I hoped you'd forgive me for not posting a "Hammer Horror" feature this Thursday last, because I knew what was coming. This weekend, Dreamworks Pictures released "Fright Night," a remake of the 1985 "cult classic" vampire film. What you might not have known (other than the mere fact the film was being released, which, the box office figures suggest, was a distinct possibility) was that I have an intense fascination for the original film.
"Fright Night," starring William Ragsdale, Roddy McDowall and Chris Sarandon, nearly scared this little kid to death way back when. In fact, I couldn't make it past the first scene where master vampire Jerry Dandridge "vamps out" to deliver a threatening warning in teenager Charley Brewster's bedroom. A year or so later, I happened upon a comic book adaptation of the film, which led to being able to sit through the whole movie. That in turn led to following the monthly Now Comics series throughout its 22-issue run (some of which was drawn by artists like Neil Vokes and Kevin West). And the rest is history, as I've long since gained a healthy appreciation of the horror genre in general and vampire films in particular.
