Jerry Dandridge (Fright Night)

"You've been watching me... I've been watching you. It seems fair."

(Jerry Dandridge, Fright Night)

The Villain

Jerry Dandridge is a vampire. He’s dashing, and pretty, and a bit of a cliche when put into words... but that’s not the point. He’s cliche in the best sort of way, because he’s effective.

As ungodly creatures are prone to be, he has a darkness about him underlying his exterior of friendly charm. But his charm isn’t all friendly, ooo. People seem to overlook the shade in his demeanor, because they're just too allured by him. He's a dramatic figure, radiating an effortless power, because not only is he egotistical, but, he is powerful.

Sigh, if I mention how incredible his body is, I fear I’ll lose half of you on the legitimacy of this character. Which isn't to say that his sex appeal doesn't help make his character what he is. It does. Jerry unashamedly utilizes this to aid his authoritative presence.

And really, Colin Farrell’s characterization is an equal counterweight to his visual appeal. I haven’t even really been much of a Colin fan, but it’s all Colin badassery mixed in with vampire badassery, which results in this thrillingly mesmerizing character.

The Story

Charley is a teenager living with his single mother in a Las Vegas suburb. One day, the charming and mysterious Jerry moves in next door. Charley’s geeky childhood friend, Ed, becomes convinced after investigating the strange disappearance of their friend that Jerry is, in fact, a vampire. He tries to caution Charley, but Charley is unconvinced by the imaginative boy. The shades over Jerry's windows aren't because he's a vampire, they're because he works nights on the strip in Vegas, which is common 'round these parts.

However, shortly after their encounter, Ed goes missing, and an oh so lovely friction develops between Charley and Jerry as Charley becomes nervous and wary of the might-be vampire. As he spies on Jerry, his suspicions make it difficult to remain uninvolved. . .

Oh yes, and look out for Peter Vincent, Vampire Slayer. All I can say is “when you see it, you’ll understand."

The Movie

The original Fright Night came out in 1985. I have yet to see this one. The remake came out in 2011.

I would say this movie is one that few expect to be good, but then it really, really is. The movie really thrives off of the amusing characters and their humorous dynamics with each other, especially those of Anton Yelchin, David Tennant and Colin Farrell. The movie knows the cheesy nature of the vampire genre and takes full advantage of it, and becomes smartly comedic in doing so.

Colin Farrell is extremely confident in the role of Jerry, and it’s apparent he really enjoys it. I cannot stress this enough. He really comes into the character and takes it to that truly enjoyable state of consumption.

Taster: