THE OVERVIEW: The Notch by Tom Holland - Trapped by J.A. Konrath - The City of The Dead (1960)

Introducing The Overview, a round-up of short reviews of movies, books, and everything in between.

The Notch by Tom Holland *** out of *****: Tom Holland, the Master of Horror behind Fright Night (1985), Child's Play (1988), Thinner (1996), among others, makes his fiction debut with The Notch, an entertaining if unremarkable novel of speculative fiction, about a ten year-old boy who appears out of nowhere, has the ability to heal and bring the dead back to life, and seems to have brought an apocalyptic plague with him. The high-concept plot starts promisingly enough, but soon falls into a kind of rhythm that is less than compelling. The large cast of characters is adequately drawn, but none are memorable, and the story doesn't really go any place special. But Holland is a born storyteller, and his short chapters keep one reading till the satisfying conclusion. But fans should know that, what The Notch isn't is a horror novel.

Review: Fright Night: The Complete "Now" Comic Books (1988-1990)

The NOW Comics adaptation and continuation of the fan favorite Fright Night (1985) movie (written and directed by Tom Holland), which ran from 1988 till 1990, starts off with a bang, with a two-issue adaptation of the original movie, written by Joe Gentile, that manages to capture the spirit and humor of the film and offer enough fresh touches to make it enjoyable for even the most hardcore fans.

The comics then move on to what would become a staple of the series: a number of stand-alone stories of varying mileage, starting with issue#3, The Dead Remember, a fun and atmospheric tale, pitting Charley Brewster and Peter Vincent against a horde of blood/brain-sucking bats from another dimension.

After two underwhelming issues that bear little resemblance to the tone of the original movie, the series gets back on track with issue#6, The Legion of Endless Night, introducing the formidable vampire legion of the title, and which will become the main villain throughout the series. This issue and its sequel, issue#7, are a joy to read, taking our heroes through a fast-paced adventure packed with plenty of vampire action.

Next, the series re-introduces fan favorite Evil Ed in issues#8 and #9, The Revenge of Evil Ed, who is revealed to be alive (undead?!) and well, and out for revenge against Charley and Peter. These two issues are fun, if not very inventive, and by now the problems with the series start to show, chief among them the overly humorous tone and occasionally silly plotting, as the intended audience seems to be within the PG-13 range, with the writing lacking the wit, warmth, and menace of the original movies. The writers involved, including Tony Caputo,  Katherine Llewellyn, and James Van Hise, don't seem to be too interested in capturing the essence of the characters and the delicately balanced tone of the original movie. Instead, we are introduced to a number of forgettable side characters, including a truly forgettable new love interest for Charley.

The cracks really start to show with the next four issues, a series of lame and truly jarring stories that try to stretch the range of the series in all the wrong ways (monsters out of Greek mythology in issue#12 and a child serial killer in issue#13???). The series then recovers a little bit with the amusing two-parter The Resurrection of Dracula (issues# 14 and 15).

Then comes the final stretch of books, with the final seven issues focusing on the resurrection of Jerry Dandridge, starting with issue#16, Potion Motion. But, sadly, the plot is mishandled by the writers, with the resurrected Dandridge barely resembling the much beloved villain as portrayed by Chris Sarandon in the original movie, and the series ends with a clumsy and forgettable finale in issue#22, Reign of Terror.

The NOW Comics adaptation of Fright Night has its fans, but it also has its detractors, and reading the entire run of the series, it's easy to see why. The characters from the original movie aren't handled with care for the most part; the humor is occasionally off-key; and the quality of the stories varies dramatically from issue to issue. But the art is always good, and some of the charm of the original movie and its characters rubs off on the series, providing a number of issues that are worth the fans' time. But Fright Night, one of the greatest horror movies to come out of the 1980s, deserved better than this.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2020.

Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of the feature film Wingrave, released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer.

Review: FRIGHT NIGHT PART 2 (1988) *** and a 1\2 out of *****

Fright Night (1985) is one of my favorite movies of all time. It has everything I love about the 80's: electronic music; flashy lighting; optical special effects; and latex monsters. With a good script and tight direction by writer/director Tom Holland, Fright Night has stood the test of time and proved to be a minor masterpiece wrapped in the guise of a lover letter to the Gothic horror movies of the 1950s and 1960s.

Following such a commercial and artistic success was never going to be easy, but with Fright Night Part 2 (1988) co-writer/director Tommy Lee Wallace and co. sure gave it their best shot.

William Ragsdale is back as Charlie Brewster, and so is the ever charming Roddy McDowall as Peter Vincent, the "fearless" vampire killer, and their performances are as good and lively as they were in the original Fright Night.

The problems with Fright Night 2 mainly lie with its script and budget. Reportedly produced on an even smaller budget than its predecessor, the sequel suffers from a script that is functional enough, even occasionally inventive, but one which lacks the punch and effective characterization of the original, especially when it comes to the villains. Regine - who is revealed to be the sister of the late Jerry Dandridge, the vampire master from the original (wonderfully played by Chris Sarandon) - and her pack of vampires and familiars, just aren't as memorable and charismatic as Jerry Dandridge was. Add to that the feeling that the film is somehow smaller in scope than the original, with slightly less action - probably because of the reduced budget - and you have a sequel at a disadvantage.

But that's not the whole story, as Fright Night 2, despite its faults, is a tremendously entertaining and stylish horror film, with gorgeous cinematography by Mark Irwin, and tight, kinetic direction by Tommy Lee Wallace. The pacing is a bit problematic, and the humor-horror mix doesn't work as well as it did in the original. But Ragsdale, and especially McDowall, are in top form, giving the movie an energy and liveliness that lift it above its shortcomings.

The special effects are uneven, with fantastic matte paintings but less than stellar optical effects, while the make-up effects are mostly inventive and impressive. But, to me, the film's main power lies in its hypnotic atmosphere, bolstered by a terrific, ageless score by Brad Fiedel. Simply put, this is one of those movies that you just don't want to end. It's that entertaining. And the climax, though a little rushed, is more than satisfying.

All in all, Fright Night 2 is a horror sequel that works on many levels, even if it stumbles on a few, and is one of the most memorable horror sequels to come out of the 1980s.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2016.

Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of the feature film Wingrave, released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer