An extensive look at the making of Fright Night (1985) and Fright Night Part 2 (1988) featuring exclusive interviews with cast and crew members, rare photographs, behind-the-scenes footage and more. From Dead Mouse Productions and the Producer of Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser & Hellbound: Hellraiser II, comes the all-new Fright Night documentary. Fully supported and produced by original Fright Night writer and director Tom Holland, this documentary is the ultimate insight into the making of this cult classic movie as well as a tribute to the late, great Roddy McDowall. The Story of Fright Night will feature detailed interviews with those who helped shape and create this much loved movie. Guided by Tom Holland, the makers of this new documentary will raise the stakes and unearth the behind the scenes stories including footage and images from Tom’s personal archives.

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Video Quality

You’re So Cool, Brewster! The Story of Fright Night comes to Blu-Ray from ETR Media with a very enjoyable HD master which presents this documentary exactly as intended. The film was previously included as a supplemental feature on the Fright Night 4K UHD Blu-Ray release from Sony in 2022, but that was a truncated version that only covered the first film. This new standalone release gives us the whole enchilada, and it is a treat for fans of the franchise. This feature is a mixture of newer talking head interviews along with a plethora of archival photos, clips, and more to help deep dive into the legacy of the franchise.

Any older material from the original production appears to be derived from the most stable source available at the time of this film’s completion. Some of the behind-the-scenes footage can look somewhat rough but most of this looks very nice. The more recent talking head interview segments look consistently clear with natural skin tones and some exceptionally detailed facial features from the stable filming locations. The colors displayed in the footage have a lovely vibrancy to them. The encoding is in honorable shape when it comes to compression artifacts and other such digital stumbling blocks. This Blu-Ray is so cool.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray disc comes with a decent DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that tackles the soundscape with the appropriate care. The music from the film comes through with a divine fidelity that fills the room. This is an interview showcase with a substantial amount of talking heads to go along with some vintage clips and other odd sources. Anecdotes spring forth from the center channel as you get engaging storytellers in a steady environment. There are no unforgivable digital anomalies, drop-outs, or other issues spotted. This track gives you what you need from beginning to end. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

What Is Fright Night?: An 11-minute piece in which the cast and crew discuss Tom Holland’s script, how the film harkens back to classic horror films, how it impacted the horror genre and more.

Roddy McDowall – From Apes to Bats: A 21-minute piece in which the cast and creative team behind Fright Night reflect on the late, great Roddy McDowall, his presence on the set, the talent he had both in front of and behind the camera, the depth of knowledge of Hollywood history he had at his disposal, memories of working with one another and more.

Tom Holland – Writing Horror: A nine-minute piece in which the writer/director discusses his enduring love for horror films, his approach to acting and writing, what he brought to the genre, and more.

Stephen and Amanda Weekend of Hell Panel: A 13-minute panel from Germany in 2015 with Stephen Geoffreys and Amanda Bearse in which the pair discuss what drew them to the project, working with the legendary Roddy McDowall and more.

Tom and Amanda Talk Fright Night: A 30-minute conversation between the director and star of Fright Night in which they discuss Roddy McDowall, the collaborative nature of the production, memories of shooting certain scenes, the landscape of the movie industry of the time, the legacy of the feature and more.

Round Table with Tom, Stephen, and William: A 17-minute conversation between the director and two stars in which they discuss the legacy of the film, memories from the production and more that highlights the relationship between these individuals.

Peter Vincent Trailer: An assortment of fake trailers is provided.

- I Rip Your Jugular (3:57)

- Psychedelic Death (3:21)

- Resurrection of Dracula (2:11)

- Werewolf of Moldavia (2:58)

Final Thoughts

You’re So Cool, Brewster! The Story of Fright Night is a thorough and entertaining look back at an iconic horror franchise that continues to garner new fans. Even if you do not have a history with the films, you can still appreciate all of the behind-the-scenes intricacies that went into making them a reality. The documentary covers virtually everything you could want from such a deep dive. The movie scores some exciting interviews with talent who are just waiting to share fun anecdotes. This is a must for fans who have long loved the movies as well as newcomers who want the juicy details of an important cultural touchstone. ETR Media has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and a wonderful assortment of additional material. Recommended

You’re So Cool, Brewster! The Story of Fright Night is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: ETR Media & OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.