A young teen begins to suspect that his recently moved in next door neighbor is a vampire, much to the disbelief of his aloof mother, oddball best friend, and virginal girlfriend. When the neighbor becomes a formidable threat, the teen tries to enlist the help of a cowardly British host of a late night monster television program to put the foe down and save the lives of all those close to him. "Fright Night" is a moderately enjoyable 80s camp flick bolstered by the performances of two of its stars, Chris Sarandon as the hunky and menacing vampire and Roddy McDowall as the TV host, both of whom are humorously enjoyable in their roles. The film is not helped however by William Ragsdale in the lead playing the teen, whose performance is irritating borderlining on unwatchable. Additionally, the final showdown is clunky and unsatisfying, dominated by cheesy gross out effects, and terribly overlong. Still, "Fright Night" is somewhat fun campy fare and superior to the
remake released earlier this year.
