Tom Holland’s Fright Night is one of the most beloved horror films to come out of the ‘80s, but reception might have been different if the movie went with its original ending.

Tom Holland is still an important name in horror, but during the 1980s he was an especially hot commodity and behind properties like Child’s Play, Psycho II, and of course, Fright Night. Tom Holland has a certain style to all of his movies, but Fright Night feels the most accomplished in many ways. The film wonderfully mixes genres and presents a crazy story about vampires that’s both gigantic and domestic. Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) and Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) make an unlike pair of vampire killers as the two find their favorite horror movies are actually a reality.

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Fright Night works so well because the characters feel real, the comedy is genuine, and above everything else, it’s actually a scary vampire movie. The film has built quite the reputation since its release and has led to the release of a sequel and a remake in 2011, but they all seemed to miss the heart and comedy that helped make the original film such a success in the first place. Fright Night changed in many ways during its production and it’s possible that the film may have been received differently if Holland stuck with his original script’s ending.

Fright Night’s Original Ending Made Peter Vincent A Vampire

The original ending in Tom Holland’s Fright Night script largely plays out the same until the film’s final scene when Charley and Amy are watching Peter Vincent’s “Fright Night” together. During Vincent’s broadcast, he turns into a vampire as he taunts the audience over knowing what a vampire looks like. He also calls out to Charley specifically, which freaks the boy out even more. It’s worth pointing out that in this version, Charley’s terror as he and Amy watch Peter Vincent’s program is the final thing that happens and there’s no tease where “Evil Ed” is still a vampire and spies on Charley and Amy. It seems like the ending where Vincent is a vampire may have been a more effective closer, but the idea of him now being an antagonist to Charley doesn’t feel right.

Brewster and Vincent’s bond is one of the best parts of the film and him having to learn how to co-exist with him as a vampire could be an interesting angle, but it seems like Holland’s original ending would have put them at odds in a sequel. Holland turned Fright Night into a highly collaborative process with his actors, which led to many script changes along the way, one of which being this ending once McDowall changed more of Peter Vincent’s character arc, and didn’t like the angle.

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This original ending also muddles the importance of Jerry, the head vampire, and throws a lot more into question, like Amy’s vampire status or if there’s another head vampire out there. The final direction where “Evil Ed” is the unlikely antagonist isn’t much of a pivot from Holland’s original vision, but it still feels a little more logical, and gives a Fright Night sequel more room to grow.

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Daniel Kurland
(373 Articles Published)

Daniel Kurland is a freelance writer, comedian, and critic, who lives in the cultural mosaic that is Brooklyn, New York. Daniel’s work can be read on ScreenRant, Splitsider, Bloody Disgusting, Den of Geek, and across the Internet. He recently completed work on a noir anthology graphic novel titled, “Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Noir: A Rag of Bizarre Noir and Hard Boiled Tales” and he’s currently toiling away on his first novel.

Daniel knows that “Psycho II” is better than the original, that the finale of “How I Met Your Mother” doesn’t deserve the hate that it receives, and that Garth Ennis’ run of “Animal Man” may be the best superhero story of all time. He’s a fan of white grape juice and appreciates a good Fuji apple.

The owls are not what they seem.

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