Fright Night (2011 film)



"You can't run from evil when it lives next door."

Fright Night (2011) is a remake of the cult 1985 horror-comedy hit, starring Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, David Tennant and Toni Collette. It drops the Peter Vincent Becoming the Mask story and turns Charley into a Buffy-type character, with Jerry resembling both Spike (suave and cool) and Angelus (a Complete Monster who loves to kill and psychologically torture his victims), and Peter now being a Vegas showman instead of a former actor.

Despite underperforming at the box office, the film has turned out to be a critical success.

The film features the following tropes:
"Amy: I knew you were a dweeb."
 * Actor Allusion: David Tennant uses the same accent he used during his tenure on Doctor Who (he's actually Scottish). He even draws out his "Well...", which was one of Ten's catch phrases.
 * Most British actors use a "TV" accent rather than their real regional one.
 * Talking about Doctor Who, Peter holds the stake like Ten does the sonic.
 * This isn't the first time Imogen Poots has been attacked by the undead. Last time it was zombies though.
 * Christopher Mintz-Plasse is seen LARPing.
 * Adaptational Badass: Charlie goes from being the Action Survivor to a slayer who gets his own Lock and Load Montage.
 * Jerry Dandridge BLOWS UP YOUR HOUSE.
 * Hell, even Amy and Charley's mom were upgraded.
 * Affably Evil: Jerry. He even continues to act casual and make smalltalk while attacking his prey. May border on Faux Affably Evil, but we're given little reason to believe this isn't his true personality.
 * Any Torment You Can Walk Away From:
 * An Axe to Grind: Charley wields a battle version one during his battle with . He also is seen holding a normal one on the poster to the film.
 * Asshole Victim: Mark
 * Badass Longcoat: Part of Peter Vincent's standard stage attire. He also wears it during.
 * Big Bad: Jerry, once again!
 * Big Eater: Amy, who admits to having an insatiable appetite after asking Charlie about dinner before even finishing a smoothie that looks too big to even fit in her stomach.
 * Blackmail: Evil Ed threatens to reveal some awful truths about Charlie's past.
 * Call Back:
 * To the original, among them:
 * Jerry eating an apple
 * "You've got to have faith."
 * "You're so cool, Brewster!"
 * "Welcome to Fright Night. For real."
 * To its sequel:
 * The stake gun being similar to the one used in Fright Night II.
 * Charlie and Amy being chased by Evil Ed in Peter's lair is extremely similar to a similar scene in Fright Night II, specifically the characters being chased by the werewolf character through the library.
 * Just when you think they've turned Peter Vincent into a Criss Angel clone, he pulls off the facial hair and wig, resembling something much closer to Roddy McDowall's character (albeit with some Mick Jagger rubbed on).
 * Car Fu: And a motorcycle.
 * Cassandra Truth: Played straight multiple times, then averted just as many.
 * Cell Phone: Charley's works well enough for him to look up a guide on lockpicking, and his camera works when needed, as did Ed's. But none of them get a signal out in the Nevada desert while being chased by Jerry.
 * Chekhov's Armoury: Peter Vincent's collection of relics and weapons
 * Chekhov's Gun: Several. In order of use:
 * 1.
 * 2.
 * 3.
 * 4.
 * Cluster F-Bomb: Peter Vincent drops one or two.
 * Convection, Schmonvection: Despite Charley's fire-retardant clothing he was burning long enough to feel some extreme pain if not actually be burned.
 * Cowardly Lion: Peter Vincent. He does spend a majority of the time going straight into panic mode, but when the chips are down, he finally proves he has a little bit of grit.
 * Crazy Prepared: Peter Vincent. A panic room, yes. But also guns with silver bullets, and chalices apparently kept full of holy water even while in a display case.
 * Dare to Be Badass: Possibly invoked by Jerry to Charlie, when he was speaking to him about his mom and girlfriend. This leads Charley to become a Buffy-type vampire slayer.
 * Dawson Casting: Dave Franco plays a high school student despite being 26 and playing a medical student in the final season of Scrubs.
 * Deadly Delivery: One of the vampires impersonates a delivery guy so he will be invited inside and bypass the entry prohibition.
 * Death by Cameo: Chris Sarandon, who played Jerry in the original, is one of Jerry's victims.
 * Determinator: Evil Ed keeps going and kicking ass even after getting one of his arms taken off.
 * Disappeared Dad: Charley's. And in Peter's case, his dad and his mother as well.
 * Double Entendre: Possibly. At the very end, when Charley is about to have sex with Amy, his mom calls. Charley tells her that he can't talk right now because "something just came up."
 * Dying as Yourself:
 * Evil Gloating: Jerry has Charley right where he can kill him. what does he do? Point out the proper spot to stake a vampire - which Charlie didn't know previously. Nice Job Fixing It, Villain.
 * Exactly What I Aimed At: Charley misses
 * Epic Flail: Amy uses one.
 * Fake American: Colin Farrell is Irish, Toni Collette is Australian, Imogen Poots is English. Anton Yelchin is Russian but raised in America.
 * Fire-Forged Friends: Peter and Charley.
 * Genre Savvy: Charley, once realizing that he should've taken Ed seriously about Jerry being a vampire. He kicks in with crosses and every other anti-vampire tactic he can think of.
 * Give Geeks a Chance:

"Peter: Oh shit. I may not be drunk enough for this."
 * Hannibal Lecture: Jerry delivers one to Charley.
 * Hell-Bent for Leather: Peter Vincent, subverted: He hates it, but it's part of his costume.
 * Hope Spot: Charley and Amy are almost out of the club that is apart of Peter's penthouse complex..
 * I Was Just Joking: Peter's reaction to finding out that Charlie had taken his suggestion about seriously.
 * Not really. He suggested, and he *was* completely serious. He was just surprised that Peter took his suggestion after pointing out the obvious flaw in the plan.
 * I Need a Freaking Drink: Peter Vincent in Jerry's basement.

