Fright Night (1985) Roddy McDowall, Chris Sarandon – Deconstructing…

Last Updated on August 10, 2021

A new episode of our Deconstructing… video series has been released today, and in this one we're digging into writer/director Tom Holland's 1985 vampire classic Fright Night! (Watch or buy Fright Night at THIS LINK.) In the video embedded above, we track the making of Fright Night from script to screen, and dig up some behind-the-scenes trivia that you may be surprised to hear.

Starring William Ragsdale, Chris Sarandon, Roddy McDowall, Amanda Bearse, Stephen Geoffreys, and Jonathan Stark (with a cameo by Nick Savage from Friday the 13th Part III!), Fright Night is often ranked highly among the best vampire movies ever made. The film has the following synopsis: 

Teenage Charley Brewster (Ragsdale) is a horror-film junkie, so it's no surprise that, when a reclusive new neighbor named Jerry Dandridge (Sarandon) moves next-door, Brewster becomes convinced he is a vampire. It's also no surprise when nobody believes him. However, after strange events begin to occur, Charlie has no choice but to turn to the only person who could possibly help: washed-up television vampire killer Peter Vincent (McDowall).

Deconstructing… is a monthly web series in which 

we choose one of your favorite horror movies and take it apart piece by piece (lovingly, of course) to see what makes it a classic. Each episode examines the origins, legacy and mysteries behind our beloved genre's most iconic titles… but we play fast and loose with the rules, so expect the unexpected!

The show is Written, Edited, and Narrated by Gregory Burkart, Produced by John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

Episodes of Deconstructing… that examined A Nightmare on Elm Street, Poltergeist, and David Cronenberg's The Fly can be seen below. To see more episodes, and to check out our other shows, head over to the JoBlo Horror Videos YouTube channel – and subscribe while you're there!

Source: Arrow in the Head

About the Author

Cody is a news editor and film critic, focused on the horror arm of JoBlo.com, and writes scripts for videos that are released through the JoBlo Originals and JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channels. In his spare time, he's a globe-trotting digital nomad, runs a personal blog called Life Between Frames, and writes novels and screenplays.