At the beginning of this year it was rumored that Sony was looking to do a remake of the 1985 movie, Fright Night, and I was hovering, waiting for the official news. But alas, they couldn’t find a decent enough script and nothing came of it.
That’s all changed now that vampires are in vogue on the silver screen. Everyone is turning everything into a vampire. I’m just waiting for someone to turn Snow White into a vampire and call it an alternate origins movie. (And we thought it was crazy last year?)
Well the Fright Night remake is in the works – DreamWorks that is.
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The original Fright Night was written and directed by Tom Holland and was coined a horror comedy. It was about a teenager named Charley Brewster who discovers that his neighbor is a vampire, and no one believes him. You couldn’t blame anyone though, Charley had a very whiney way of conveying his issues.
For the remake, no writer has yet been attached, but the studio says they’re looking to keep the comedy-horror tone while modernizing the effects. That’s intense, considering the effects were not bad for its day. I think that the effects were good then and they would stand up today compared to most small screen efforts.
Michael Gaeta and Alison Rosenzweig of Gaeta/Rosenzweig Films are producing the Fright Night remake along with Michael De Luca.
DreamWorks rarely covers the horror genre and can you blame them? They didn’t have a ton of success with The Uninvited or The Ruins, but they keep eyeballing the monetary success they had with the remake of The Ring and it’s sequel, both of which grossed the studio $390 million worldwide. Everyone is looking for that independent mega-hit.
The co-president of production for DreamWorks, Mark Sourian is overseeing the Fright Night remake.
The Conjecture Of It All
In this era of remakes, I’m not sure about sticking to the original outline of horror comedy. Sure it had moments, but I never saw it with the twinge of comedy. Are they trying to save face by adding comedy to the label? The movie had it’s drab moments but the active moments of character confrontations from the film scarred me for life (in a good way!) and I have a fondness for a movie that allows me to watch it again, and again.
To be honest, if they took the tone that The Ring brought us and overlay it on the original story we’d have a pretty intense remake that might improve on the original. But then would the remake stand out amongst the hundreds of remakes and vampire movies oozing out of the dark shadows of studios these days? Unless they got lucky, and landed Alex O’Loughlin who not only has vampire experience on his resume, but an incredible range of character delivery skills.
I presume that they would need top notch talent heading the project for O’Loughlin to join. (I can dream, can’t I?) No offense to the creative team in place, but I’m not seeing much in the way of experience as they’ll need to follow in their production partners footsteps, that of Micheal De Luca. De Luca has experience, but if you’ve seen The Love Guru or Ghost Rider, then you see why I’m not holding my breath.
Let’s see if they land a good writer. Maybe we twist it up and get Joss Whedon on this one? (That’s me dreaming again.) In the meantime, who do you think would fit the different parts from the old movie, in today’s list of available acting talent? Megan Fox can play Amy. All Amy does is get hypnotized and walk around in a trance once the movie gets rolling! And we’d love to watch Megan do that!
Let’s hear your two cents ScreenRant readers. That’s what we’re here for.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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21 Comments
Just imagine Megan Fox as that chick is in that picture w/ claws and fangs.
Liked Fright Night. One of first vampire movies I saw I think, and scared me a lot simply because of the idea of one living right next to you!
Didn’t think of it as a comedy, but sure it had a kind of self knowing tone to it.
I hope the new one has a similar tone to the original.
Yep… when Amy, who had been all cute and demure throughout the whole movie finally turned to Charlie with that morning pre-makeup look, yea… the movie did well by me.
Keep you eyes out gang, I might be doing another article on the old movie soon!
I loved Fright Night 1 and 2 and welcome another one.
this is noe of My favorite Horrro films.
and if its done Right then i will not complain as Much.
Just Because i Loved Roddy McDowell in
it as Peter Vincent(Vampire Killer!)and i have no idea who could Play him.
and i agree that the Effects where amazing for both then and now.
and hopefuly this will for lack of a better word “Take Back” the Vampire Genre. making them Scary again insted of wanting to Lust over them like the Media today has led Every-1 to beleive, get back to Fearing them.
also how will they ModernIZe the peter vincent character ?
Because in the Film He is a Late-night old Horror Movie marithon Host ????
either way i loved the Original a Classic in the FX Much like “the Howling” where as not the best wereWolf Flick,But had wonderful FX.
and i end this Comment with quote -
“Welcome to Fright Night……..For Real.”
i hope to Galactus That they throw this Line in the Film
I dunno, horror remakes have been crappy as of late, even if it is remaking a comedy horror.
I saw Fright Night when it came out and liked it but a remake with Alex? Nah. I’d rather see his talents in something he can really sink his teeth into (pardon the pun) rather than wasting them on a movie like this. Alex has way too much talent to be doing vamp movies unless it’s Moonlight. That would be a money maker. I’d watch a Fright Night remake but leave Alex out of it.
I’ve enjoyed the Fright Night movies since the 1980s, and I guess it just doesn’t shock me any more when a remake it announced. Most remakes are poor imitations; it’s rare one will be as good or better than the original.
That poster art for the first FN has always freaked me out, too!
Thank you for the great comments about Alex O’Loughlin. He IS a very talented actor who Hollywood is just discovering. He’s filming a movie right now called The Back Up Plan with JLo. Looks really good. But Alex would look good in anything with anybody! He did an awesome job as Vincent in a guest starring role on Criminal Minds episode called The Big Wheel. Thanks again for the lovely comments about Alex.
Yes, anyone would be lucky to be able to cast Alex O’Loughlin in their movie – but as you said, not going to happen with this one. Alex is a star and I can hardly wait to see him accepting his first Emmys and Oscars. If you have only seen him in Moonlight, do yourself a favor and buy his other work on DVD – The Shield, season 6 – and his movies, like Oyster Farmer, FEED, Mary Bryant, etc. Alex was a leading man in Australia, and now he is on his way to the top here in the US. I feel so lucky to have discovered him on ML, and now I am looking forward to his new show this fall, Three Rivers, and his new movies, WhiteOut and The Back-Up Plan. Did you see him as “Vincent” on the 4/29/09 episode of Criminal Minds? Only Alex could make a serial killer such a sympathetic and downright lovable character!
Yes! I would love to see a remake of the original Fright Night. The story was Original, the special effects were very good, and the characters kept you watching all the time. The music would captivate the mood of the film and the actors on screen. I think it would be fun to see a good director take this film and bring it forward to 2010. To use the original music would be Cool. I watched this movie with my Dad as a teenager and now I could take my daughter and her Grandpa to see the remake together:)
You’re not being very imaginative at all. First off, contrary to popular belief, Joss Whedon sucks it.
Secondly, Megan Fox has already done the creepy chick thing in… whatever that movie is that will suck but will be big bank because half the male population will go see it.
And lastly, while I liked Alex O’Loughlin’s Mick St. John in Moonlight, there again: been there, done that. We’ve seen him as a vampire. The way you have this ‘dream’ remake playing out just feels stale and self indulgent.. Put a little effort into this, will you?
Oh look… a fan!! LOL.
Thanks for the advice… I’ll try to “Imagine Greater” next time!
What a good sport you are! I LOL at your reply
I guess I was a little indignant there, I get preachy sometimes.
Feel free to rip me a new one on my rinky-dink blog sometime
http://hisambereyes.blogspot.com/
“For the remake, no writer has yet been attached, but the studio says they’re looking to keep the comedy-horror tone while modernizing the effects. That’s intense, considering the effects were not bad for its day. ”
That might be it’s down fall, Hollywood just does not get it, CGI FX are OVERRATED they will make the film suck, and I don’t mean blood.
heres a better idea a prequel to the original fright night movie where it explained on how jerry dandridge became
a vampire by his sister regine from fright night part 2
and see charley brewsters ancesstor as a commoner and miller
and amy petersons as an vampiress an great idea for a movie .
frankie smales
(fright night fan)
I think a prequel is a much better idea than a remake… then again, almost any other idea is a better idea than remakes.
I just saw the movie again, for Amy I would cast Alexa Davalos (Angel, Chronicles of Riddick). A former model, daughter of an actress and has experience in action roles. For Charlie I would cast Elijah Wood from Lord of the rings. For the vampire slayer I would cast Jim Carrey and for the vampire I would cast either Julian McMahon, Neal McDonough or Adrian Paul.
Ok guys, how can a remake done by Hollywood benefit the vampire genre? It can’t but I would love to see Hollywood try. Everytime a remake happens it simply does not deliver. This just shows how film today is suffering from originality. Remakes! A remake needs a fresh director with unknown actors who have seome average talent. The only known character that should have a known actor casted, should be Jerry Dandridge. Megan Fox? As beautiful as she is, she will always be known for Transformers. She’s not an Amy.
I’ve watched this movie over and over again since I was 7. I’m now 29. This movie for myself has not lost it’s touch.
The movie is goign to need a raw edge to it the way Casino Royale re-ignited the Bond genre. If a remake can maintain the original purity with a new modernized & edgey look, this will work.
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