Batman

I can't believe it has been 25 years since Tim Burton's Batman was first released. I still remember the anticipation that summer and it delivered so well, this film has more or less shaped the character's cinematic presence from then on. Even the Christopher Nolan films, especially Batman Begins, can be traced back here.

Tim Burton does a great job creating a memorable outing for the Caped Crusader, taking a chance with casting Michael Keaton in the title role. Initially fans were seriously upset, writing thousands of letters of complaint to Warner Bros, but the bet paid off. On the other hand, Jack Nicholson as The Joker was a sure thing. Backing them up was Kim Basinger as photographer Vicky Vale and Robert Wuhl as reporter Alexander Knox, two characters I always liked but seem to have disappeared from the subsequent films.

I've always loved that this film is content to throw it's audience right into the action, not burdening itself with telling a straight out origin story from the beginning. They trust the audience to have enough knowledge of the character to get what's going on. And if you don't, the film fills you in with the key points as it goes along. Keaton helps with this, creating both Batman and Bruce Wayne as two characters you would not necessarily think were the same person, no small task. The film does however tackle the origins of The Joker, telling the creation of everyone's favorite psychotic clown, with Nicholson hitting just the right note of humor and insanity.

The film is infused with a fantastic film noir sensibility, mixing both contemporary and 1930's sensibilities to create a unique and memorable vision of Gotham City. The film strikes a nice balance, embracing the darker elements of the comics while still keeping some humor to keep the whole film from getting too dark (case in point: Batman Returns). 

Another point for the film is Danny Elfman's incredible score, crafting a theme as memorable and iconic as the one John Williams crafted for Superman eleven years prior. On the other hand, the soundtrack contributions by Prince, well, there's a reason Shaun was perfectly fine with Ed chucking it at a zombie in Shaun of the Dead. 

Still, it's a minor quibble for a film that became a prototype for the modern comic book films to come, showing that a major action film can be done with style and wit and still come out on top as a massive blockbuster. It's a memorable outing for Batman that's well worth rediscovering.

A Look Back at the Friday the 13th Series Part 1

Sometimes I wonder why I continue to be such a fan of the Friday the 13th films to this day. Anymore, I think it's more for nostalgia than anything. I watched them a lot in my early teens because that was when I was first becoming a horror film junkie. To the possible relief of my parents, I blossomed into a full on cinema junkie as I went along. But at that time, there was something about the Horror genre that just captured my imagination. Perhaps it was that I grew up in an incredibly benign Midwest middle class suburb where pretty much nothing ever happened and this allowed me a safe way to explore something dark and dangerous. 

I also related to these types of movies because I was a nerdy misfit in school and was able to relate to the "Final girl" in these films who was in many ways similar to me, whereas the kids I didn't get along with in school represented the ones who were brutally slaughtered in increasingly clever and gruesome ways, allowing a cathartic release in a way that didn't involve opening fire on my classmates. Because in the back of my mind I aligned myself with the clever ones who got away, who defeated the monster in the end. 

Of course, there was always a reputation that there was something forbidden about these films too when I was a kid. Violent, scary horror movies our folks wouldn't let us watch. So, getting to see them finally was a little bit naughty. Of course, in today's age where we have horrific violence all over broadcast television (I'm still in shock that "Hannibal" is on NBC with it's level of gruesome violence) makes these films look almost tame in comparison. Still, at least the first four films can get my pulse going all these years later, so there must still be something to them.

"Jason was my son and today is his birthday."

The original Friday the 13th was released in the summer of 1980. I use the term "original" loosely here, since everyone involved pretty much admitted to shamelessly ripping off John Carpenter's Halloween. Still, the film was competently made and a certainly struck a chord with viewers becoming a box office hit. 

The original film is very basic in his plotting. A group of camp counselors gather at Camp Crystal Lake to get it fixed up to open. Soon enough, they start getting picked off one by one by an unknown killer. Unlike Halloween, which featured very little gore, this one dishes out buckets of blood as each counselor is dispatched in increasingly creative ways, which would go on to being the series calling card over such things as suspense or characterization. One of the signature set pieces was Kevin Bacon's early demise with an arrow through the neck from under the bunk. It's a testament to Tom Savini's makeup wizardry and variations of it have been repeated a few times through the series.

The film is not perfect, with odd plot points such as an unlikely game of strip Monopoly to fill time between killings just never quite worked. Still, the overall whodunit feel to the film is a nice touch, with several red herrings. This has been diluted over the years as the ending has been thoroughly spoiled and is common knowledge that the killer is Pamela Voorhees (played by Betsy Palmer) who is determined to go to any lengths to ensure Camp Crystal Lake remains closed since her son drowned there 22 years prior. 

The film more or less sets up the formula that would be repeated over the remainder of the series. A group of teens or young adults in a secluded location picked off by a killer, usually Jason, until one or two remain for the final chase at the end. This one ends with a bit more novel ending, with final girl Alice (played by Adrienne King) decapitating Pamela with a machete. 

The film ends with Alice out in the middle of Crystal Lake in a canoe when Jason bursts out of the water and pulls her under. It's a shocking moment if you don't know it was coming. It is also one that inadvertently set up a seemingly unending series of sequels with Jason as the villain.

"I warned the others. They didn't listen. You're doomed. You're all doomed."

Friday the 13th Part 2 takes place at a Counselor training center on the same Crystal Lake. Because the ideal location for such a center would be where several camp counselors have already been horribly murdered. Makes perfect sense.

Don't get me wrong, in many ways I feel like Part 2 is a stronger film than the original. This is especially true with our final girl, Ginny Field (played by Amy Steel). She remains my favorite of the Friday the 13th heroines, keeping her head when facing off against the rampaging Jason, even going so far as almost managing to outsmart him.

The plot of the film picks up five years after the events of the first film as a new group of teens convene at the lake for Camp Counselor Training. The group is headed up by Paul (played by John Furey), with Ginny as his second in command. We're introduced to our cannon fodder, er, I mean our other counselors by way of archetype (the prankster, the horn dog, the sympathetic one, the token black guy (who actually lives!) etc.) setting up the formula that would be reused for the next couple films. 

It's not long before people start dropping dead by the hands of Jason, who it turns out did not drown after all and has been living as a crazed hermit in the woods. Of course, this doesn't make a lick of sense when you think about it but whatever. Several of the death scenes got severely cut by the MPAA, including the infamous double implalement of two characters in bed, but curiously there is a picture of the uncut scene on the back of several VHS cases for the film.

As the new crop of counselors are picked off one by one, we eventually find ourselves with only Paul and Ginny remaining with the remaining counselors either dead or away from the camp for a night of partying. What follows is great cat and mouse chase between Jason and Ginny throughout the camp. Ginny gives a good fight against him using everything at her disposal, including her wits. Finally, they wind up at Jason's shack in the woods for the final showdown. Here Ginny tries something incredibly bold, pretending to be Jason's resurrected mother. Surprisingly, it almost works, until she moves to strike, revealing his Mother's decapiated head on the shrine behind her. Still, with an assist from Paul, she is able to take down Jason, until the next sequel that is.

"No, you can't be alive!"

After Part 2 was an even bigger hit than the first film, it was quickly decided to make Friday the 13th Part 3. The filmmakers were looking for way to make this new entry stand out from the previous two. It was not long before shooting the film in 3D was suggested by Paramount studio heads, wanting to try out a new 3D system. The results would be one of the better shot genre 3D films made. Unfortunately, without the 3D effects, the film is a bit flat (no pun intended) with a cookie cutter plot repeating a lot of the last two films. 

Part 3 includes such an odd bunch of characters, I have trouble believing they are all friends. We have Chris (played by Dana Kimmel), our final girl for the film who was previously assaulted by Jason and survived. There is also shy Shelly (played by Larry Zerner), who plays pranks for attention, two stoners Chuck and Chili (played by David Katims and Rachel Howard) who seem like refugees from a Cheech and Chong film, Debbie and Andy (played by Tracie Savage and Jeffrey Rogers), Vera (played by Catherine Parks) and Chris' love interest Rick (played by Paul Kratka). They are all gathered at Chris' family cabin for a weekend of fun, unaware a masked maniac is on the loose. There is also a biker gang that Shelly and Vera run afoul of to add to the body count of people felled by Jason.

The main attraction of the film is the use of the 3D effect, with plenty of objects jutting out of the screen, starting with TV antennas, baseball bats, yoyos, and later on pitchforks, spearguns and a red hot fireplace poker. Unlike some films of the era, such as Jaws 3D, the film still works in the 2D format. The effect though is largely well executed and retains the reputation as one of the best shot 3D films ever. The film is also notable for being the first film to feature Jason in his iconic hockey mask, acquired from Shelly, which would be a series trademark from here on out.

Now, if only the plot wasn't so determined to go through the motions with Jason working his way through another group of young adults. The final chase between Chris and Jason is suitably thrilling though, ending with Chris planting an ax square in Jason's head. Originally, the thought was this would be the concluding chapter of a trilogy of films, but the producers decided on another film to finish the series on a high note (yeah, right).

"You son of a bitch! I'll give you something to remember us by."

As it turns out, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is a bit of a misnomer, since it was followed by another six films. But at the time, it really was designed to be the last one and part of me wishes they had held to that because this is one helluva ride.

The Final Chapter picks up right where Part 3 leaves off, with emergency crews clearing the scene of carnage and collecting Jason where we left him in the barn. He's wheeled into the hospital morgue, where he is handled by a sleazy morgue attendant. Soon enough, Jason has come to once again and makes his way back to Camp Crystal Lake. 

Once back, he sets his sights on another house full of teenagers, including a young Crispin Glover who performs a dance so strange it has to be seen to be believed. There is also the neighboring house occupied by a single mother, Mrs. Jarvis (played by Joan Freeman) and her two children, Trish (played by Kimberly Beck) and Tommy (played by Corey Feldman). Also lurking about is Rob Dyer (played by E. Erich Anderson), who has come to Crystal Lake to avenge the death of his sister and put Jason down for good.

It was clear more effort was put into this entry since the plan was this would be the last one. They had a better cast of actors, who each have a fully fleshed out character rather than an archetype, so you feel a pang of sadness. They also brought back Tom Savini to do the special effects and his involvement also raises the bar over the previous sequels. 

The film in competently directed by Joseph Zito with a climax that to this day can still get my heart rate up. As the cast gets pared down to just Rob, Trish and Tommy, things start getting increasingly more and more intense. Originally designed as the final film in the series, the film pulls out all the stops to be the most memorable film, especially in the sense of Jason's eventual demise. Still, this one wound up being a bonafide box office smash as well, leading them to make yet another sequel...

Pompeii

Pompeii is a mish-mash of disaster movie and sword and sandal epic with only moderate success in either pursuit. Then again, I freely admit I only watched this for two reasons: Spectacular destruction and to gaze upon Kit Harrington's equally  spectacular abs. 

The film itself is a combination of well-worn tropes we've seen many times before. For the first two-thirds, the film is a gladiator epic, mainly ripping off Gladiator and subbing Kit Harrington for Russell Crowe. He plays slave turned gladiator Milo, seeking revenge against Senator Corvus (played by the woefully miscast Kiefer Sutherland). We also have Atticus, (played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) as his slave/gladiator sidekick in a role shamelessly ported over directly from the aforementioned film. 

In addition to this, Milo also finds himself in a star-crossed love affair with a woman from a higher class (Titanic, anyone?). In this case, she's Cassia (played by Emily Browning). Of course, she also catches Senator Corvus's eye therefore allowing Kiefer Sutherland to pull double duty by playing Billy Zane's role from Titanic as well. Of course, all this is just filler until Mount Vesuvius finally blows it's top. It's a long hour or so for us to get there though.  

