Writer: Naseem Randhawa

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Watch this if you liked: “Fright Night" (1985), "Disturbia", "Idle Hands", "The Burbs"

I hereby bestow Colin Farrell as the best looking vampire of our time, hands down, and no, I am quite certain that I have not been compelled or am under some sort of 'vampire spell' to confess that. The long brooding sideways glare and the darting eyes under the whole dark mysterious badass persona, is a perfect embodiment of a vampire that no one other than Farrell can do best. I'm sorry Edward Cullen, as a vampire you awfully pale in comparison to Farrell (in both ways, literally and metaphorically).

The 3D effects for the film is quite unusual as audiences will be able to see blood hurling towards them and fragments of vampires bursting into flames, however, apart from the gore, there is nothing much 3D has to offer especially for a film that is mostly set in the darkness of the night.

With that being said, this remake of the original 1985 film of the same name, does not disappoint with its clever medley of horror and comedy balanced as a healthy diet of a vampire feast. Set among the small desert trodden suburbs of Las Vegas, Nevada, "Fright Night" follows our young hero Charley (Anton Yelchin), who finds out that his neighbour Jerry (Farrell), as all-American as his name sounds, is really a killer vampire taking out the whole block. Matters head for the worst when his geeky best friend Ed Lee (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who has been trying to warn Charley on his blood-sucking neighbour, also gets turned into a blood sucking menace. As Charley finally starts to believe that Jerry is in fact a vampire, his mum (Toni Collette) and girlfriend (Imogen Poots) run for their lives before it's their turn to get drained.

Faithful to the very premise of Tom Holland's 1985 film, the highlight of this Craig Gillespie remake has to be its diverse cast that seamlessly balance themselves out on screen. We thank the producers that someone Hollywood flashy like Shia LaBeouf wasn't cast, as newcomer Yelchin, manages to pull off the role of an awkward teenager trying to ditch his geeky past. Farrell as the vampire next-door Jerry, is certainly easy on the eyes as a modern day Budweiser drinking vampire, but he also manages to exert the aura of extreme danger in his character that audiences can't help but to quietly cheer on Yelchin to escape Farrell's deadly clutches.

Christopher Mintz-Plasse who plays Ed Lee, Yelchin's geeky best friend brings some of his "Superbad" and "Kick Ass" persona into the film and also delivers some of laughs in the film. The other bucketful of laughs is delivered by Peter Vincet (played by David Tennant). Tennant embodies a quirky leather pants wearing, long straggly haired, tattooed Russell Brand meets Chris Angel persona who apparently is the vampire expert who Yelchin seeks out for help. While Toni Collette and Imogen Poots had roles that were mainly fillers in the story, one has to admit the main attraction lies between Yelchin and Farrell.

Despite being a remake with minor plot changes and a twist to its original's genre, "Fright Night" manages to be a stand alone film that fans of vampires or even horror can enjoy, plus, did I mention Colin Farrell's brooding stare? 'Love thy neighbour' indeed.

Cinema Online, 13 September 2011