"Charlie: "Jerry? What kind of name is that for a vampire?""
 * Instant Expert: Zig-zagged. Charlie looks up a guide on how to pick locks when trying to break into Jerry's house, but he gives up and looks for a key instead. However, only a little while later, he manages to pick the lock on  without even consulting the guide again.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Charley tried to completely cut off and avoid Edward when he got a hot girlfriend and popular friends, and blew off Ed's concern that Jerry was a vampire -- only to discover Ed was right. Guilt and desire to protect his mother and Amy drive him to seek out Peter Vincent for help.
 * Peter as well. He starts as a foul-mouthed, alcoholic prima donna who refuses to help Charlie even after
 * Key Under the Doormat: Fake rock version.
 * Kill It with Fire: ...and a stake. Peter's suggestion on the best way to try taking out the vampire Jerry.
 * Large Ham: Jerry! Which leads to Evil Is Hammy.
 * Also while we're on the subject David Tennant as Peter Vincent.
 * Lock and Load Montage: Done by Charlie before the Final Battle.
 * Logo Joke: Down through the Dreamworks clouds to the town below.
 * Man On Fire: For the final battle,.
 * More Teeth Than the Osmond Family: The vampires have this going on.
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Lampshaded by Charlie.

"Jerry: "Don't need an invitation if there's no house.""
 * Nightmare Face: The vampires. Especially
 * Noodle Incident: "What about the time you took my Stretch Armstrong ? [...] I still want my Stretch back, y'know..."
 * No Time to Explain: Charley tells his mother he doesn't have time to explain a million things to her.
 * Not Distracted by the Sexy: Charley is so wigged out by Jerry bringing Doris into his apartment that he blows off Amy's advances, much to her irritation.
 * Oh Crap:
 * Peter's face when he realizes
 * Charlie also reacts this way when
 * The Oner: Much of the highway chase is filmed as a long take with the camera within the car, moving in between car seats and actors, ala Children of Men.
 * Our Vampires Are Different: And how.
 * More specifically, they can't enter a house without an invitation . They turn humans with a bite, are burned by holy water and can be turned instantly to dust by a stake or sunlight.
 * For extra fun Vincent's dialogue, refering to Jerry's lot as a particular "breed," suggests there might be other kinds of vampires out there.
 * Parental Obliviousness: Ed's. They tell Charley he leaves early, having no idea he's actually missing - However he may have been dropping by before the sun came up and after the sun went down to make his parents think he was still around.
 * Plain Name: Jerry the Vampire
 * Product Placement:
 * Note how clearly the brand name "Vizio" stands out on the TV in the beginning.
 * Budweiser
 * Chilis
 * Century 21 real estate
 * Reality Ensues: Characters repeatedly hurt their legs by falling from sizable heights.
 * See Soft Glass below.
 * Remake Cameo: Chris Sarandon, the original Jerry Dandridge, ends up being a snack for the new Jerry Dandridge.
 * Setting Update: The remake is set in Las Vegas, with Peter Vincent turned into a Criss Angel-esque figure. As Charlie and Ed both point out, it makes a very good place for vampires (lots of people work night shift, people move in and out of there all the time).
 * Silver Bullet: Amy shoots Jerry with some..
 * Soft Glass: Notably averted unlike so many other films. Every time a character breaks glass, be it a window or a, they hit it with something else rather than punching through it. Jerry plays this straight though, being a vampire and all.
 * Title Drop: As in the original, Fright Night is the name of Peter Vincent's show.
 * Trailers Always Spoil: The scene where Jerry blows up the Brewsters' house is one of the main set pieces featured in the trailers.
 * Poster ads in Asia would often spoiler the vampire Game Faces, added to the bottom corner, as if they were afraid people would think it's that kind of vampire movie.
 * Underside Ride: Jerry, after the heroes try to run him over.
 * Wrong Genre Savvy: Charlie has a pretty broad knowledge of every known substance that's supposed to repel and kill vampires in fiction,
 * Also happens with Amy when she tries shooting silver bullets at Jerry. As he happily informs her, that only hurts werewolves.
 * Vampire Bites Suck: Some of the victims get their throats torn out bloodily. Others get the classic bite and suck.
 * Vampire Invitation: Jerry makes several attempts to get one. When he fails, he simply blows up the Brewsters' house.


 * Ed also finds out the hard way that this trope doesn't work if a home has been abandoned.
 * They also use technicalities to their advantage, like
 * Viva Las Vegas: Couldn't really move the setting here without at least once scene like this at the very end.
 * You Killed My Parents:
 * Your Vampires Suck: Evil Ed takes great offense when Charlie accuses him of reading Twilight.
 * May also count as Fridge Brilliance. Ed's formal name is Edward.