New Crap?: Fright Night 2- New Blood

You make me yearn for the unrelated DTV Sequels like White Noise 2!  Today's film is Fright Night 2- New Blood, which is...basically just a Remake of the Remake of a good movie.  It takes the same basic idea, but sets it in Europe and gives you a female antagonist instead.  Wait- this is just a Remake of Howling 2: Your Sister is a Werewolf then, isn't it?  That's somewhat ironic, given that there was already a 'Remake' of Fright Night featuring a Werewolf already (Never Cry Werewolf).  This raises a simple question: why not Remake Fright Night: Part II instead?  It would make some logical sense, right?  In case you missed that one, the Sister of the Vampire comes for revenge, while our hero tries to make peace with what all went on...plus the fact that nobody believes him.  That's a logical continuation of the Story featuring a female Vampire.  This one- not so much.  Instead of anything logical, we just get an unannounced Remake that changes things for absolutely no reason, while keeping the formula exactly the same.  It just insulting.  To be fair to the film, it has some good points to it.  The problem is that by calling it Fright Night 2, you set up a big middle finger to the audience.  Here's the story: students at apparently the world's most wealthy College are spending a week in Romania with a Professor of Art History.  Naturally, a Vampire or two shows up, but with some silly explanations as to why.  I won't SPOIL everything, but give you enough to decide whether to see the film or not.  To see what bites, read on...

In the Cold Open, a French lady is...somewhere with a Gas Station and is killed by a Vampire.  I love that she goes right to 'I'll blow up my car to kill this creature' in like a minute.

The point of this scene (and vague use of the No Reflection Rule): just to add blood.  There is ZERO pay-off that I could tell.  At all.

In Romania, our mostly-forgettable Cast of Characters is there to study Art...since the Internet doesn't exist, I guess.  It is here that things go sour...since everyone is the same Character from Fright Night, but that didn't happen.

Speaking of which, Peter Vincent- not played by the same Actor- is now the Host of a Ghost Hunters-style show.  Yes, Horror Show Hosts are out-dated (I write this while watching Svengoolie), was this the best option?

Just to confuse you, here's his Title Card...for a show we're seeing be Taped.  That...is not how TV works.

Not Anton Yelchin sees suspicious stuff involving their guest Professor and breaks into her place (which is across the street, keeping the unoriginality streak alive).  He sees her bathe in blood and restore her youth, but is spotted.

She shows up later that night with our hero's kind-of-sort-of girlfriend.  This Sub-Plot is a nice, dull time-filler...but nothing more.

When he tells his friend Ed, he instantly believes him.  The guy brings up a...Motion Comic telling the tale of Elizabeth Bathory, who was apparently an actual Vampire that was attacked by...some giant Vampire.

Don't get me wrong- the Bathory thing is interesting, but doesn't really work with the additions made.

The group meets up with Peter- who just happens to be in Romania- and he...doesn't agree to help them.

Side-note: I love the idea that 'being in Romania' means that he's just down the Street.  You know that is a whole entire Country, right?

I won't SPOIL too much here.  I will highlight this fun moment: Not Anton Yelchin and his girlfriend are saved by sunlight shining on a cross near the Vampire and run away.  Once they get outside...it is night again.

Is there something that's the opposite of a Solar Eclipse.  You know, where the Sun appears briefly at night for no reason and vanishes a moment later?  Hit me back, Neil DeGrasse Tyson!

Naturally, the almost-maybe-girlfriend is targeted by the evil Vampire Mistress.  The film says 'You like blood?  Here are about 600 gallons of it in the final 15 minutes.'

Will evil win?  Will our hero save the day?  Will they draw this Climax out for what feels like 20 minutes and past the point where you could logically still follow/care about what is happening?  To find out, watch the film.  The End.

How is this Fright Night 2 again?  Let me touch briefly upon a pet peeve of mine actually avoided here...but it shouldn't have been.  I hate, hate HATE when the numbers are removed from titles in a Series.  It just makes it confusing.  Is Children of the Corn: Genesis the first movie?  Is Resident Evil: Afterlife the third movie?  Is The Howling: Reborn a follow-up to the third film?  In this case, they should have just swapped it out with the Subtitle (which only appears in the END Credits).  I hate saying this, but it's true!  This film is NOT a Sequel.  It is just the same film again, only in Europe with a lady Vampire.  I would love to know the logic behind this whole thing?  Did they start with a Remake of Fright Night: Part II and diverge so drastically?  More likely, the Writer was told to make it a female Vampire since 'They did that in the 2nd one.'  There was actually a point in that one, but whatever.  Getting past this major, confusing hurdle, there are some good visuals here.  The whole thing is shot in an often-stylish manner.  The issue: strobe lights.  Anyone who is Epileptic should avoid this film like they do just about every Pokemon Episode.  For those without that issue, the whole thing is just distracting and silly.  Had this been a different 'Franchise' I could have had more fun here.  It still wouldn't have been a great movie, but I would have been able to enjoy it more easily.  I will leave you with Evil Ed (is this really a SPOILER to anyone?) and his confusing ability to get scars that change sides on his face...

Next up, a favorite Director of mine comes to America.  Will this 1993 film prove to be traumatic or disprove a myth about the Director's decline in film quality?  Stay tuned...