Comparing Fright Night And Bram Stoker's Dracula

Fright Night (1985) considers many elements of other vampires whilst adding a special touch. Charley Brewster’s once-normal life gets thrown into major chaos after new neighbors move in next door. After witnessing many suspicious moments through his bedroom window, he becomes convinced he may be living next to vampires. Charley becomes so infatuated with solving this mystery that he begins to lose sight of everything he cares about. By exploring Fright Night’s similarities and differences from earlier renditions such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) as well as the traditional Romanian vampire, viewers can recognize the evolution of vampire lore. This essay will compare those mentioned above alongside other examples displayed in each module to

Laura tugs on her father’s coat, begging, “Oh! Papa, pray ask her to let her stay with us—it would be so delightful. Do, pray” (Le Fanu 12). He accepts and with no further questions, the vampire has been invited. Later in the movie, Charley once again looks out of his bedroom window and sees a sexual encounter in the neighbor’s room. His teenage mind becomes curious, grabbing his binoculars to spy on the woman taking off her bra. However, this curiosity turns to fear when Dandridge’s teeth grow into fangs and his fingernails lengthen. Like Dracula, who also sports long canine fangs and “squat fingers.The nails are long and fine, and cut to a sharp point” (Stoker 18). Both Dandridge and Dracula adopt a similar vampiric code: moving at night and possessing the ability to shapeshift into wolves, mist, and bats. This is apparent in Fright Night when Charley’s friend “Evil Ed” is chased through an alleyway by Dandridge and becomes surrounded by a misty fog. Once Ed believes himself safe, Dandridge reverts to his original form and bites him. Now turned vampire, Ed transforms into a wolf and goes after Peter Vincent, the self-proclaimed