![]() Pic is distinguished by some strong individual sequences, such as a chase in an SUV down a highway, or the capper in Jerry’s fairly horrifying basement. The original pic’s notion that only famed vampire killer Peter Vincent (played by Roddy McDowall) could destroy Jerry is far more entertaining here with Vincent as a Vegas act, played by Tennant as a wasted Brit rocker in ultra-tight leather pants. The notion that vampires might be attracted to a city full of people who work night shifts only adds to Jerry’s terrifying credibility. Just as welcome is the change of having Jerry living single here, served by a minimalist suburban look (in production designer Richard Bridgland Fitzgerald’s smart work) that eliminates the easy cliches of vampire Gothic. While Mintz-Plasse fans may lament his fairly early departure (albeit with a mightily altered reappearance later), it all serves the movie’s dramatic purposes. Noxon has made some crucial improvements to Holland’s original story, particularly in making Charley the skeptic (he’s now too cool to believe in such boyhood nonsense) and Ed the true believer, who ironically ends up being one of Jerry’s early victims. This concern jibes with the presence of new next-door neighbor Jerry, whose front-yard dumpster and latenight activity draw Jane’s curiosity, as well as reports of killings in the area. In his shift from square to hip, though, Charley has left behind longtime pal Ed (Mintz-Plasse), who’s come to resent Charley and his growing resemblance to school jerks like Mark (Dave Franco) and Ben (Reid Ewing).Īt the same time, Charley hasn’t fully abandoned his geekdom (especially as played by Yelchin, capturing his transition from innocence to maturity), so when Ed fears a real vampire may be in their midst, the push-pull tension Charley feels is real and personal. Stuck in a suburban tract on Vegas’ fringes, high schooler Charley (Yelchin) lives with real-estate agent mom Jane (Collette) and has finally outlived his geeky years to attract boy magnet Amy (Poots), who genuinely adores Charley. In the casting alone, director Craig Gillespie‘s production marks an improvement, bringing in top-flight thesps including Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, David Tennant and Toni Collette alongside Farrell’s vampire Jerry, a picture of sexual animalism that may end up on many a teen girl’s bedroom wall. In every department, the redo reps an effort to rebalance the tone in a much edgier, scarier direction, while steering away from camp. ![]() ![]() Tom Holland‘s original pic, best remembered for Chris Sarandon as the alluring vampire Jerry but hobbled by archness and overacting, was an early contributor to the mock-horror trend that finally tilted over into “Scream’s” spoofery.
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