Fright Night

created by Nekojin

(thing) by Nekojin (6.5 mon) (print) ? (I like it!) Wed Apr 10 2002 at 3:39:42

Fright Night (subtitled "Music That Goes Bump In The Night") is a collection of classical music released by CBS Records, Inc. in 1989. If features well-known classical pieces that have a "spooky" feel to them. This CD is usually only produced and sold around Halloween¹, and is pitched as mood music for that revered holiday. Here is the track list for this album:

Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky
Danse Macabre by Saint-Saëns
In The Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg
Funeral March of a Marionette by Gounod
The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Dukas
Toccata (From D-Minor Toccata & Fugue) by Bach
Witch's Ride (From Hansel and Gretel) by Humperdinck
March to the Scaffold (From Symphonie Fantastique) by Berlioz
Mars - The Bringer of War (From The Planets) by Holst
Ride of the Valkyries (From Die Walküre) by Wagner
Halloween by Ives
Mephisto Waltz by Liszt

This is a truly incredible collection of classical music. It contains my two favorite pieces of classical music (Nothing holds a candle to In the Hall of the Mountain King, and Ride of the Valkyries is a solid second), plus several other truly great pieces of music. For a long time, this was my only classical CD, and I didn't feel any real need to add more. In my opinion, the only dark spot on this collection is Mephisto Waltz, which is a jarring, clashing cacaphony with few redeeming qualities. I expect better from Franz Liszt.

For those who are interested in adding this CD to your collection, its is currently published on the Sony Classics label, and its catalog number is MDK 45530.

1. In this age of the Internet, however, you can easily find this CD on the major music sites with a little diligence.

(thing) by Jet-Poop (8.6 hr) (print) ? (I like it!) 1 C! Wed Oct 30 2002 at 17:08:14

American horror movie, released in 1985. It was written and directed by Tom Holland. The stars included Chris Sarandon as Jerry Dandridge, William Ragsdale as Charlie Brewster, Amanda Bearse as Amy Peterson, Roddy McDowall as Peter Vincent, Stephen Geoffreys as Evil Ed Thompson, Jonathan Stark as Billy Cole, and Dorothy Fielding as Judy Brewster.

Basic plot. A new guy moves into the old house next door to teenager Charlie Brewster's house, and Charlie becomes convinced that the new owner, a nice, friendly guy named Jerry Dandridge, is a vampire. He tries to convince his semi-girlfriend Amy and his weirdo friend Evil Ed about it, and they scoff at him. He tries to convince Peter Vincent, a former actor and the host of a late-night horror show, and he gets humored but ignored. And of course, Jerry really is a vampire, and he has to get rid of Charlie and his friends to keep his secret safe...

I suppose this would technically be a horror-comedy, and though there are some awfully funny bits in the film (and though it's clearly aimed at the gore-loving high school audience), I still think of this as an excellent horror movie, with some extra pieces of unusual characterization. The standouts in the cast are McDowall's washed-up actor, playacting the bravado and confidence of the vampire-hunters he used to portray until collapsing into a whimpering puddle when he meets the Real Deal; Geoffreys' Evil Ed, bouncing from snickering dork to terrified victim to gleeful monster--his death scene is among the best in a horror movie, equal parts horrifying and tragic; and Sarandon's suburban bloodsucker--a nice, thoughtful, polite guy, a smooth seducer (his scene with Bearce in the dance club is both sexy and suspenseful), and an evil, relentless killer. The conclusion isn't as good as the rest of the film (like far too many horror films, it devolves into special effects and pyrotechnics), but the characterization, acting, and story make this one a keeper.

"Fright Night" was followed by a sequel a few years later, but it's completely skippable.

Some research from the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com)

printable version
chaos

Roddy McDowall	Danse Macabre	Everything Quests: Albums and CDs	Modest Mussorgsky
In the Hall of the Mountain King	An Experiment you can do to see if your newspaper is indeed Liberally biased	The Writer's Block	Die Walküre
amazon.com	teenage girls	Impressing a man	Mars
Paul Oakenfold	smooth	tragic	suburban
Bloodsucker	Monster	puddle	Snicker
confidence	Bravado	unusual	gore

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