Fright Night

FRIGHT NIGHT (1985): Starring- Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Stephen Geoffreys, Jonathan Stark, Dorothy Fielding, and Roddy McDowall.

Directed by- Tom Holland

And so, Hollywood's remake fever has struck yet another of my favorite movies...

... Goddamn you, Hollywood. Goddamn you!

However, I'm not here to trash a remake that I haven't even seen yet. (And yes, I do plan on seeing it at some point.) I merely decided that now was as good a time as any to review the original FRIGHT NIGHT. So, without further ado, let's dig in to FRIGHT NIGHT!

The film begins when young horror fan Charlie Brewster (Ragsdale) notices some strange activity in the house next door. He spots his new neighbor, Jerry Dandrige (Sarandon), moving a coffin into his cellar. Soon after this, people soon begin to disappear around town, and Charlie begins to believe that Jerry may be a vampire.

Unfortunately, Charlie can't convince anyone around around that Jerry is a vampire. Both his girlfriend Amy (Bearse) and Evil Ed (Geoffreys), his horror-obsessed classmate, believe that he's losing his mind.

After Jerry, who is indeed a vampire, threatens to kill him, Charlie goes to the one person he believes can help him: washed-up horror movie star, Peter Vincent (McDowall). However, Vincent also thinks Charlie is crazy and merely humours him by performing a "vampire test" on Jerry. During the test, Peter accidentally sees Jerry's lack of reflection in a mirror and is convinced that Charlie is telling the truth.

This realization comes too late, as Evil Ed is soon transformed into a vampire by Jerry, and Amy is kidnapped with the intent of turing her as well. It's up to Charlie and Peter to save Amy and destroy the vampires before more victims are taken.

I LOVE this movie! Like, THE WOLF MAN (1941), this one has held a special place in my heart ever since I was a young minion of terror. I can actually remember staying up late to watch this on AMC's Fear Friday (remember that?) when I was about nine or ten years old. Even at that young age, I knew I had found something special. But, enough of my totally-unbiased nostalgia. On to the movie!

The movie is beautifully shot and edited. It's one of the most well-put together horror movies of the 1980's. And the special effects are top-notch. This movie is one of the pinnacles of special effects and make up in 80's horror movies.

But what makes this movie is its cast. Chris Sarandon is pitch-perfect as Jerry Dandrige, ranging from comedically over-the-top to terrifyingly serious. He takes what could have been a standard movie monster and makes him one of movie history's great vampires. Roddy McDowall is also perfect as washed-up horror star Peter Vincent (Named after Peter Cushing and Vincent Price) The thing is, I don't think we're supposed to like his character initially, but it's just impossible to dislike Roddy McDowall in any role he plays, especially this one. He brings such pathos and sympathy to the role that you immediately enjoy watching him. William Ragsdale is good as Charlie. He brings charm to the character and does a good job of making you root for him. Stephen Geoffreys steals every scene that isn't nailed down as Evil Ed, although his voice can be a bit annoying at times. The only weak link is Amanda Bearse, and it's not that she gives a bad performance. She's just not given much to do other than worry about Charlie and then get kidnapped. With that little given her, she's easily outplayed by the rest of the cast.

Another thing I love about this movie is it's love for the genre. This is the horror geek's horror movie. I think just about every one of us over 10 years old can remember being like Charlie Brewster: staying up late, catching whatever horror movie was showing in the wee odd hours of the night, scaring the hell out of ourselves with said horror movie and losing sleep because of it. It's a movie that makes me think back on my childhood. 

So, in summation, look this movie up. I guarantee it'll be one you enjoy. It carries The Unkown Movie Fan Seal of Approval. And, as for that... other one, I'll get to that later...

My Rating-  *  *  * 1/2   out of   *  *  *  *

Demons

DEMONS (1985): Starring- Urbano Barberini, Natasha Hovey, Karl Zinny, Fiore Argento, Paola Cozzo, Fabiola Toledo, Nicoletta Elmi, Bobby Rhodes, Stelio Candeli, Nicole Tessier, Guido Baldi, Bettina Ciampolino, Guiseppe Mauro Cruciano, Sally Day, and Geretta Geretta.

Directed by Lamberto Bava

Welcome back to the crypt! Have I got a real treat for you today... Like the subject of my (long ago) last review, THE BEYOND, DEMONS is an import from Italy. Also like the BEYOND, it's weird as hell. 

Imagine if you took everything that was great about 80's horror movies and mixed it with everything that was terrible about 80's horror movies. Well, the end result would probably be a lot like this movie. It's got all the trappings: gore, wooden acting, stereotypical characters, a pulsing punk rock soundtrack, random slow motion, and a totally nonsensical plot. And I love every second of it!

The film begins as young Cheryl (Hovey) is walking through the Berlin subway with the strange sensation that she's being followed. It turns out she's right, as a strange man wearing a silver half-mask that seems to be growing out of his face is actively pursuing her. Fortunately, it turns out the man is merely handing out tickets to a free showing at The Metropol, an upscale movie theater. Cheryl requests a second ticket so that she and her friend Kathy (Cozzo) can attend the showing, despite the fact that they have no clue about what the movie is.

Also attending the movie are George (Barberini) and Ken (Zinny), who soon have their eyes set on Cheryl and Kathy. Others in the audience include an arguing husband and wife, a blind man named Werner (One wonders why a blind man would go to the movies...), and Tony the pimp (Rhodes), who looks like he just stepped out of the late 70's.