Once the eruption does start, the film somehow dramatically improves as the entire city descends into chaos as everyone tries to save themselves. Images of people running through the streets, trying to escape the city either through the port (which, ahem, didn't exist in the real Pompeii, which was not located on the coast) or other means. The effects are well rendered for the most part, creating a convincing recreation of the eruption. Of course, the film isn't particularly accurate to the real Pompeii at all. For example, the real Stadium (which still stands today), fared a lot better than the movie version. 

In the end, Pompeii is what we would get if we took Gladiator, Titanic, and Dante's Peak and put them in a blender. The film shamelessly rips off what came before wholesale and presents it as new in a poorly researched, although with convincing effects, film based on a real historical event. The real shame is it had the potential to be better than it was. Still, it's not a total waste as long as you're watching it for the right abs er, reasons.

Broken Arrow

"Would you mind not shooting at the thermonuclear weapons?!" -Deakins (John Travolta)

"You know, you can't arm real nuclear weapons by dialing 1-800-Blow-Up into them." -My friend Jessica, illustrating perfectly how wonderfully silly this film is.

Every summer, I start craving a need to watch action movies. It's always been one of my favorite genres ever since I was a teen and ever since Broken Arrow came out, it's been one of my favorites. 

The film stars John Travolta as Deakins, a disgruntled Air Force pilot who is plotting to steal a pair of nuclear weapons and hold them for ransom. Standing in his way is his co-pilot, Hale (played by Christian Slater). To cover his tracks, Deakins ejects Hale from their plane, parachutes the bombs out and ejects himself over the Utah desert. 

Deakins hooks up with his cronies, including his sidekick Howie Long and the whiniest villain ever, Pritchett (played by Bob Gunton). Meanwhile, Hale gains the assistance of Park Ranger Terry Carmichael (played by Samantha Mathis).

The film is one long chase as Hale and Terry try to steal the nukes back from Deakins and Company. This includes a car chase through the desert between two humvees, an extended shoot out in an abandoned copper mine, and an extended fight on a moving freight train. This film also includes four seperate helicopter explosions, which seems a bit excessive, even to me.

At the end of the day, Broken Arrow is Travolta's show, playing the baddie Deakins with such an infectous over the top glee. Slater does his best in the hero role, as does Mathis and the two share the same chemistry they had in Pump Up the Volume. But still, it's Travolta that dominates the film and is easily one of the most memorable things about the film.

Hans Zimmer's score is one of the other memorable aspects of the film, providing a group of memorable themes, especially Deakins theme, a twangy guitar riff contributed by the great Duane Eddy. This theme even found a second life a year later as Dewey's theme in Scream 2. The theme was used in the temporary soundtrack when they were editing that film and it fit so well, they licensed the music and kept it in the finished film.

The film is directed by John Woo, and while it's one of his more minor efforts his trademarks are still all over the film, from the use of slow motion to his heroes brandishing dual handguns. He takes the film up a notch, giving it some style and wit to set it apart. 

Broken Arrow doesn't pretend to be anything more than a shoot 'em up action picture, with perhaps a bizarre helicopter bias. In it's own unambitious way it's a thoroughly entertaining, if quite silly, action film that I personally have always enjoyed. 

Wet Hot American Summer

"You taste like a burger! I don't like you anymore."

Wet Hot American Summer was released in the summer of 2001 to little notice, almost as if no one got the joke. At the time, the headlining stars of the film were Janene Garafalo, David Hyde Pierce and Molly Shannon. However, the rest of the cast is a collection of future stars, including Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Christopher Meloni, Elizabeth Banks, Ken Marino, and a very young Kyle Gallner.

