Alright mutants this week we will begin our three week dedication to the Netflix Series "Stranger Things" and all things 80s. This week we will watch two episodes of season four paired with a movie, next week we'll watch two more, and the third week we will finish the last three on their own.
As I began to ponder what a good theme for this first week was I thought about the ideas that "Stranger Things" was sharing with us in it's first two episodes. "Stranger Things" is definitely an homage to all things 80s, however it also hits elements of 70s, and 90s nostalgia, but the show itself takes place in the 1980s. So let's talk about the 80s.
This is a show specifically tailored toward Generation X. The 80s was the first time ever where the majority of families in America had two parents who were working full-time. Before this time period most of the jobs for women were as secretaries, nurses, educators, cashiers and food service employees. Some women had jobs outside of those fields, but they were few and far between. That isn't to say that women hadn't worked up to this point in American history, however.
During WWII our country needed women to go to work, while men were at war. Women in the workforce was not some bizarre new thing; It's happened at various times to different degrees throughout American history, but in most households, pre-1980s it was not necessary for the wife to go to work. Usually if a wife chose to go to work at all it would be to put in a few shifts at a local grocery store or diner if there were money troubles such as the husband's cut in hours at his place of employment or if they wanted a little extra for the holiday season. However the perfect storm that included: feminism becoming mainstream, record inflation in 1979 and 1980, Regan's disastrous trickle down economics policies, along with the 80s culture of more is always better and we should always want more, made it so that husbands were putting in more hours at work than previously seen since the pre-depression era, and wives now had to contribute some kind of income in order for a family to make ends meet. Ronald Regan further complicated the issue by lifting the regulations on advertising to children, through television. With parents spending more time at work and doing less parenting the almighty dollar became the consenting adult. Kids were getting bigger allowances due to a booming economy and the dollar bill was the parent.
This sounds like a paradox. Inflation caused it so that both parents had to work but there was a booming economy? Houses, food staples, bills, cost more, but you could give a kid 20 bucks and they could buy all kinds of goodies or spend hours at the arcade. Businesses were tapping into an untapped and now legal market: children. Inexpensively made toys and candies were cheaper than ever, but bills for necessities had skyrocketed. This created an entirely new economy: Crony Capitalism.
A whole new generation of children ended up raising themselves on television, sugary cereal and canned SpaghettiO's. They were the latch-key kids. They barely saw their parents. Parents who worked their nose to the grindstone so that they could afford the ultimate babysitters: cable television, pizza delivery and the NES gaming system, complete with Duck Hunt, you had to have Duck Hunt.
Parents were trying to keep up with the Jones's and also make more money than their parents had in order to feel successful. Because of a saturated workforce (we now had double the amount of workers in it, thanks to feminism becoming mainstream) Generation X would become a generation of self-reliance. They are the generation that like to do it their way. They are self-starters, but they don't play well with others, even at work. They take care of their own needs, but it's difficult for them to see the needs of others. They struggle with things like rules and hoop-jumping. They detest bureaucracy in all it's pencil-pushing forms. They found ways to entertain themselves and made lasting friendships with neighbor kids. They have deep friendships, but their friendships and their work are very separate. They discovered hobbies that filled the void left by neglect. Dinner was a phone call away at the local pizza joint where a 20 dollar bill was left on the counter to pay the delivery boy while mom and dad put in an extra shift. These kids pretty much raised themselves and you can see this in "Stranger Things." There's one part where Lucas Sinclair, played by Caleb McLaughlin, hadn't been home in three days because of one, partying after winning the championship game, two searching for the possible killer of a local cheerleader with his teammates, a bunch of bruh dudes who also haven't been home, and three teaming up with his old pals to battle yet another entity from the the alternate dimension the Upside Down. His sister Erica played by Priah Ferguson explains to the bruhs, whom Caleb ditched that she'd been covering for him for the last three days and owes her a video game as payment for doing such a good job of it. This kid's parents haven't seen their son in three days and they're not concerned! How does this happen! And these are seen as the good parents! Ahhhhh! It would be a decade before we even think about the term helicopter parent where parenting would compensate equally as hard the other direction in the 90s.
For the first time in American history the family unit was separated into two different worlds: the parent world and the kid world. Our country had seen these divisions before, such as the hippie 60s and the roaring 20s, but this separation typically happened during early adulthood, not as puberty was settling in. The worlds that the parents and the kids occupy in "Stranger Things" are as different as night and day. Indeed there is enough world building in the kids' environment that one might mistake "Stranger Things" as a piece of high fantasy (and there is even some of that in this hodge-podge homage to the past). The kids live in a flashy world of malls, video stores, clubhouses and classrooms, and adults are either the enemy, neglectful or in the way entirely. These are the latch-key kids.