The movie they are attending is about a group of archeologists searching for an ancient mask in a decrepit tomb. As it turns out, the mask is razor sharp, and if it scratches you, you become a vicious, demon-possessed murderer. Not-so-coincidentally, one of Tony's "friends," Rosemary (Geretta) has made the same mistake with a prop version of the mask which was displayed in the theater's lobby. Of course, the movie turns out to be prophetic, as Rosemary is soon very possessed and murderous, attacking other theater-goers and spreading the possession to them. The survivors soon find themselves trapped in the theater, and must contend with the vicious, slimy minions of hell that are fast approaching them. Meanwhile, a group of Berlin punks manage to break into the theater and soon become fodder for the demon army.

Well, I've got my work cut out for me in describing this one any further. It's... insane. It's one of those movies that doesn't seem to occupy our reality at all. The plot is totally nonsensical, yet seems to have its own weird, internal logic. The dialog ranges from dull to unintentionally (I think) hilarious, and the acting (read: the dubbing) is just out there. And I love every fucking second of it!

On a technical note, the cinematography is fantastic. The movie's colors just jump off the film and spew right into your face. It's probably no coincidence, as Dario Argento was the executive producer, and the director, Lamberto Bava, is the son of the great Mario Bava (BLACK SUNDAY, LISA AND THE DEVIL, BARON BLOOD, etc.) He clearly inherited a fantastic sense of visual style from his father. Plus, the scenery helps out a great deal. The neon-lit streets of Berlin lend a very kinetic, dangerous feel to the exteriors. And I just have to talk about The Metropol. This place looks like the coolest movie theater ever! I mean, it's just awesome. I wish I had a theater like this near where I live. 

The soundtrack, as previously stated, is an excellent mix of great '80's punk and metal, including tracks by Billy Idol, Mötley Crüe, Rick Springfield, Go West, and Claudio Simonetti of famed Italian prog rock band Goblin (another connection to Argento.) Although, to be perfectly honest, the placing of some of the tracks is a little inappropriate and distracting, but I don't care. Just look at that roster of artists. Just look at it. Need I say more...?

And there's one more thing I love about this movie: Tony the Pimp. This guy is great. He's got the John Travolta SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER suit, a gold medallion, and he talks like a mixture of Fred Williamson and Rudy Ray Moore. The second this guy walked into frame, I was rooting for him. Sadly, He doesn't last very long after the demons appear... But, he does reappear in the sequel, DEMONS 2. Maybe I'll cover that one later on...

So, that wraps this one up. It's hilarious, grusome cheese. If you can turn off your brain for the duration, it's a hell of a fun way to spend 90 minutes. Also, I happen to know from personal experience that it makes for a great party movie. So, if you get enough people together who are willing to watch it, pop it in and have a great time.

My Rating- *  *  *    out of    *  *  *  *

The Beyond (I'm back...)

THE BEYOND (1981): Starring- Catriona MacColl, David Warbeck, Sarah Keller, Antoine Saint-John, Veronica Lazar, Giovanni De Nava, Al Cliver, Michele Mirabella, Gianpaolo Saccarola, and Maria Pia Marsala.

Directed by- Lucio Fulci

Well, after a long and unfair hiatus, I've finally returned to you, my little droogies! And I've returned with one of the strangest, goriest, nastiest, most batshit-insane films ever to come out of Italy. (Which is really saying something, by the way...)

THE BEYOND begins in Louisiana in 1927, when a painter named Schweik (Saint-John) is attacked and crucified in the basement of The Seven Doors Hotel. You see, Schweik is also a warlock, and it turns out that the hotel was built over one of the seven gateways to hell, which Schweik has opened using the ancient Book of Eibon. Schweik does his best to explain that he is the only one who can save the hotel, but the angry mob attacking him doesn't listen, continuing with the crucifixion, after which, lye is thrown onto Schweik's corpse.

Flash-forward to 1981. Young Liza (MacColl) is the new owner of the now-defunct Seven Doors Hotel, which she is attempting to fix up. Unfortunately, during the repairs, a terrible "accident" occurs, causing one of her workers to fall from the top of the hotel. Dr. McCabe (Warbeck) is quickly called to the scene, simply stating "This man need to get to a hospital!" (Yeah, no shit...). Later on, Joe the plumber (De Nava) is called to help de-flood the basement. He discovers a crubmling wall, which he proceeds to break down. Unfortunately, this frees Schweik's severely decayed corpse. Schweik crushes Joe's skull and then returns to playing dead, leaving both of them to be taken to the hospital morgue.

Soon after this, Liza encouters a strange young blind woman named Emily (Keller), who warns her to stay away from the hotel, preventing a horrible process from starting over again. Of course, this being a horror movie, Liza doesn't listen. Because of this, things begin to progress very rapidly into a nightmarish torrent of insanity, with bodies piling up, murerous dogs, flesh-eating spiders, ghosts, possessions, acid-washing, and an army of living corpses led by Schweik.

This is a weird movie, to say the least. There are so many questions that this film raises that I could base the rest of this review around them. There's just so much here that's wrong. The english dubbing is terrible, the plot is scattered, the ending is abrupt, and it's very evident that this was made by people who didn't speak English (note the sign that reads "DO NOT ENTRY"). Also, like many zombie films, there are scenes that are just plain infuriating to watch. Despite knowing full well that shots to the head seem to kill these zombies, Dr. McCabe continues to fire all over the place. Just hit them in the head, dammit!

However, the film is highly enjoyable despite these problems. The film looks good, with Fulci's usual eye for visual detail. The special effects, though exceedingly gory, are very well-executed, except for some fake spiders. They look terrible. Also, the film's soundtrack by Italian composer Fabio Frizzi, a frequent Fulci collaborater, is highly catchy and wonderfully atmospheric.

All in all, this is a pretty good movie. If you can manage to turn your brain off, it's a great way to spend 87 minutes. I'd recommend it.

My rating- * * * out of * * * *