Fright Night (1985) UHD Steelbook Review

Tom Holland’s cult favorite Fright Night makes its UHD debut in this three-disc set from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

The Production: 4/5

One evening, while making out with his girlfriend Amy (Amanda Bearse) and watching the late night creature feature series Fright Night on television, teenager Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) spots what he thinks is a coffin being loaded into the vacant house next door. The next day, he sees a prostitute exiting a taxi cab and entering the house next door. When the woman is found dead by police, Charley becomes suspicious, until that evening he sees his new neighbor, Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon), begin to transform into a vampire. This prompts Charley to contact the police, who laugh him off after questioning Dandridge’s roommate, Billy Cole (Jonathan Stark). Fearing for his life, Charley asks his friend, “Evil” Ed (Stephen Geoffreys), what he can do to protect himself from being attacked by a vampire. As a last ditch effort, he approaches the host of Fright Night, Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowell), seeking his protection. Peter Vincent is a former actor, best known for his Van Helsing-type roles in Hammer Studios-style vampire movies, many of which play regularly on Fright Night.

Tom Holland’s directorial debut is a genuinely fun horror film, filled with campy humor and wonderful performances, notably Chris Sarandon and Roddy McDowell. Sarandon is devilishly charming as the vampire next door, often delivering his lines with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek. McDowell is also charming as the down and out actor that has been so typecast as a vampire killer that he must now assume that persona as his new career or risk being killed. William Ragsdale and Amanda Bearse show their comedic talents (both would later star in sitcoms on the FOX network) in these early roles, but the weak link in the cast is Stephen Geoffreys as “Evil” Ed, whose line delivery can be rather annoying, at least until his transformation into a slave vampire. The make-up and visual effects hold up fairly well for a film made 37 years ago, much to the credit of Richard Edlund (Ghostbusters).

Video: 5/5

3D Rating: NA

Fright Night was photographed and completed on 35mm film stock. Sony has scanned the original camera negative to create a new 4K digital intermediate, and the 2160p HEVC-encoded transfer featured on this release includes both HDR10 and Dolby Vision. The first thing one will notice on this release is the improved contrast, resulting in darker blacks, and a more perceived depth in the image than on the previous domestic Blu-ray releases. Colors are a bit more robust, and overall fine detail is also improved slightly. The include Blu-ray version has been sourced from this new 4K scan.

Audio: 4.5/5

The default Dolby Atmos track is a delight, and builds on the already very good 5.1 mix (repurposed once again in DTS-HD MA). The track has a slightly more immersive feel to it, with sounds placed with more pinpoint accuracy. LFE is also a bit stronger on the Atmos track. Dialogue is clear and understandable. In addition to the 5.1 mix, the original stereo mix is also available in DTS-HD MA.

Special Features: 4.5/5

It seems that with each new release of this film, more and more new (or newly unearthed) special features are included. This new UHD release comes housed in an attractive steelbook that replicates the film’s original artwork (yay!) and a total of three discs inside – a movie-only UHD, a movie plus special features Blu-ray, and a third special features Blu-ray.

Movie + Special Features Blu-ray
**NEW** Deleted Scene Storyboards (1080p; 7:52): Writer-Director Tom Holland introduces the storyboards to a deleted scene that was deemed too expensive to shoot.

You’re So Cool, Brewster! The Story of “Fright Night” (1080p; 146:36): An in-depth feature-length documentary on the making of the movie Fright Night and its legacy.

What is “Fright Night?” (1080p; 10:37): Various members of the cast and crew discuss what made Fright Night unique and memorable in a series of interviews recorded in 2016 as part of the feature-length documentary You’re So Cool, Brewster!

Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Tom Holland and Actors Chris Sarandon and Jonathan Stark: Icons of Fright’s Tim Sullivan moderates this “vampires” commentary, with Holland, Sarandon, and Stark lovingly discussing the production.

Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Tom Holland, Actors William Ragsdale and Stephen Geoffreys, and FX Artist Randall Cook: Icons of Fright’s Tim Sullivan and Jeremy Smith moderate this “heroes” commentary, which is just as lively as the previous track, with all involved discussing the production with a lot of passion.

Tom Holland: Writing Horror (1080p; 8:49): Writer-Director Tom Holland and his cast and crew discuss the screenplay for Fright Night in a series of interviews recorded in 2016 as part of the feature-length documentary You’re So Cool, Brewster!

**NEW** Holland/Beyda Spec Trailer (1080p; 2:32): Writer-Director Tom Holland introduces a trailer that he and editor Kent Beyda had pitched to the studio.

Red-band Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:26)

Green-band Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:23)

Special Features Blu-ray
**NEW** Fright Night 35^th Anniversary Script Read (1080p; 157:01): Many of the cast members, along with special guests Mark Hamill, Rosario Dawson, and Jason Patric conduct a script reading over Zoom, followed by a fan e-mail Q & A.

**NEW** The Queer Lens: Bryan Fuller in Conversation with Amanda Bearse (1080p; 42:48): The two discuss the undertones of the film.

**NEW** A Novel Approach: The Splatterpunk Story of the “Fright Night” Novelization (1080p; 8:10): Tom Holland, novelists John Skipp and Craig Spector, and publisher Mark Allan Miller discuss the novelization craze of the late 1970s and mid 1980s and how the novel came to be.

Roddy McDowall: From Apes to Bats (1080p; 20:48): The cast and crew discuss working with McDowall in a series of interviews recorded in 2016 as part of the feature-length documentary You’re So Cool, Brewster!

Tom Holland and Amanda Bearse Talk “Fright Night” (upscaled 1080i; 29:27): The two reflect on their experiences making the movie.

Round Table with Tom, Stephen and William (upscaled 1080i; 16:33): Tom Holland, Stephen Geoffreys, and William Ragsdale reflect on their experiences making the movie.

Shock Till You Drop Presents Choice Cuts with Tom Holland and Ryan Turek (upscaled 1080i; 27:43): Shock Till You Drop’s Ryan Turek interviews Tom Holland at his home (broken down into three segments), discussing his earlier career as an actor, then as a writer (and his breakthrough script for Psycho II), directing Fright Night, and ends with a brief tour of Holland’s Fright Night memorabilia.

Fright Night Reunion Panel (upscaled 1080i; 54:34): Icons of Fright’s Rob Galluzzo moderates this reunion panel from 2008’s Fear Fest 2, featuring Tom Holland, Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Stephen Geoffreys, Amanda Bearse, Jonathan Stark, Tommy Lee Wallace, and Julie Carmen. The video appears to be someone’s home movie, shot with a single camera from the audience, using the camera’s built-in microphone.

Weekend of Hell Panel with Amanda and Stephen (upscaled 1080i; 12:52): Another fan’s home movie taken at the 2015 Weekend of Hell convention in Germany.

Vintage EPK (480i; 94:52): The entire electronic press kit, a few generations removed from the original source tape (along with tracking issues and visible time code), includes the J. Geils Band music video Fright Night (in both English and Spanish), on-set interviews with the cast and crew, and TV-safe clips from the movie.

**NEW** SFX Storyboard Comparisons (1080p; 10:14): Four sequences are featured – Evil Ed Impaled, The Final Death of Billy Cole, Bat Attack and Dandridge’s Demise.

Photo Galleries (1080p; 5:47)

Digital Copy: An insert contains a code to redeem a digital copy in UHD on Movies Anywhere.

Overall: 4.5/5

Fans of Fright Night will definitely want to pick this one up, even if they have not upgraded to UHD yet, as the abundance and quality of the special features are enough to highly recommend.

Now retrieving an image set.

Fright Night (Steelbook) [4K UHD]

(8044)

$58.99 (as of March 19, 2023 13:06 GMT -07:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

 

Other New Releases You May Like

BABYLON

(300)

All Quiet on the Western Front Limited Collector's Edition [4K UHD + Blu ray]

(10)

SCREAM 1996 Steelbook

(2726)

The Prince of Egypt (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital) [4K UHD]

(19367)

Dragonslayer

(1922)

Max Fleischer's Superman

(16)

Crimes of the Future - UHD

(14)

American Maroon

(6)

The Walking Dead Season 11 [Blu-ray]

(3032)

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish(Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital)

(693)