Fright Night Part II (1989)

Starring - Roddy McDowall; William Ragsdale; Traci Lin; Julie Carmen & Russell Clark Director - Tommy Lee Wallace MPAA - R It is with some sad irony that I screened Fright Night Part II on the day that one of its stars, Roddy McDowall passed away at the age of 70. McDowall was one of the most talented and prolific actors in Hollywood, having a career that spanned over 60 years and appearing in more than 100 films. Fright Night Part II probably will not be counted among his more memorable roles. This is really sad considering how good the first Fright Night film was. William Ragsdale and Roddy McDowall both reprised their roles as the somewhat reluctant vampire killers who seem to be the only ones that realize that vampires walk among the general population. It has been several years since Charlie Brewster (Ragsdale) and B-movie actor turned late night horror film host, Peter Vincent (McDowall) came face to face with a real live vampire who just happened to be Charlie's next door neighbor. Charlie and Peter won that battle, but apparently even vampires have relatives who get pissed if you kill members of their family. Apparently Charlie's former bloodsucking next door neighbor had a sister who was none too pleased to find out that some kid and an aging actor staked her sibling. So she decides to exact a little bit of revenge. This ends up forcing Charlie and Peter to battle the forces of darkness yet again. One of the things that made Fright Night such a success was Chris Sarandon who played Charlie's stylish next door neighbor with a taste for blood. Fright Night Part II tries to duplicate that modern style but it falls short. While they are stylish, the vamps in this film just don't have the personality of the undead in the first film. With the exception of a werewolf who adds some much needed comic relief to a few of the scenes. One bright spot, speaking from a strictly sexist point of view, is Traci Lin, who plays Charlie's very skeptical girlfriend. It's really a shame that her career hasn't been better since she made this film. Ragsdale does a fair job in this film, but doesn't give nearly the performance that he did in the original. Roddy McDowall makes the most with what he is given, which unfortunately isn't much which is a shame because his character was a lot of fun in the original movie. I guess I would have to say that the first film was a superior product in every way. The original always left you feeling danger was lurking right around the corner; Part II had more of the feel of a music video. Unfortunately, that's never a good thing for a horror film. Another minus for Part II was the traditional scenes that leave the audience on the edge of their seats waiting for something to jump out of a shadow where very rare. For that matter, they were almost nonexistent. If I was going to watch a horror film, this would be far from my first choice. The first Fright Night, on the other hand, would be right up near the top of my list. If I was in the mood for a Roddy McDowall film I'd probably head to the science fiction section of my local video store and rent Planet Of The Apes. Either way, Fright Night Part II would most likely not enter into the equation. 4/10 Reviewed October 03, 1998 by Joe Chamberlain