tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post2466910983637234046..comments2024-03-23T12:33:33.918-04:00Comments on Junta Juleil's Culture Shock: Film Review: FRIGHT NIGHT (1985, Tom Holland)Sean Gillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537515557596273876noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-79009028024801386272011-11-28T15:16:09.182-05:002011-11-28T15:16:09.182-05:00Mike,
I, too, am a fan of the secret club sequel...Mike, <br /><br />I, too, am a fan of the secret club sequels, and PHANTASM II is a grand example. And I'll thrown PROM NIGHT 2 and GHOULIES II and CRITTERS 2, and I'm sure there's a host of others I'm forgetting. Anyway, I'm planning on hunting down FRIGHT NIGHT's second go-round one of these days.<br /><br />Maurice,<br /><br />Thanks for stoppin' by. Roddy really does bring a lot to that scene- there's something in his eyes that has brought a lot of sad intensity to many a genre film. Another scene that jumps to mind is in CLASS OF 1984 (which FRIGHT NIGHT's Tom Holland co-wrote), when Roddy pulls a gun on his class after a particularly harrowing day.Sean Gillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00537515557596273876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-19690158940980156632011-11-25T22:31:08.205-05:002011-11-25T22:31:08.205-05:00Great summary man. To me this one of Roddy McDowel...Great summary man. To me this one of Roddy McDowell's greatest roles. That moment when he faces off with the cross was inspiringMaurice Mitchellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15338165486757095191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-73782679158666030942011-11-23T18:32:00.588-05:002011-11-23T18:32:00.588-05:00Good point, I don't know anyone who has seen P...Good point, I don't know anyone who has seen Part 2. I've got a weird fondness for oddly timed, little-seen sequels that come out several years after the originals and bring back only parts of the original cast. Usually they don't work, but when they do it makes you feel like you've gone deeper into some secret club. Phantasm 2 is a good example of this.Mike B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10402206874230820940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-46691645396882580752011-11-21T15:10:01.221-05:002011-11-21T15:10:01.221-05:00Mike,
Agreed and thanks for the comments!
As a s...Mike,<br /><br />Agreed and thanks for the comments!<br /><br />As a side note, has anyone seen FRIGHT NIGHT PART II, by Carpy crony Tommy Lee Wallace? I've heard extremely mixed opinions on the matter, and the DVD appears to be out of print.Sean Gillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00537515557596273876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-86059513576923436952011-11-19T01:27:48.973-05:002011-11-19T01:27:48.973-05:00Another great review and good comments above. &quo...Another great review and good comments above. "Fright Night" is indeed remarkable for how perfectly it hits all those notes that one wouldn't expect to work together. Gore, comedy, nostalgia, adolescent angst, it's all in there. And, it also seems like the mid-80s could be a bad fit for this film, but it turns out being precisely the exact time that it makes sense, even as it has aged. And indeed, that nifty "autumn" vibe that you mentioned, where you can almost smell that indescribably different air that lets you know you're on the cusp of the season; we definitely do need more movies that capture that.Mike B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10402206874230820940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-36374537888265559162011-11-18T15:42:11.202-05:002011-11-18T15:42:11.202-05:00Anon.,
Thanks for stopping by. And you're ri...Anon.,<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by. And you're right about Stark's Renfield-type being an inspiration- he truly does not fuck around. I wish he'd act more. (He is great in his TALES FROM THE CRYPT episode, too.)<br /><br />J.D.,<br /><br />I agree on the love letter to classic horror, and must admit I was a little saddened while watching it, thinking about the fact that these local TV "midnite movie"-type programs seem to have almost completely died out. I'm originally from Ohio (which has a rich history of these sorts of programs, like "Ghoulardi") and when I was a kid, it was "Big Chuck and Little John" <br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Chuck_and_Lil'_John<br />which sadly is no longer on the air. Of course, I can still watch old Elvira videos.<br /><br />And yeah, the autumnal vibe is key. I should try and keep a list of movies that nail it jussssst right. A non-horror one that leaps to mind is THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE.Sean Gillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00537515557596273876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-38861766966787711452011-11-18T11:58:06.471-05:002011-11-18T11:58:06.471-05:00Yeah! Love this film, also. I saw Roddy McDowell&#...Yeah! Love this film, also. I saw Roddy McDowell's character as a love letter to classic horror films and always felt that he represented the filmmakers' statement on the state of horror in the '80s with douchebaggy villains and their condescending handlers and how they didn't hold a candle to the monsters of a bygone era. Er, or something like that.<br /><br />I'm glad you pointed out the autumnal vibe of this film. The fall is my fave season of the year, hands down, and I also love it when any film manages to recapture that vibe, even briefly, which FRIGHT NIGHT does quite well.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-79590905351414471522011-11-18T02:43:57.514-05:002011-11-18T02:43:57.514-05:00Sean, you've perfectly summed up everything I ...Sean, you've perfectly summed up everything I love about this movie and I too would love for there to have been a prequel. One of my favourite things about Jonathan Stark's character is that as a Renfield, he gets shit done. He fends off cops while looking perfectly reasonable and punches teenagers in the face when they're about to hurt his vampire. He's an inspiration, dammit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com