Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Fright Night 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 12, 2022

Sony has re-released the cult favorite 1985 Horror film 'Fright Night' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video and Dolby Atmos audio. Plenty of new extras are included in addition to all of the legacy Blu-ray supplements. Sony previously released the film to Blu-ray in 2019, a release that followed on a 2011 Twilight Time release. At time of writing, this UHD is only available in SteelBook packaging.

Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) knows vampires. Bloodsuckers are his life, and his life revolves around watching a television show hosted by the famous vampire slayer Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) called Fright Night. The show, and his obsession, are even a detriment to his relationship with girlfriend Amy (Amanda Bearse). Charlie, in a moment out of Rear Window, finds reason to suspect that his new next door neighbor, Jerry Dandrige (Chris Sarandon), is a vampire. Is Charley's imagination merely running wild, or is there something to his suspicions? Enlisting Amy, his friend "Evil Ed" (Stephen Geoffreys), and eventually Vincent himself, Charley declares war on his neighbor who denies, denies, denies but cannot deny the truth, forever.

For a full film review, please see Jeffrey Kauffman's writing from the original 2011 Twilight Time release here.

Fright Night 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Sony's 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD presentation of Fright Night is everything but frightful. The new UHD delivers a stunningly beautiful image, one that is filmic and faithful to the source, free of print blemishes or encode anomalies. The picture holds a natural grain structure, which is handsomely rendered and faithfully reproduced with an organic texture that yields a fresh-from-theaters filmic appearance. The result is an extraordinarily sharp image. There is practically no shot less than ideally presented for clarity and definition. Facial features, details around the houses, and later in the film various gore and effects elements are as clear and well defined as current technology allows in the home. It doesn't get much better than this for this film in particular and for the UHD landscape more broadly.

The Dolby Vision grading is remarkably lifelike. Every color appears balanced and grounded in a realism that has to be seen to be believed. Whether brightly colored cars and clothes, natural exterior greenery, warm woods inside homes, or naturally subtle and subdued tones, the picture never wants for even remotely superior color expression. Even compared to the remastered Blu-ray there's an obvious gain in tonal accuracy and intensity on display. Flesh tones are rendered very nicely. The UHD offers superior black level depth and shadow detail, vital for the film's moody vampire scenes, and is evident immediately at film's start as the camera pans to an old home for sale at night, lit only be the moon and whatever light hits it from a streetlamp. White level brilliance is improved, too, with the white titles jumping off the screen with an intensity and purity that even the remastered Blu-ray cannot match. This one is a delight.

The remastered Blu-ray is terrific, too. It is also sourced from the same new 4K master. While it cannot match the grain perfection, detail accuracy, and color reproduction of the UHD, it is nevertheless a very fine presentation that is the superior to the previous issue in every way.

Fright Night 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This UHD notably includes a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, and it's legit. The Atmos track offers its first impressive blast right out of the gate with a howling werewolf that seems to saturate the stage with impressively immersive depth. A scream at the 9:45 mark is penetrating and filling with terrific clarity and push. The Atmos speakers are used to wonderful impact in select scenes, too. Listen around the 25:30 mark for some discrete overhead extension. The track does not assault the listener with overhead elements, but they are folded in with grace and accuracy where they make sense. Otherwise, the Atmos configuration helps to broaden the track's characteristics for a fuller, more engaging overall experience. Clarity and detail are top-notch, the subwoofer is used without reservation or hesitation, and dialogue is healthy and true throughout.

Note that there are a number of reports coming in that the Atmos track is missing various elements, notably lyrics during a background song. While casual viewers of the film (such as myself) won't notice (I did not), longtime aficionados will certainly note that something is amiss. Fortunately, the 5.1 and 2.0 tracks have these elements intact and sound great in and of themselves. This is a cult favorite film, so the clamor will be loud, and rightly so.

