Fright Night is the first horror movie I saw in a theatre, and it scared the crap right out of me. I'd seen scary movies before, but at home on TV. I knew well and good vampires weren't real, but I wasn't prepared for the immersive experience of seeing a vampire movie on a giant Vancouver screen with full audience participation, not to mention big-budget gore and special effects. It terrified and excited me, and I was hooked! Fright Night doesn't scare me anymore. Hundreds of viewings have diminished its impact to do so. But it has aged really, really well, and the effects still have an impact. I'm a particular fan of the almost demonic vampire makeup. No glittery, Emo douchebags here! Chris Sarandon is probably my favourite vampire ever put on screen. He's charming and funny, but is also monstrous and scary. Pretty much everything a vampire should be. And I get why all the ladies would flock to him. This is an iconic horror villain. It goes without ...

Yeah, we're supposed to be taking a break. But when our favourite Scream Queen asks us if we wouldn't mind promoting her latest project, Lazarus, we're willing to put down the martinis and help out. Brooke Lewis plays the no-nonsense Betty Page-esque Ms. Daniels, an executive at Topaz Insurance company who sends investigator George Lazarus down a mysterious road into the mouth of darkness. The flick takes place in 1957 Hollywood and follows Lazarus as he looks into a suspicious claim put in by Harvest International Tobacco company. Lazarus soon learns all 12 employees named in the claim were fired for getting sick on the job. Without giving too much away, what begins as a normal fraud cause might just turn in to the beginning of the end for the human race. Granted, there's a lot more than that going on in director Thomas J. Churchill 's pre-apocalyptic tale. Along for the ride with Brooke are Stephen Geoffreys , he of the original Fright Night fame, an...

Shawn and I enjoy shitting on remakes or reboot or whatever the kids and studio execs are calling them these days. Primarily because most suck, and suck hard. But that's not the case with all of them. A good remake brings something unique to the table, retelling a good story in a new and interesting way. Like a good production of Hamlet, which has to be one of the most told stories in human history. I'm not saying The Thing or Halloween or Fright Night are on the same level as Hamlet, but they are stories that lend themselves to retelling. And, when done right, each version can be as timeless as the one that came before it. With that in mind, I've tackled  the 1980s horror classic and its redo, released this past summer. Fright Night (1985) I first saw this movie back in 1985. It's the first horror film I watched in a theatre and it scared the crap out of me. Now it's just a great funhouse ride of laughs, scares and gruesome, but fun, visual effects. Ch...

Basement contributor Matt Bellamy has taken it upon himself to watch and review at least one horror movie a day for the month of October . . . because he's awesome that way! For the latest installment in his series, Bellamy welcomes us . . . to Fright Night!   "Welcome to... Fright Night! For real". There were two movies I watched on regular rotation by the time I was four years old, the first was Jaws, and the other was this horror gem. I recall the first time I saw the trailer for the new remake in theatres, many younger people verbally complained "what a rip-off of Disturbia!", I simply shook my head, they really had no idea. Not like the 1985 original didn't borrow heavily from anything else *cough* Rear Window *cough* but simply added vampires into the mix, which is A-OK with me! The remake was solid, I enjoyed it but everything about the original is better; the actors, the vampires, even some ...

I first saw this movie back in 1985. It's the first horror film I watched in a theatre and it scared the crap out of me. Now it's just a great funhouse ride of laughs, scares and gruesome, but fun, visual effects. Chris Sarandon is just awesome as the vampire and Roddy McDowall is a joy to watch as Peter Vincent: Vampire Killer. This was made back when horror movies, and movies in general, were a lot of fun and it shows. I find it hard to believe the remake will have anywhere near the energy and wit writer/director Tom Holland put into every frame of his movie. A Good for me.

I remember my cousin Tony taking me to see the original Fright Night on its opening weekend back in 1985. I was 13, we were in Vancouver and it was the first R-rated film I ever saw in a theatre. It was a crazy experience. I was both awestruck and terrified. It was awesome! The film is held in a special place in my heart. It's a great mix of campy, scary, funny and gruesome. And you can't beat a cast that includes Roddy McDowall as a TV horror movie host who does battle with a real vampire. I don't know what to make of this remake. The film's been moved to Las Vegas and the Peter Vincent character is now some Sin City magician. And we've got Colin Farrell as the vampire. Whatever. The preview looks OK, but watch and judge for yourselves.