Fright Night 2 - Fresh Blood - DVD

Content: Charlie Brewster (Will Payne) is hoping for an exciting study trip to Romania, where he not only wants to learn something, but also have a fun time with his buddy Evil Ed (Chris Walker) and his beloved Amy (Sacha Parkinson). But on the first night, doubts begin to surface about whether this will be a relaxing stay when Charlie spies attractive professor Gerri Dandridge (Jaime Murray) having sex through the window of his dorm. Charlie senses that there is something strange about this woman - a premonition that is quickly confirmed. For Charlie finds out that his beautiful neighbor is a bloodthirsty vampire. And apparently she doesn't like people finding out her secret at all. Too bad no one wants to believe Charlie that they're taking lessons from a vampire. But when Amy, of all people, is put in danger by Mrs. Dandridge, Charlie decides to get professional help to render the vampire lady harmless. And there's only one person who can do it: Vampire Hunter Peter Vincent (Sean Power)...

.Although Fright Night 2 - Fresh Blood is, by title, a sequel to the 2011 remake of Tom Holland's 1985 cult film Fright Night - A pitch black night, the home video premiere is actually more of a variation on the original's initial idea. In the audio commentary, director Eduardo Rodriguez then also reveals that the creators have in mind a franchise in the style of James Bond, in which the films do not directly refer to the predecessor, the characters remain the same, but are repeatedly embodied by other actors. This then explains why Evil Ed, who was actually killed off in Part 1, reappears here and Peter Vincent, who was a magician in the prequel, is suddenly a presenter on a reality TV show here.

As a slight variation on the theme, the makers have decided that the vampire doesn't move in next to Charlie Brewster this time, but that it's the other way around. And the fact that the film was shot in Dracula's homeland of Romania also brings a bit of fresh air to the now somewhat overused formula. In addition, there is a little more blood and naked skin than in the last film, which should be a little consoled over the weaknesses that the significantly lower budget inevitably brings with it. Because both the fact that it was not possible to fall back on actors from the upper league and that the film had to be shot in only 23 days, the final result is not necessarily positive.

But although Fright Night 2 - Fresh Blood can never hide its B-movie character and could have used a little more humor and self-irony, the vampire flick has a decent overall show and entertainment value. The filming locations in Romania are atmospheric and Jaime Murray (Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, Defiance) makes a very sexy yet menacing vampire lady. Certainly, measured against the quality of the original and its truly accomplished remake, this Fright Night entry is by far the weakest film in the series. But taken on its own, Eduardo Rodriguez has managed to make a perfectly decent, entertaining and diverting vampire film with the means at his disposal, which can definitely be recommended to genre fans who also enjoy a simply structured B-movie. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The film, shot with digital RED cameras, convinces on DVD with a good overall sharpness, which even in the numerous dark scenes only a few quality losses. The rather reduced colour scheme is atmospheric and is particularly convincing with a rich blood red. The sound, which is available in Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, transports the dialogue out of the speakers in a well intelligible manner and also has some nice surround moments to offer. It's not an impressive effects fireworks display, but for a fairly inexpensive direct-to-DVD production, it's perfectly satisfactory. Good!

Extras: As a bonus, the DVD has the four Fright Night webisodes, which are seen briefly in the film, in full length (altogether about 11 min.) to offer. Here Peter Vincent leads his viewers through the castles Poenari and Cachtice and tells about the vampire myths that surround them. The disc also includes a short documentary about Dracula's roots, but at 6 minutes it's too short to offer more than a few superficial details. Still, it's worth checking out here.

Conclusion:Fright Night 2 - Fresh Blood is not a sequel to the 2011 remake of the 1985 cult scary movie, but rather a new twist on the familiar story. Like the sequel to the original, Charlie Brewster gets to deal with a female vampire in this video premiere. The whole thing is bloody, sexy, but unfortunately not as humorous as the 2011 film starring Colin Farrell. As an entertaining vampire B-movie, the whole thing is well worth watching, but of the four Fright Night films so far, this one is very clearly the weakest. Nevertheless, due to the atmospheric locations and some quite successful effects, it suffices for a: Worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp