Confessions of a Liberal Puritan

Yes, I went to see the remake of the 1985 cult classic Fright Night after church this afternoon -- mainly because I was dying to see David Tennant's performance in the role of fake vampire expert Peter Vincent (not coincidentally, Roddy McDowell's appearance in that role in the original version was the only reason I went to see it, back in the 1980s; I had such a thing for Roddy McDowell in my youth!).

I wasn't expecting a great deal from the 2011 remake, apart from the pleasure of seeing David Tennant camping it up as a delightfully twisted cross between illusionist David Blaine and the kind of spacy rocker played by Russell Brand in movies like Get Him to the Greek. I had no idea that Marti Noxon had done the script adaptation, and I've never found Colin Farrell remotely attractive, for some reason, so David Tennant really was the only draw. And he was brilliantly funny and oddly touching in the role (and don't even get me started on those oh-so-tight leather pants!).

But there was much more to like in this film, lots of updates and variations and improvements on the original. Anton Yelchin's version of Charlie Brewster was really sympathetic and multi-layered, and his former best friend Evil Ed was far more than just a joke. Toni Collette was feisty and loyal and definitely no pushover as Charlie's mom, and Imogen Poots' version of Charlie's girlfriend had guts and heart and no shortage of brains.

All in all, I highly recommend seeing this film, even if you've seen and loved the original.