Wow, does time fly when you’re having fun? This is my first update in more than a month! That’s because June was a very busy month for me. I am an avid fan of sports. And June marks the end of both the hockey and basketball seasons. Some of the best athletic performances are showcased during the championship conferences in June. The Golden State Warriors had a record season of 73 and 9, beating the Bulls ’95 to ’96 season of 72 and 10. But the ring went to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who overcame a 3-1 deficit in the Finals, first time ever in NBA history, and the first victory for Cleveland. Too many more records were also broken last month. But we must leave all those moments for another conversation because July has arrived, and horror movies are on heavy rotation.
On Saturday, July 2, 2016, I found some time to Netflix and chill. By the way, John Adams wanted Independence Day to be celebrated on the 2nd of July. I think we all prefer the 4th. So after I scrolled thru the Netflix selections, I decided to watch Fright Night 2 (2013). Coincidentally, one of my all-time favorite movies happens to be the original Fright Night 2 (1988). These two movies start out pretty much the same. But after about a half hour, the similarities end as the 2013 reboot goes out there. I will attempt to compare the two movies, I could probably go on forever because Fright Night 2 (1988) is one of my favorites of all time, but I will try to keep it short.
The protagonist in both movies is Charlie Brewster. William Ragsdale played the role of Brewster in the original Fright Night films. Anton Yelchin played Brewster in Fright Night (2011), but he didn’t reprise this role in 2013. Instead, some lesser known actor played Brewster in Fright Night 2 (2013). The love interest is Alex (1988) and Amy (2013). The iconic actor, Roddy McDowall, known from the original Planet of the Apes films, played Peter Vincent, host of ‘Fright Night’ which is a fictional late night creature feature, within Fright Night 2 (1988). Some other lesser known actor played Vincent, lead investigator of ‘Fright Night’ which is a paranormal ghost hunting show within Fright Night 2 (2013). The antagonist was Regine Dandridge in 1988 and Gerri Dandridge in 2013. Brewster has some additional help in 2013, in the form of a schoolmate who goes by the name ‘Evil’ Ed.
I enjoyed how Fright Night 2 (2013) has contributed to vampire lore. According to this flick, Gerri Dandridge is actually the infamous Countess Bathory, and she has supersonic sonar abilities which allowed her to track Charlie and Amy thru the sewers of Romania. After attacking Amy and tasting her blood, Gerri realizes that Amy is a virgin, born at the stroke of midnight, during the Blood Moon, and she is the key to allowing Gerri to walk in daylight. Later in the 2013 reboot, Brewster becomes a vampire and uses his super scream powers to break glass. I won’t give away any more details. You can come up you’re your own conclusions. However, I cannot recommend Fright Night 2: New Blood (2013) unless you absolutely must see every single movie about vampires. There’s no star power, the acting is lacking at times, and the effects could have been better.
In a separate, yet related story, Russian born actor Anton Yelchin passed away on June 19, 2016 at the age of 27, in what was described as a freak car accident. Besides playing Charlie Brewster in Fright Night (2011), Yelchin also played Chekhov in the 3 new Star Wars films. And he also held roles in Charlie Bartlett, Green Room, Terminator Salvation, Odd Thomas, Burying the Ex, Hearts in Atlantis, The Smurfs 1 & 2, Experimenter, House of D, and countless others. His absence is being mourned all over Hollywood, from his family, friends, co-stars and fans. Had this tragedy not occurred, he would have been a icon in film history. May Anton rest in peace.
Image: imdb.com
Cryptid Vision 