this sequel hurt the movie in my opinion. Also, some attempts at border line lame comedy were also in poor taste. Essentially, "Fright Night 2" is not as strong of a movie as the original "Fright Night" and while neither movie is scary or pure horror, the original "Fright Night" provides an excellent treatment and aesthetically convincing product that the sequel lacks.
Despite various inconsistencies and some confusion with traditional vampire lore e.g. vampires walking about in daylight hours, "Fright Night 2" is a solid movie that is quite entertaining, but perhaps if the movie contained its perameters within the more conventional and classic vampire traditions, the movie could have been somewhat more effective. That said, "Fright Night 2" does not have the requisite atmosphere to be characterized as a traditional horror movie, nor the makeup or potential to be as darkly powerful and as horrifying as "Dracula" or "Salem's Lot", but the unique style of the "Fright Night" series make both movies worth owning if you are a vampire movie fan like myself. However, as far as pure and unadulterated horror, you won't find it here...hence, the 2.35 STAR rating.
Better, in some ways, than the original
Fright Night II is in some ways better than the original. These ways are primarily Julie Carmen as the all time great vampire vamp, Jon Gries (aka Jonathan Gries, Jon Francis) as a horny were wolf, Russell Clark (better known as a choreographer) as a roller skating punk vampire, and Brian Thompson as a ghoul with an interest in lepidopterology. There is a great scene with Gries, Clark and Thompson bowling, including using the head of the bowling alley manager as a ball.
This is one case of the sequel living up to the original and passing it at times. My VCR had become grainy and faded, which is why I give this only 4 stars. The color starts off fine, but all of a sudden fades to dull and in some scenes is almost black. The quality of this DVD is at the bottom. There are NO SPECIAL FEATURES, it is just a bad copy of a VCR.
Fright Night 2 dvd
This movie, Fright Night part 2 came to me within a few days, and was in great condition. It was brand new, and i watched it as soon as i recieved it. This is one of my fave horror movies, next with part 1 of course.
I just love "Fright Night." This was the last film I saw at a drive in,and I went the next night also.I love scary movies with comedy,and great acting and production.This is a MUST have for you DVD collection. More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Chris Sarandon - William Ragsdale Director(s): Tom Holland DVD Release Date: Released the 07 August 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The main draw of these low-budget horror pictures is their unabashed affection for the great horror movies of the past. In Waxwork, Zach Galligan and his teen friends investigate a wax museum, where they are menaced by the re-animated tableaux. It's about as energetic as a wax dummy. The sequel is livelier, with Galligan now passing through a time portal that transports him to various classic film scenarios: Frankenstein, Dawn of the Dead, Alien, and, briefly and amusingly, Nosferatu (that's Drew Barrymore as one of the virgins cowering in bed). But why no parody of Vincent Price in House of Wax? It goes on too long, but there are weird celebrity guest stars aplenty (Bruce Campbell, David Carradine, Martin Kemp). Director Anthony Hickox helmed... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Anthony Hickox DVD Release Date: Released the 23 September 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Corey Haim (back when he was still cute) and his souped-up hot-rod of a wheelchair are all that stand between a sleepy little New England town and a ferocious full-moon killer in Stephen King's adaptation of his novella Cycle of the Werewolf. This minor entry into the werewolf canon lacks the scares and sense of humor of superior hirsute thrillers The Howling and An American Werewolf in London, but pays off in some nice casting touches. Gary Busey is loyal to the end as Haim's beer-guzzling Uncle Red, Twin Peaks's Everett McGill cuts an unsettling figure as the town minister, and fleshy B-movie icon Lawrence Tierney (Reservoir Dogs) is the gruff bartender who breaks up bar fights with a baseball bat called "The Peacemaker." The monstrous wolf beast, a... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Gary Busey - Everett McGill Director(s): Daniel Attias DVD Release Date: Released the 28 May 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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CAMPY 80'S VAMP FLICK.. LOVED IT THEN, LOVE IT NOW! TWO COLLEGE GUYS PROMISE TO SUPPLY SOME HOOKERS FOR A FRATERNITY PARTY. THEY DON'T HAVE A CAR SO THEY BEFRIEND A RICH GEEK THAT DOES & DRIVE INTO THE CITY. NIGHT FALLS & THEY GO TO STRIP CLUB TO RECRUIT SOME GIRLS. ONE GUY GOES IN THE BACKROOM FOR A "MEETING" WITH A POSSIBLE GIRL, BUT DOESN'T QUITE RETURN THE SAME MAN HE WAS.. I DON'T WANNA BLOW ANYMORE FOR YOU, SO I'LL STOP THERE..
GRACE JONES AS A VAMPIRE, YOU GOTTA SEE.. HER SEDUCTIVE NAKED DANCE SCENE WITH THE KEITH HERING PAINT JOB ON HER FLESH IS WELL WORTH A WATCH ALONE.. BUT STILL, NOTHING IN THE FILM TOPS THIS SCENE : THE DYING, ALMOST DUST, SKELETAL CORPS THAT UPON IT LAST BREATH, EXTENDS A MIDDLE FINGER TO IT'S KILLER BEFORE IT DIES! THIS FILM IS DEFIANTLY A... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Chris Makepeace - Sandy Baron Director(s): Richard Wenk DVD Release Date: Released the 21 August 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Remember back in the early 1980s when special-effects makeup artists were tripping over themselves to create the next big effect? The Howling boasted a fantastic werewolf transformation scene courtesy of makeup wizard Rob Bottin. Then along came Bottin's mentor, Rick Baker, with his own spectacular effects in this popular horror comedy directed by John Landis. An American Werewolf in London is more of a makeup showcase than a truly satisfying movie, but the film is effectively moody when David Naughton discovers that a wolf attack has turned him into a bloodthirsty lycanthrope. Jenny Agutter plays his love interest (watch out, he bites!), and who can forget Griffin Dunne as Naughton's best friend, an undead corpse who progressively rots away as the plot unfolds? All things... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): David Naughton - Jenny Agutter Director(s): John Landis DVD Release Date: Released the 18 September 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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