Fright Night introduces us to Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale), a very normal teenaged boy. (Let it be noted that Charley isn't the horror movie obsessed character which some plot synopsis for the film make him out to be.) He enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, Amy (Amanda Bearse), and his odd friend, Ed (Stephen Geoffreys), who is also known as "Evil Ed" (Although we're never told why.) One day, Charley's mom (Dorothy Fielding) tells him that someone has bought the house next door and that night, Charley is convinced that he sees two men moving a coffin into the basement. The next day, Charley sees an attractive women going into the house and he then sees her on the news, as she was found murdered. Charley becomes convinced that his neighbor is a vampire and he calls the police. However, the homeowner, Jerry Dandrige (Chris Sarandon), laughs off this notion, and convinces the police that he and his roommate, Billy (Jonathan Stark), have done nothing wrong, making Charley look like a fool. In desperation, Charley approaches former horror movie actor and current TV horror host Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) for help, who rebuffs Charley. However, Amy and Ed convince Vincent that he can help Charley get over this fantasy. When Vincent confronts Dandrige, he learns that the man is indeed a monster and it's now up to Charley and Vincent to stop this creature of the night.

However, this isn't to imply that Fright Night is shallow or pointless. The clutter-free script allows Holland to focus on the pacing, characters, and action. We learn fairly early-on that Dandrige is a vampire, and the focus then falls on how the other characters react to Charlie. Once Dandrige's identity is revealed to Vincent, the movie moves from a suspense film to more of a full-on horror movie, as the vampire goes on the attack. The last act is a roller-coast ride as Charley and Vincent do battle with Dandrige. This section of the film is very interesting as the special effects get pretty wild. The transforming, melting, and exploding vampires juxtapose the otherwise sedate and classy feel of the film, but this approach works as it illustrates how important these moments are. I also liked the fact that Holland's script goes back to some early vampire legends, showing that vampires can take on many forms.

Again, Fright Night deserves its place in the pantheon of vampire films, but watching it today, some problems do emerge. This isn't truly a fault of the film, but the movie does look dated today. Not for the story or the special effects, but the costumes and the use of what is clearly a backlot. Dandrige's clothes, most notably his gray leather duster, scream 1980s and keep him from being intimidating at times. And then we have the Billy character, who may be the lamest Renfield ever. He's supposed to be creepy and scare Charley away, but he often looks confused. (And his demise makes no sense at all, as it doesn't fit in with the rest of the movie.) I also had an issue with the scene in which Charley walks Amy home. Why does she live downtown when Charley lives in what looks like the suburbs?

Those issues aside, Fright Night is still a solid movie which has held up pretty well. This was one of the first films to introduce the idea of a vampire moving into a neighborhood and attempting to blend in. The movie boasts solid, believable characters and the final act doesn't skimp on the action. Fright Night may not have been as overtly influential as The Lost Boys, but it's certainly worth revisiting.

Fright Night could have done a better job with making Roddy McDowall's hair look gray on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Twilight Time. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc carries an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 26 Mbps. The image looks good for a 25 year old movie. The image is sharp and clear, showing no defects from the source materials. The picture does show a slight amount of grain blended with video noise, but it won't be distracting to most viewers. The image is never overly bright, but a few scenes are slightly dark. The colors look good and natural. The picture shows an impressive depth -- even in medium close ups, the actors are clearly separated from the background. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 4.0 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The stereo effects are nicely done, as they are clearly defined and detailed. The surround sound effects perform well, but only in key scenes. The nightclub scene and the finale boast very good surround sound effects, but they are notably absent in other parts of the film. The same goes for the subwoofer in these scenes.

The only extras found on the Fright Night Blu-ray Disc are two trailers for the film. (Both of which give a lot away, but the make the movie look very exciting.)