I could've picked any number movies to compliment the first two episodes of "Stranger Things." Stephen King's "Carrie" comes to mind as there are children with superpowers who don't know quite how to control them, combined with a heavy dose of bullying. I could've chosen "Nightmare on Elm Street" the 80s slasher with one of the most neglectful sets of adults I've seen on film. But what I finally ended with was a random little vampire flick I love. 1985's "Fright Night."
"Fright Night's" creation is a bizarre one indeed. The vampire genre was pretty much dead at this point. It always comes down to over-saturation of the marketplace by producers who want to follow a trend until it shrivels up and dies. The public was tired of the period gothic Hammer films of the 1970s. Peter Cushing was a relic getting cameo and supporting rolls that stemmed from his popularity of when he played Grand Moff Tarkin in "Star Wars" and Christopher Lee was doing voice over work for movies like "The Last Unicorn" as well as staring in foreign films and bombs like "The Howling II" quite possibly one of the worst horror films ever made. Even horror legend Vincent Price was becoming tired of being put in every little horror event. After he reached pop culture fame with the young crowd for voicing the narration to Michael Jackson's "Thriller., the phone wouldn't stop ringing with offers for bit parts in movies and creepy commercials. Price decided to leave the phone of the hook and go into semi-retirement, only making a few appearances if the price was right.
The last great year for vampires was 1979. There were six, that's right six movies that were made about, not vampires, but just Dracula specifically the best ones being Frank Langella's "Dracula" and Werner Herzog's "Nosferatu" the worst being NBC's abysmal attempt to revive the serial genre with the idea that each T.V. movie be separated by a cliffhanger, "The Curse of Dracula." With over-saturation, there becomes less of a need for something. Unfortunately horror films have to obey the basic laws of economics too. The period vampires from the Victorian age were dead, instead the horror scene was dominated by mad men in ski masks, that had just barely received a supernatural reinvigoration by way of Wes Craven's "Nightmare on Elm Street."
Yet there was a microcosm of horror fans who missed the old gothic creatures. Local television was still a thing in 1985, as a result most areas had their own local late night horror host that would present facts and jokes about the movies at each commercial break. The movies had to fit into a two hour time slot and they were often under an hour and a half so that they could add in the commercials and jokes. The movies also had to have cheap rights and since no one was watching the old Universal, RKO and Hammer films they became prime candidates for late night weekend viewership.
These programs had a small but loyal following. Thus those that didn't really take to the slasher genre and missed the nostalgia of the vampire and werewolf or the stop motion alien, would find solace not in the local video store around the corner but with a bowl of home popped popcorn curled under the covers on a Weekend Midnight Showing of "Night of the Living Dead" or "I was a Teenage Werewolf." Thus there was a surprising audience awaiting a film like "Fright Night."
"Fright Night" tells the story of one Charlie Brewster, played by William Ragsdale who not only has intimacy problems with his girlfriend Amy Peterson, played by Amanda Bearse, but also is unfortunate enough to live right next door to a charismatic vampire that has just moved in. The charming Jerry Dandridge played with characteristic smugness by Chris Sarandon. Of course no one believes him, including the police and his valium sucking, over-worked single mother, so he inquires the services of a local television horror host. Oh and did I mention that Charlie's girlfriend looks just like the vampire's old lover from centuries ago? Love certainly can be complicated.
The movie is a delightful vampire adventure, with great performances, make-up, not to mention a bluesy sultry score every time the vampire next door enters the screen. It's a lot of fun and though it pays homage to the old Hammer and Universal films of yesteryear it is also its own movie and updates the ideas to the present with young teenage characters, and a lair that looks like something out of "The Changeling" or "The Amityville Horror", instead of some dilapidated old labyrinthine castle in Eastern Europe. It has that perfect Joe Bob Briggs certified blend of 80 percent horror and 20 percent comedy with its tongue firmly in cheek.
So we know why this movie came about, but how did it? Who actually thought it was a good idea to do a vampire film in 1985 right in the middle of the second period of the slasher craze? Who thought, "hmmm vampires, haven't seen one of those in five or six years." Let's get into it.
It starts with Tom Holland. Tom Holland might be the best genre film writer of the 1980s. He wrote a very bold and well done sequel that everyone said could not be accomplished, "Psycho II", as well as the ultra-conservative nightmare thriller about delinquency "Class of 1984." He had just finished writing the spy film "Cloak & Dagger", and he got this idea for a vampire film called "Fright Night" where a local late night television horror host was the hero. He wanted to get Vincent Price to play the part of Peter Vincent, (named after yes Peter Cushing and Vincent Price) Vampire Hunter, but Vincent Price was too busy being Vincent Price, cooking gourmet food, collecting fine pieces of art, traveling, being awesome as Vincent Price tends to be. Roddy McDowell was chosen for the role instead and as he had worked with him on "Class of 1984" Tom Holland was excited at Columbia's second choice for casting.