Fright Night 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

If you thought Fright Night was jam-packed with extras before, wait until you see what's in store. This new UHD SteelBook release includes a ton of content, including all of the returning extras from the 2019 Blu-ray in addition to a large amount of new material. There's so much here that Sony has spread it all over two Blu-ray discs. This three-disc set (one UHD, two Blu-ray) ships exclusively in SteelBook packaging (at time of publication). See below for a brief description of the SteelBook case. Below is a breakdown of what extras are included, and where. There are no extras on the UHD disc. New material is marked as such and reviewed. For full coverage of the legacy content, please click here. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase.

Blu-ray Disc One:

• NEW! Deleted Scene Storyboards (1080p, 7:52): The only existing reference to a scene deleted from the climax due to budgetary constraints.
• You're So Cool, Brewster! The Story of Fright Night
• What is Fright Night?
• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Tom Holland and Actors Chris Sarandon & Jonathan Stark. Moderated by Filmmaker Tim Sullivan.
• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Tom Holland, Actors William Ragsdale & Stephen Geoffreys, and FX Artist Randall Cook. Moderated by Journalist Jeremy Smith and Filmmaker Tim Sullivan.
• Tom Holland: Writing Horror
• NEW! Holland/Beyda Spec Trailer with an Introduction by Tom Holland (1080p, 2:32): An alternate trailer cut by Editor Kent Beyda with the guidance from Director Tom Holland.
• Original Theatrical Trailer "R" Rating (1080p, 1:26).
• Original Theatrical Trailer "G" Rating (1080p, 1:22).

Blu-ray Disc Two:

• NEW! Fright Night 35th Anniversary Script Read (1080i, 2:37:01): A virtual script read with the cast and some surprise guests.
• NEW! The Queer Lens: Bryan Fuller in Conversation with Amanda Bearse (1080p, 42:48): Bryan, a Horror aficionado, and Amanda, one of the film's stars, chat up the film in detail and its impact on and embrace by the queer community.
• NEW! A Novel Approach: The Splatterpunk Story of the Fright Night Novelization (1080p, 8:10): Exploring the process of creating a novelization based on the script.
• Roddy McDowall: From Apes to Bats
• NEW! Tom Holland and Amanda Bearse Talk Fright Night (1080i, 29:27): A lengthy piece that covers a broad spectrum of content: Hollywood in general, people, making the movie, and much more.
• NEW! Round Table with Tom, Stephen and William (1080i, 16:33): Director Tom Holland and Actors Stephen Geoffreys and William Ragsdale speak about the film with an emphasis on Fright Night 2, the remake, casting, anecdotes from the set, and plenty more.
• Shock Till You Drop Presents Choice Cuts with Tom Holland and Ryan Turek
• 1st Ever Fright Night Reunion Panel - Fear Fest 2 (2008)
• NEW! Weekend of Hell Panel with Amanda and Stephen (1080i, 12:52): Amanda Bearse and Stephen Geoffreys talk about the film. From Germany, 2015.
• Vintage EPK with Behind-the-Scenes Raw Footage
• NEW! SFX Storyboard Comparisons (1080p): Hand-drawn storyboards with notes, followed by the corresponding film clip. Set to score. Included are Evil Ed Impaled (5:29), The Final Death of Billy Cole (0:44), Bat Attack (2:51), and Dandridge's Demise (1:27).
• NEW! Photo Galleries (1080p): Auto-advancing stills. Included are Unit Photography with accompanying film score (2:08), Special Effects without accompanying film score (2:57), and Tom Holland without accompanying film score (0:42).

Sony's matte SteelBook features classic artwork that was also used for the previous Blu-ray release. The rear panel depicts a howling Jerry. All legalese has been moved to the very bottom for a clean, unobtrusive look. The film's title appears only on the spine in red against a black background. Inside, the digital copy code floats. The three discs, one UHD and two Blu-ray, are presented in this way: one disc on its own hub on the left and two on the right in staggered-stacked formation. The inner print is a two-panel spread that features a solid metallic teal color.

Fright Night 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Beyond the flub with the Atmos track (which is otherwise great) and a slightly bland SteelBook design, there's nothing here not to like. The picture quality is first-rate and the package is overflowing with new and legacy supplements. Very highly recommended!