The film takes place on the last day of camp in 1981 at the summer camp "Camp Firewood". The camp is populated with an array of oddballs including the Drama directors, played by Amy Poehler and Bradley Cooper, the camp director, played by Janene Garafalo, David Hyde Pierce as an Astrophysicist who lives next door to the camp, the horndog counselor played by Ken Marino, Michael Showalter as the sad sack, love lorn counselor Coop, the slacker counselor/lifeguard Andy played by Paul Rudd and Michael Ian Black as fellow camp counselor McKinley. Each actor plays their parts perfectly, creating great comic characters. I have to give special props to Christopher Meloni as the crazy camp cook who carries on conversations with a can of mixed vegetables (voiced by H Jon Benjamin, no less) and spouting off such crazy lines like he has to go to his cabin to fondle his sweaters, only to quickly cover it up and deny saying it.

The film is a parody of early eighties summer camp films, with rapid fire gags coming one after another, each more absurd than the last. No cliche is left untouched, from the climactic championship game (which turns out to be anti-climatic in this case), the training montage, and the various summer romances among many other things. To add to it, there is also a renegade piece of Skylab on a direct course to hit the camp, just to take the absurdity to another level. 

The film also has it's share of darker comedic moments, just so you know what type of comedy this is. Andy is a terrible lifeguard and finds himself having to cover up two sepereate drownings over the course of the day. There is also a montage of a group of counselors journey into town that quickly escalates from shoplifting to mugging little old ladies and shooting heroin. Of course, each of these scenarios is presented with the same level of nuttiness as the rest of the film.

Over the past thirteen years, Wet Hot American Summer has gone from an obscure little comedy to a bonafide cult classic. The array of future stars that are part of this film shows what a dynamite cast they really had. While the film may have been ahead of it's time when it was first released (most of the reviews were dismissive to negative). However, over time it continues to find a growing audience enjoying the hilarious silliness at Camp Firewood.

EuroTrip

"This isn't where I parked my car..."

When EuroTrip was first released, I was sure it was going to be one of the dumbest movies ever. I will admit I was right, it was dumb. But, it was also one of the shamelessly funny movies I have ever seen. 

The movie focuses on Scotty (played by Scott Mechlowicz) and his three friends, Cooper (played by Jacob Pitts), Jenny (Michelle Trachtenberg), and Jamie (played by Travis Wester) as they travel through Europe, with plenty of wild misadventures in their wake.

Scotty and his friends are graduating from High School when Scotty's girlfriend, Fiona (played by Kristen Kreuk), dumps him because she feels he's too predictable. This is made worse at the graduation party later that night when the band performs a song, "Scotty Doesn't Know", detailing in detail their exploits with Scotty's ex. It's an incredibly catchy song that reappears several times in the film as well as every road trip playlist I've ever made, often to the bemusement of my friends.

Returning home that night, extremely intoxicated, he finds an email from his German pen pal, Mieke (played by Jessica Boehrs), that he has mistaken for a guy. When she expresses interest in getting together with him, Scotty tells her to stay away. In confusion and anger, she blocks his email address. Cooper convinces him the should go to Europe and track her down. They take the cheapest flight they can get, which gets them to London. From there, they get shanghaied by Soccer hooligans, led by Vinnie Jones, and make their way to Paris where they catch up with their friends, twins Jenny and Jamie.

From there, the four get caught up in crazy adventures across Europe including a fight with a robot impersonator outside the Louvre, sharing a train compartment with a creepy, weird European guy (played by Fred Armisen), Cooper's wild night with a Dominatrix played by Lucy Lawless in Amsterdam, culminating in a reign of terror throughout the Vatican in Rome. 

The movie is a barrage of gags, all of them absurd and the height of silliness. Nothing is sacred as every culture is skewered, but somehow, none of it is mean spirited. 

For me, Jacob Pitts steals the show as Cooper. He views the trip as his "crazy, European sex odyssey" and spends the entire trip trying to get laid, which leads him into nothing but trouble. His performance provides many of the laughs as Cooper is often the either the cause of or utterly clueless, lacking any sort of tact  in any social situation. 

EuroTrip is a movie that started off rather modestly, but has grown over the past ten years into a bit of a comedy cult classic. It's certainly one that I underestimated when it was first released only to be pleasantly surprised at just how funny it really was. If you haven't seen it and are craving a movie with plenty of hearty, silly laughs, I can definitely recommend it. 

Fright Night: Old vs. New vs. Newer

"Welcome to Fright Night...for real."

I've always had a certain affinity for the Fright Night films. There is just something about how it takes a classic monster and transposes it to a contemporary setting that has always been appealing to me. Before you ask, I also very much enjoyed The Lost Boys. But while there has only been one Lost Boys film (yes, ONE!), there have been three different versions of Fright Night over the years, as well as one sequel to the 1985 original film. I decided to take a look at the original film, the sequel, the 2011 remake, and the 2013 remake masquerading as a sequel.

The 1985 original film burst onto the horror film scene like a breath of fresh air. The genre had been overrun by the slasher film craze when Fright Night came along, cleverly bringing the vampire out of Victorian Europe and into present day suburbia. 

Charlie Brewster (played by William Ragsdale) is an average, if somewhat nerdy suburban teen who discovers one night that his new next door neighbor, Jerry Dandridge (played by Chris Sarandon) is a vampire. Naturally, no one believes him when he tries to get help.

Charlie first turns to his friend "Evil" Ed (played by Stephen Geoffreys) and his girlfriend Amy (played by Amanda Bearse). They recruit the local late night monster movie host, Peter Vincent (played by the great Roddy McDowall) to help convince Charlie his neighbor is not a vampire. The plan doesn't go quite as planned when by accident Peter discovers Jerry doesn't cast a reflection. Terrified, Peter retreats to his apartment. 

Meanwhile, our three intrepid teens eventually split up, with Charlie and Amy heading for her house and Evil Ed heading off alone. Jerry catches up with Evil and seduces him into becoming a vampire. To make matters worse, Jerry has become quite enamored of Amy, who has a strong resemblance to a woman he used to know a long time ago. The film finishes in a confrontation between Charlie and Peter and Jerry, his ghoulish roommate, Billy Cole (played by Jonathan Stark), and Evil Ed.

While the film has not aged as well as I would like to think, it does retain a certain charm to it that still shines through. I also admire that there is a certain undeniable sexiness to the film, especially a strong homoeroticism to certain scenes, especially between Jerry and Billy and the aforementioned seduction of Evil Ed. It's certainly not something I found offensive, and I felt it was an interesting flourish, especially for a film made in 1985.

Following the original, Fright Night Part 2 was released in 1988. It was a solid sequel that has gained a similar cult following to the original film. Both Roddy McDowall and William Ragsdale returned for the sequel. 

The film opens with a brief recap of the first film narrated by Charlie. He is finishing three years of therapy dealing with the events of the first film. He has convinced himself that Jerry was a serial killer who adopted the persona of a vampire and that there are no such things as vampires. He is quickly proven wrong as Peter has a new neighbor occupying the Penthouse of his apartment building, a mysterious woman named Regine, played by Julie Carmen. It is soon revealed she is Jerry Dandridge's sister and is plotting her revenge against both Charlie and Peter.

Also new to this outing is Charlie's new girlfriend, Alex (played by Traci Lin). She is a psychology major and believes Charlie's past was a hallucination as well until she's pulled into the current vampire mayhem as well. I really liked her character, she adapted well and wasn't a damsel in distress, fully willing to grab a stake or cross and play her part in saving the day.

The sequel is certainly campier than the original with a lot more humor, some parts working better than others. I appreciated the vampire was a female this time, adding an interesting twist on things. It was also a fun twist having, albeit briefly, Charlie be the skeptic and Peter knowing about the vampires. Overall, it's a strong follow-up that only doesn't quite match the original. Part of me still wishes we had gotten a Fright Night Part 3. 

Note: This one is incredibly hard to find on DVD, but luckily is available to view in good quality on YouTube all in one part. 

When they first announced they were remaking Fright Night, I was skeptical. So many of the remakes that had been churned out were mediocre rehashes at best. But as details trickled out, I found myself becoming more and more intrigued. Clearly, they would be going for something different than the original and for the most part they succeeded. 

This one moves the proceedings to Las Vegas, which makes sense. If there was one city in the US that would attract vampires, it would be the 24/7 neon of Vegas. 

The eternally adorable Anton Yelchin plays Charlie this time out. He lives with his mom, Jane, played by Toni Collette (who sticks out in a "wow, how'd they get her?!" sort of way not unlike Dianne Wiest in The Lost Boys). Living next door is new neighbor Jerry Dandridge, played with some genuine menace by Colin Farrell. 

In a nice twist on the original, this time around, it's Evil Ed (played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse) who clues in Charlie that his neighbor is a vampire. Of course, Jerry catches up with Ed shortly after and he disappears from the film for a long time, one of the few detriments of this otherwise strong remake.

Imogen Poots gives a good turn as Charlie's girlfriend, Amy. This film thankfully drops the plot point of Amy looking like Jerry's lost love and actually shows more interest in Charlie's mom. She also gets her fair share of badass moments, including dousing Jerry with Holy Water and clocking Evil Ed with a rather heavy looking mace.

For my money though, it's David Tennant as Peter Vincent that really steals the show. Of course, part of it may be that I'm a hard core Doctor Who fan. He is clearly having a ball playing a Criss Angel type magician, replacing the late night monster movie host from the original films. 

Aside from having the same general framework as the original, this is an entirely new film. It contains some genuinely tense moments, including a great chase scene along a desert highway with Jerry chasing down Charlie, Jane and Amy. I also appreciated that this film gives Charlie's mom more to do as opposed to being largely forgotten about in the original film. She even gets a good shot in, impaling Jerry with one of her real estate signs in one of the film's more surreally funny shots.

The script was written by longtime Buffy writer Marti Noxon, who infuses the film with a similar wit, including a nice nod to Buffy with Peter stating he didn't want to be part of Charlie's Scooby Gang, the nickname for Buffy's group of supernatural fighting buddies.

The one big detriment to the film is the sub-par CGI that is employed far too much throughout the film. It is far from convincing and can be a distraction at times. 

That said, Fright Night is a rare remake that equals, if not surpasses, it's original with well developed characters, a fantastic cast and a witty script. If only the same could be said of the one that follows.

I am still a little baffled by Fright Night 2: New Blood. It presents itself as a sequel but is actually another remake, while incorporating the female vampire from Fright Night Part 2.

The plot plays out similarly to the previous films except this time around Charlie (played by Will Payne), Evil Ed (played by Chris Waller) and Amy (played by Sacha Parkinson) are studying abroad in Romania where they end up in an art history class taught by Gerri Danridge (played by Jaime Murray with a sexy menace that is probably the best thing about this movie). Soon enough Charlie discovers she's a vampire and, in an interesting twist, possibly Elizabeth Bathory. 

Apparently, to be free of her vampiric curse, she needs to bathe in the blood of a virgin born on the night of a blood moon or some such nonsense. Of course, Amy is the desired virgin. 

From here, it pretty much follows the plot of the previous film beat by beat. Charlie seeks the help of Peter Vincent (played by Sean Power), this time a monster hunter reality TV show host and the two team up to rescue Amy from the vampire Gerri. 

The main problem with the film is that aside from it's more exotic locale, the film offers little that's new and, ultimately, that's where it suffers. By offering up the exact same movie we've seen twice now with a third rate cast, except for Jaime Murray who's the film's saving grace, the film has very few surprises. I'm at a loss as how it was decided to essentially remake Fright Night for the second time in two years and then attempt to pass it off as a sequel, but it all feels a little...pointless. Still, this one has it's moments and I can't completely hate a movie that has one character pressing a vampire's face against a large crucifix tattooed on their chest while exclaiming, "Kiss the cross, bitch!" 

Overall, I'd say the 1985 original and the 2011 remake are both well worth seeking out. The 1988 Fright Night Part 2 is also a good time and a decent, campy follow-up. The 2013 Fright Night "2" is an occasionally entertaining mess that has it's moments but in the end is but a shadow of what came before.