Sometimes curiosity is dangerous, and sometimes it can lead you to some wonderful places.
My own curiosity in these particular films stemmed largely from their relative rarity. ‘Silver Bullet’ can be found on DVD, but I can’t attest to the transfer quality, and ‘Fright Night Part 2’ appears to be out of print completely. Regardless, neither movie has gotten a proper Blu-ray release, which is an utter shame. So, in order to get a high definition viewing experience of each one, I found myself once again at the Alamo Drafthouse (Yonkers) for another abbreviated edition of the Hudson Horror Show.
Movie #1: ‘Silver Bullet’
Original Release Date: October 11, 1985
Directed by Daniel Attias
Written by Stephen King, based on his novel ‘Cycle of the Werewolf’
Cast: Gary Busey, Everett McGill, Corey Haim, Megan Follows, Robin Groves, Terry O’Quinn, Bill Smitrovich, Joe Wright, Kent Broadhurst, Lawrence Tierney, William Newman, James Gammon
Soundtrack: Jay Chattaway
I
Loved
This
Movie.
If you’re a fan of 80s cinema, I can’t recommend ‘Silver Bullet’ highly enough, because it has just about everything you could ask for from such a film: a score from synth veteran Jay Chattaway, a cast chock full of “that guy” actors, Corey Haim in a motorized wheelchair, visual effects from Rick Baker and Rob Bottin, and, if all that weren’t enough, the man himself, Gary Busey as hard drinking “Uncle Red”.
Oh, and did I mention that it’s a Stephen King screenplay adaptation of a Stephen King novel?
That’s right. In fact, ‘Silver Bullet’ plays out like a Stephen King greatest hits album. You’ve got a small town attempting to deal with a mysterious threat, an ineffective band of vigilantes, a clergyman under duress, a killer monster, and a pair of children who are the only ones who know the truth.
All of these aspects add up to one of the best and most fun teen horror movies ever made.
Now, I’m not saying it’s perfect. For one thing, the movie bills itself as a period piece, taking place in 1976, and there aren’t any elements placed in to convince you of this (unlike John Carpenter’s ‘Christine‘); and, on a related note, the story is bookended by some voice-over narration that is as unremarkable as it is extraneous. Also, and this is admittedly nit-picky, I’d say the werewolf looks fine for this particular movie, but, compared to ‘An American Werewolf in London’ or ‘The Howling’, it feels just a bit lackluster.
However, as a whole, ‘Silver Bullet’ is tough to beat. It’s got solid performances all around, it’s well-paced and not too long, and, most importantly, it knows exactly what it is, which is a horror film that’s meant to be fun.
Hopefully we’ll get a proper high definition home release in the not too distant future, because this is a movie I’d love to own.
Rating: ★★★★½
Movie #2: ‘Fright Night Part 2’
Original Release Date: May 19, 1989
Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace
Written by Tommy Lee Wallace, Miguel Tejada-Flores, and Tim Metcalfe, based on characters created by Tom Holland
Cast: Roddy McDowall, William Ragsdale, Traci Lind, Julie Carmen, Jon Gries, Russell Clark, Brian Thompson, Merritt Butrick, Ernie Sabella, Matt Landers
Soundtrack: Brad Fiedel
Tommy Lee Wallace has a decent enough horror resume, having come up alongside John Carpenter on such films as ‘Halloween’ and ‘The Fog’, making his directorial debut with ‘Halloween III: Season of the Witch’, and, eventually, helming the television adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘It’ in 1990. Frankly, with a C.V. like that, I expected a little more out of ‘Fright Night Part 2’ than what I saw.
The original ‘Fright Night‘ is one of the better major studio horror films of the Eighties, and one of its biggest strengths is a nice, tight script, in addition to a lot of wonderful practical visual effects.
By contrast, ‘Part 2’ has a similar sense of style, but the story is much more meandering, often frustratingly so, to the point that the movie doesn’t really jell overall. It’s very much a classic “It happened again!?” sort of sequel, which I’m okay with, but I think they actually go a little too far in trying to connect it to the original movie.
However, there are particular elements and scenes that are creative enough on their own to make the movie worth seeing once. Naming Brian Thompson’s character “Bozworth” was a nice touch, the bowling stuff is hilarious, and, as I said, practical effects still rule the day.
It may be a bit of a letdown after watching the original ‘Fright Night’ (or ‘Silver Bullet’), but I’d still recommend this one for 80s horror fans, and I hope it gets a proper home release someday as well.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
So, that’s about it. Thanks again to Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers and Hudson Horrow Show for putting on another entertaining event, and I look forward to more in the future.