It was no surprise the prolific actor said yes. McDowell was a workaholic. A bachelor who never married (there were rumors about his homosexuality which were never proven) he would start out as a child actor in Brittan and the United states with such movies as "My Friend Flicka," "Lassie Come Home," and How Green was my Valley," and he would end his career doing voice work for some of the best animated works of the 1990s, playing the Mad Hatter in "Batman the Animated Series" and Mr. Soil in Disney/Pixar's "A Bug's Life."
Roddy McDowell would be in over fifty movies (everything from star leading man to clever character role, he wasn't picky), have just shy of 100 television guest appearances and be in over fifteen significant stage performances, ranging from the part of Malcom in Orson Well's Production of Macbeth in Salt Lake City, Utah to the role of Mordred in "Camelot" on Broadway. He also served on the Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was on the selection committee for the Kennedy Center Awards where he was chairman of the Actors' Branch for five terms. He supported the Motion Pictures Retirement Home and in his spare time (what?!) published five books of photographs as he was also an avid photographer. When asked if he would ever retire he simply said: "I just simply hope to keep working and doing interesting things...I'm one of those creatures born to be working. I feel better when I'm working. I don't like it when I'm not working, and I've never worked as much as I want to."
It is obvious to state that his performance here as is any performance by McDowell is one of professionalism. He was always an old pro and claimed that he harnessed the power of the Cowardly Lion from the "Wizard of Oz" when he created the pathetic yet endearing character of the hack actor he was portraying on screen, Peter Vincent.
After securing McDowell Holland's next step was just as important. He insisted that he direct, as his last screenplay "Scream for Help" had been disastrous thanks mainly poor...well everything, minus the script, Holland was mortified that anything he'd written could turn out so poorly and so different from his original intent. As he had turned out three great scripts the previously mentioned "Class of 1984," "Cloak & Dagger," and "Psycho II" and the budget was set at a paltry seven million, (it would make 25 million with very little marketing involved as most of the studio's marketing budget was focused on the John Travolta Jamie Lee Curtis romantic soon to be box office bomb: Perfect), the head of Columbia Pictures said "Let's take a chance on the hot screenwriter kid." And we were off.
Holland began his career as a classically trained actor under Lee Strasberg. He was in some highbrow productions, most notably "A Walk in the Spring Rain" starring Anthony Quinn and Ingrid Bergman. He wouldn't get much financial success out of acting, however so he turned to writing and then directing. But his work as an actor helped him prepare as a director as he did that old Stuart Gordon standby (also a theatrically trained actor turned director) and rehearsed with his cast for two weeks treating the movie like a play. The result was some of the best performances out of any horror film of the decade. They worked collaboratively, each actor creating backstories for their character, and changing little issues with the script with each new read, which made filming a breeze as Holland had to take very few takes, and was able to keep the cost low.
Not every actor was as excited as McDowell to be in the film. Chris Sarandon as the suave vampire Jerry Dandridge was less excited about the work. He was worried a role this early in his career in a horror film would ruin him. Horror was for hacks and those that could no longer get work, not up and comers such as himself. Yet he was perfectly cast and he fell in love with the script. Sarandon exuded sexy charisma in every scene. Even when he's in his full vampire form and looks like a fruit-bat from hell, with his jaw jutting forward and his square face and enlarged forehead, his fingers were long talons, there was still a sense of sensuality as he was trying to push Charlie out his bedroom window to impale him on the sharp white picket fence below.
Sarandon flourishes as the debonair bloodsucker. It doesn't matter if he is seducing Charlie's girlfriend Amy or playing dominant to his man servant Billy Cole, played by Jonathon Stark he is in command of every scene he is in. One scene in particular is when he chases Charlie and Amy into a club. Eventually he seduces Amy either through his will or mesmerism, take your pick, and they have what is no less than a mating ritual on the dance floor, each of them dancing with each other to show dominance or desire, each of them exchanging power and status throughout. Amy who was a cold fish with the inexperienced Charlie, is able to let go and finally be satisfied by this mature experienced gentlemen. Sorry to break it every man I've ever known. A 17 year old kid is never going to please a woman, not even a woman his own age. Sorry Charlie, you're out of luck.
In fact this would be the general consensus all around. Jonathon Stark who plays Dandridge's man-servant Billy Cole was not a fan of horror, but loved the script as well and wanted to be a part of it, the same went for Stephen Geoffreys who played the part of Evil Ed.
The special effects here are great. And what made them so great is that the crew had just come of the "Ghostbusters" set where they had invented new state of the art practical effects that they could easily reproduce for this film. Though ghostbusters had all kinds of budgetary concerns before being released due to the trial and error nature of never done before special effects, now that all the wrinkles had been ironed out they were ready for prime use in "Fright Night" with little troubleshooting. This made "Fright Night" look fresh and new and yet still kept it under budget and under radar.
Amanda Bearse who plays Amy gets the special effects jump scare of the movie, where she hides from a desperate Charlie accusing him of not being there to protect her and the she lifts her head and reveals what is no less than shark jaws as a newly formed vampire and tries to rip her former lover's throat from his neck.
Charlie's side-kick Evil Ed looks great as well, when he finally turns. His anxiety-ridden smile that holds back tears so well, becomes a maniacal grin with teeth jutting every which way.
But it's the little touches that make this film so wonderful. It's the monstrous bite mark that Sarandon takes out of an apple, his fruit bat DNA showing as one bite take out three quarters of the fruit. It's Sarandon's smile through a window as he's about to bite into the neck of a prostitute (one of them being a playboy playmate of the month by the way). It's the bluesy rock soundtrack that plays throughout with the saxophone and electric guitar playing in golden harmony. It's Stephen Geoffreys's maniacal laugh. It's William Ragsdale's sweat when he's frightened.
Amanda Bearse is perhaps the best actor in the film as her journey is the most drastic, changing from the timid virgin who is not ready for her boyfriend to bumble around her body to the sensual and ready lover that she transforms into under Dandrige's hypnotic spell. Her scenes are erotic, innocent and sensual throughout. Though there's some nudity at the beginning of the film, seen through Charlie's bedroom window into the spooky mansion next door as Dandridge is biting the neck of one of his victims, (the Playboy Playmate) the scenes with Amy are much more arousing and don't involve nudity at all.
My favorite scene is when Dandrige turn Amy into a vampire. He bites her neck and we see Amy's bare back as she sits up and rivulets of blood flow down her curves into the bedroll they are sharing on the floor. There's no nudity here, yet the scene is the most erotic throughout the entire movie. Holland knows just what to show and just what to leave out. He is a master storyteller who cast perhaps the most perfect vampire movie of the 80s.
Roddy McDowell would chalk this up to just another performance in a long line of them and of course keep working for the rest of his life until the age of 70 where he would die of pancreatic cancer in 1998.
Chris Sarandon would go on to play other smug villains such as Prince Humperdinck in "The Princess Bride" and a very memorable guest star on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." He would also play Detective Mike Norris in "Child's Play" and Jack Skellington in "The Nightmare Before Christmas." He would have an excellent film and television career, though now later in life he has switched to theater performing on Broadway and in regional theater as well. Really not a bad way to spend retirement.
William Ragsdale is great here as the inexperienced, sweaty but dogged Charlie. Unfortunately this is where his career would peak. Though he's been in other movies and has kept busy as a working actor they are stinkers like "Big Momma's House 2" or undiscovered gems like "The Reaping." He's also done a lot of guest starring roles in television from "Curb Your Enthusiasm" to "The Blacklist," and he did have a stint on the sitcom Herman's Head which had a four season run of which I know nothing about.
Amanda Bearse who plays the best girl next door ever would go on to a successful television career, mainly playing the role of Marcy in "Married...With Children." She would transition into directing, and would eventually direct 31 episodes of "Married with Children," and would move on to such shows as Mad TV, and Dharma & Greg. Her career has slowed down but she was in a German sci-fi film in 2020 called "Sky Sharks."
Stephen Geoffreys as the anxiety riddled Evil Ed, would have a fairly prolific career in the 1980s with Spielberg's "Amazing Stories" and Robert Englund's "976-EVIL". In the 90s he would lose himself in Gay porn and make a living that way only to return to horror in 2007 with the movie "Sick Girl." He has been doing low budget horror ever since.
Jonathon Stark as Bill Cole has had a better career in writing than in acting. Though he was in the guilty pleasure "House II: The Second Story." In the 1990s he wrote for the sitcoms "According to Jim" and 'Ellen." In 1997 he would win an Emmy for his writing on Ellen. Very little is known about him after he won his Emmy other that he decided to focus on his family; he has a wife an two children.
Writer/Director Tom Holland would go on to to be one of horror cinema's greatest auteurs, creating the "Child's Play" franchise as well as adapting two Stephen King films "Thinner" and "The Langoliers."
"Fright Night" is a movie we needed in a time we didn't know we needed it. It's funny, it's exciting, it's sexy, unlike slashers which can be: campy, predictable and gratuitous. It has some of the best horror performances throughout all of the 80s and kept the vampire genre alive. Two excellent vampire films would follow this one, "The Lost Boys" and "Near Dark" both released in 1987. Neither of those two films would've been made were it not for the success of Fright Night.
To celebrate this great film as well as "Stranger Things" the theme will be 80s pizza parlor. I have a recipe for Pizza Hut Dough and we will find out once and for all, which is better Coke or Pepsi. Hope to see you there!
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