Monster of the Day #1027

Updated on November 3, 2014 By Ken Begg 19 Comments

Best vampire film of the modern era, I think.

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  • The Rev.

    This movie is just great. Not just nostalgically, either; I watched it again when the remake was released* and it held up wonderfully. Jerry Dandrige is one of my favorite screen vamps, and has perhaps the most spectacular demise of any of them.

    *I may see it someday, but the original is so finely done that I find myself hard-pressed to imagine they improved on it enough, or made a different enough movie, to warrant my doing so.

  • Flangepart

    Hummm…FRIGHT NIGHT?

  • God is this a great movie. As a kid I taped it off WGN, editing out the commercials, so I could have a copy. I even taped the end credit’s theme on a cassette so I could hear it over and over again. Too bad about the sequel.

  • As remakes go, it’s not bad. It would have been a lot better had the original not been, y’know, in existence. Your mileage might vary, of course, but it’s not as bad as, say, The Fog remake.

  • Gamera977

    I need to dig my DVD out and watch it again. Solid movie, love McDowell as the fraidy cat TV host/monster hunter and somehow it just tickles me to see Marcie Rhodes/Darcy as a vampress!

    I think Ken hit the nail on the head about the vampire here being a force of spiritual and moral corruption, I always liked the movie but couldn’t really put a finger on much of the reasons until Ken pointed this out.

  • Rock Baker

    You’ll get no argument from me, Ken. I’d say it was the last great vampire movie, although THE LOST BOYS has some points in it’s favor, I suppose.

  • Eric Hinkle

    Yeah, it’s a great movie. One of my favorite vampire films. I just wish I could find a DVD of it. Where did you get yours?

  • Acethepug

    Yes! Absolutely one of, if not the best, vampire movies ever!

  • Ken_Begg

    I got mine way back in the day. Is it out of print now? I know Fright Night II finally went to Blu-Ray after never (as far as I know) getting a DVD release.

    I’m surprised the original wasn’t re-released on DVD when the remake came out, then.

  • Gamera977

    Yeah, I picked mine up off Amazon about five years or so ago on one of their Halloween horror movie sales. It’s still on Amazon but listed at $24.97 which is way more than I paid for it, they do have a used option there though. I had to settle for a used copy of ‘The Mouth of Madness’ – the DVD looks fine, the box is just a little scuffed up. The Blu-Ray is listed as $124.99 and up, gee I like the movie but not THAT much.

  • Beckoning Chasm

    Since the original was so highly regarded, I suspect the remake would have suffered in comparison if it was widely available. Not that the remake set the box office on fire.

  • Amazon has a four film collection with it on it. Other movies include the remake of the Blob, Christine, and the Seventh Sign. I can’t speak for the quality of the DVD, but it is $8.99.

  • Rock Baker

    The film was included in one of those four-movie collections recently. I got my copy of the film because Pop had it before he picked up the multi-set. Since it looked to be the exact same print, he figured he didn’t need two. Now if only I could recall what the name of the four-pack was……

  • The Four-Movie Horror Unleashed collection?

  • Eric Hinkle

    Thanks for the heads-up.

  • GalaxyJane

    YMMV indeed, I got through about 45 minutes of the remake before turning it off in utter disgust, I think the Mr. made it almost to the hour mark though. When things started blowing up real good, I packed it in. Also, David Tennant is no Roddy McDowell.

  • I like Tennant and enjoyed his performance, but he isn’t a patch on McDowell. But then again who is?

  • Rock Baker

    I believe so, yes. The titles you list below sound right.

  • GalaxyJane

    Fair enough.