wildyams

So I was perusing this list of 100 movies that need more love, when I happened to notice at #31:

Often mistaken for that bastard creation “comedy horror”, Fright Night is actually something more fun. Yes, it’s a cheesy vampire story. Yes, it features some wonderfully old-fashioned special effects. But despite its schlocky genre roots, it’s also simply a good film. Taking the high concept premise of what would happen if a vampire moved in next door to a kid obsessed with vampire movies, it manages to pay witty respect to the genres past, as well as having some fun with the conventions of the teen horror flick. The acting from the kids isn’t great, but with Chris Sarandon and Roddy McDowall hamming it up as vampire and hunter respectively, there’s more class and smarts to this movie than you think.

The Defense: Smarter than its reputation suggests, it probably won’t scare you any more, but it’s still an offbeat tribute to the love of horror. It’s also one of the only Stephen Geoffreys movies not to feature thrusting man-staffs, which is noteworthy in itself.