Welcome to…Frrright Night!

By James Chambers – If you’re a fan of horror movies, chances are good you’ve seen Fright Night, one of the best of the contemporary vampire movies. If you haven’t, then this very creepy comic from Now Comics is a great way to check out the story, since the series began with an adaptation of the film before launching into all-new original stories. What made the movie so successful was the way in which it placed a very traditional vampire in a very modern setting, and the same thing makes this series worthwhile. After all, most contemporary comic book vampires are decidedly non-traditional, which makes this book a breath of fresh air for readers who enjoy classic horror.

This issue’s script, by Joe Gentile, is the first of a three-part story retelling the events of the movie. The characters are well-written, and the plot moves at a good, steady pace, building suspense as high school student Charley Brewster tries to convince his friends and family that his neighbor is a vampire. No one be­lieves him, until his friends enlist the aid of Peter Vin­cent, host of a local TV program that showcases horror movies. Once the vampire realizes his secret has been uncovered, the contest between the living and the undead begins.

Fright Night accepts the traditional myths and legends about vampires and plays by the rules. Vampires don’t cast a reflection, and they can’t go out in the daylight. Crosses, garlic, and holy water offends them, and a stake through the heart destroys them. These elements are treated respectfully, and though they seem out of place in a modern setting, Gentile and Lenin Del Sol turn that to their advantage and use it to heighten the eerie mood of the story. While Charley, a devoted horror movie fan, begins using the old methods to protect himself, his friends simply mock him…until they learn the truth, of course.

Del Sol’s sparse illustrative style adds to the book’s macabre reality. Scenes of Charley carving stakes in his bedroom while surrounded by candles meant to ward off the vampire or the vampire and his servant carting away the body of a victim in a trash bag seem all the more credible and horrific for their mundane setting. The art captures this atmosphere, which was established by the movie—the everyday, suburban neighborhood overshadowed by an odd sense of dread. It well suits this modern vampire myth, and though the coloring sometimes gets in the way of the story, the book is solid visually.

Fright Night is a distinctive vampire comic, an enjoyable read, and a good scare, but best of all, you can probably pick it up for less than $1.