Huh, well... kind of thought we'd be getting to this one much sooner. Like, much sooner. Regardless, we're here now and I can finally put this monster to rest with a stake through the heart.
This is Fright Night Part 2.
So, it's been three years since the events of the first movie. Charley Brewster (William Ragsadale) is now a college student who has been undergoing psychiatric therapy and... believes that Jerry Dandrige was nothing more than a psychopath who used the trappings of being a vampire in order to commit acts as a serial killer.
...yep, here we go again.
We are also without Amy in this movie, so Charley has a new girlfriend in Alex (Traci Lind). Lemme just go ahead and say it: Charley? Good upgrade, bro. Amy does get mentioned in the opening of the film, but otherwise her absence is unaddressed. However, returning from the previous film is Peter Vincent, the great vampire killer (Roddy McDowall), who is still the host of the late night Fright Night show. Unlike Charley, he still fully believes the truth that Jerry was a vampire and promotes this view even on the show as he continues to crusade against evil. As he puts it, "forewarned is forearmed".
However, Charley's illusion gets shattered when a mysterious, seductive woman by the name of Regine (Julie Carmen) moves into the same apartment building as Peter. After a dream in which Regine bites him and turns him into a vampire, Charley begins to exhibit strange symptoms that he can't explain, in particular sensitivity toward garlic and sunlight.
Yes, Charley, there is such a thing as vampires... and there are still a great many reasons to be afraid of the dark...
Fright Night Part 2 does continue on in the tradition of the first movie. The tone is pretty much the same, though it does an inversion of tropes much as the original film did. While the original film was a love letter to the Golden Age of Horror Films and played with the tropes that came from those movies, putting it in suburbia and having a "boy who cried wolf" storyline, the sequel flips that dynamic on its head with the former Doubting Thomas Peter Vincent being the one who cries wolf and Charley being the one who doesn't believe... at least at first.
Also, Charley being the one slowly turning into a vampire shows shades of Mina Murray/Harker from the original Dracula, but done with the male character rather than the female one. How progressive!
Speaking of progressiveness, I wasn't just saying that Alex was an upgrade from Amy due to the fact that Traci Lind is hotter than Amanda Bearse (no offense, Amanda, you're a gem) - Alex is kind of a total badass, shown to be insightful, capable, and resourceful in ways that are believable and, more to the point, are helpful to advancing the plot and saving Charley's sorry ass.
You also have the late, great Roddy McDowall once more stepping into the tweed suit of Peter Vincent, which is always a joy even in this movie.
Then, there's Julie Carmen playing Regine. She's definitely hitting all the vampire stereotypes of being seductive, threatening, and bloodthirsty. The sister of the recently re-deceased Jerry (somehow), she seeks vengeance against both Charley and Peter for his death and comes up with revenge rather creatively when it comes to dealing with Jerry... not so much when it comes to Peter, who she just ends up taking over Fright Night from.
Admittedly, later, Peter gets committed when he attempts to stake her onscreen, but that clearly wasn't part of her plan in the beginning.
What doesn't work about this movie? Well, Regine's entourage is... mixed at best. Some clearly vampires, others appear to be ghouls much like Billy Cole was in the original film, but they are largely there for comic relief and not much else... and they are very hit and miss.
The film itself is not as well regarded as the original and it's not particularly difficult to see why, a lot of it is rehashed from the original. However, I really don't think this film gets the credit it deserves. What is done well here is done really well and you could find a lot worse ways to spend 103 minutes. As a conclusion to the storyline, even though it leaves it open for a sequel, it's not a bad one. The morning sun rises to banish the horrible night and Charley, Alex, and Peter all walk off to live their lives. Whether or not there are other vampires, they have to live... but they'll live prepared for what comes next.
As for what comes next for us, we're going to end Horror Month 2023 (at least for the film reviews) with our annual trip back to Haddonfield, Illinois. There's one thing you can be sure of - evil dies tonight!
...seriously, they won't stop saying it.
Fright Night Part 2 is brought to us by New Century/Vista and Tri-Star Pictures.
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