Movie review: Fright Night 2

Traveling to Romania for a high school study trip, Charley and "Evil" Ed already have an interest in the supernatural and occult. But encountering sexy professor Gerri Dandridge the two find themselves face to face with a real-life vampire who wants nothing more than to drink and bathe in the blood of Charley's ex-girlfriend, Amy.

Will Payne (Charley), Chris Waller (Evil Ed), Jaime Murray (Gerri), Sean Power (Peter Vincent), Sacha Parkinson (Amy), John Bateman (Chaperone), Alina Minzu (Shayla), Adi Hostiuc (Dragomir).

Fright Night 2 begins with some decent plot setup and character introductions as the story begins to unfold. Realizing they have a vampire problem in Gerri, Charley and Evil enlist the aid of famous TV vampire hunter Peter Vincent. While consistent with the theme and plot of the first film, this sequel is a bit more mature with less campy comedy and better dialogue. The action and intensity ratchet up consistently through the end of the film which culminates with a lot of blood as expected.

Acting was pretty good with Payne doing a nice job as Charley. Waller was a very good choice for Evil and did well, reminding us constantly of the first film. Murray was an enjoyable choice as nemesis and delivered well, as did Power and the remainder of the cast.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were pretty good with big, authentic feeling sets and nice technical work. CGI was a bit excessive at times, but overall well done. Dialogue was good but the campy comedy of the original was definitely missed. Sound and soundtrack were solid.

When the sun comes up and the last vamp goes home Fright Night 2 is seen for what it is; a fun, teen scream vampire flick that mirrors the original with a few plot updates and a new cast. Those who enjoyed the original as it was will likely enjoy this one as well. Those wanting a continuation of the story or added depth will probably be disappointed and should sink their fangs into something else.

With some sexuality and mild nudity, violence, gore, foul language and vampires this should be fine for older teens and above. Or really any kids for whom you are not responsible.

Released: 2013
Reviewed: 5.25.16
Star rating: 2 out of 5
Genre: Teen Screams, Vampires, Horror, Supernatural Horror, Vampire Horror

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel