I have seen the original Fright Night, which I consider to be a horror movie classic, many times during my teenage years, I was curious as to how they were going to do this remake. I first heard that there was a remake coming early last year and decided to check out the trailer on Youtube, well before the movie was released. And I almost didn’t decide to watch this movie because of one little fact – I cannot stand Collin Farrell! He annoys me 100% and I usually avoid his movies and hate when I have to suffer him in a film, like Horrible Bosses & this one as the other actors & storyline are worth it.

So Fright Night 2011 the remake, who’s in it, what do we get & how does it fare? Well other than the Farrell, we have Anton Yelchin (Chekov from the 2009 version of Star Trek), Imogen Potts, Toni Collette, David Tennent & Christopher Mintz-Plasse. The cast is good but are they good enough to offer a fresh look on a movie that is beloved & tried & tested? Directed by Craig Gillespie, we have the screenplay worked on by Marti Noxon from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Is that enough?

• Colin Farrell is the most unlikeliest of scary vampires. Atleast we have vampires being scary instead of sparkly once again. But he isn’t smooth enough to pull it off. He is annoying. And from when did vampires start eating a bunch of apples? Jerry the vampire!
• Anton Yelchin is someone I like a lot having seen him in 4 movies now. He does a good job, as usual, as Charlie Brewster – the high school kid who battles the powerful vampire. The former nerd turned cool kid angle is thrown into for good measure.
• Imogen Poots plays the hot, sexy girlfriend Amy who gets involved in the battle between Charlie & Jerry and she is not one to shy away. She gives as good as she gets until Jerry captures her and turns her briefly into a vampire moll. Charlie has to rescue her and needs help.
• Which brings us to this guy – David Tennant. I haven never seen him in anything before but came to know that he plays the 10th Doctor Who (I have never seen the tv series before but I am aware of it). Tennant almost steals the show with his performance of Peter Vincent as a Criss Angel spoof magician and vampire expert. He is initially scared off when Charlie’s friend Ed, who was turned into a vampire, comes crashing into his apartment and attacks Vincent, Charlie & Amy. That scene is one highlight of the film.
• Toni Collette – she disappears after she, Charlie & Amy escape from Jerry’s attack and there’s a bunch of stuff that happens after that. Toni plays Charlie’s mom, Jane, a sexy & flirtatious single woman. She is the one who initially injures Jerry by putting a real estate sign stake into Jerry. She then faints from a head injury sustained in the crash and is taken to hospital. Jerry survives the staking attempt, crawling around in a painful screech while looking half man, half monster. Shame that Jane doesn’t play a part in the movie after that, a shame since I love Collette.

I think it was interesting and worth an effort but I don’t think it worked. The characters aren’t really fleshed out and given much to work with, with the sole exception of Tennant who really brings his role to life. I’d watch it again probably but the original is still better. 6 out of 10!