Must-See Vampires (But Not In A Mirror)

From the awesome 1980s comes this chiller/comedy fresh from the grave. It's the original Fright Night from 1985.

Charley Brewster--played by William Ragsdale--is a frustrated teenage boy who just got a bigger problem than striking out with his girlfriend Amy (Amanda Bearse) or keeping up with homework: his new neighbor, Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon) is a vampire. But only Charley knows it, and no one will believe him, not even his equally geeky pal, Ed (Steven Geoffreys). So it's up to Charley and washed-up horror actor Peter Vincent (a wonderful Roddy McDowell) to set things right and make nights safe again.

Made in an era where classic monsters were considered as washed-up as Peter Vincent, Fright Night proved there was still good reason to be afraid of the dark. It's also a clever allegory of teenage hormonal stress with masterful special effects courtesy of Stan Winston.

This 30th Anniversary Edition from Twilight Time contains two commentary tracks with the director Tom Holland. One features William Ragsdale and Steven Geoffreys; the other with Chris Sarandon. Trailers, retrospectives and a Comic-Con cast reunion make this one a must have.

Available here: