The Sequel That Deserves More Love

 

Regine Dandridge (Julie Carmen) "performing" for her audience

If there was ever a film that just had a run of unfortunate luck, it was Tommy Wallace's Fright Night Part II (1988). It didn't have a proper marketing campaign or distribution, with critical treatment not too kind. And the horror genre was really starting to suffer, with "sequel fatigue" setting in as less and less money was being paid by consumers at theaters. But those of us who weren't "of age" to go to a theater to see it, home video was our salvation, so Fright Night Part II found some eyes. Not enough, because I don't ever remember seeing it on rental store shelves. And, to this day, I don't understand why. Carmen is just a sensation as Regine, Peter Vincent's "replacement" on his public access horror show, Fright Night. All the viewing public and those in studio are completely convinced Regine is just putting on a performance. But a select few know she's more than just a performance artist. Living in a cavernous dwelling underneath an apartment building, Regine and her entourage (including insect-eating Brian Thompson, werewolf Jon Gries, and skating vampire Russell Clark) conceal their nocturnal savagery rather well.

With Ragsdale and McDowall returning, that first film's leads, you'd think, would bring that audience with them. The stars just weren't aligned for this film. It was considered an abject failure. While watching this, my daughter came into the living room and was immediately invested, but it was late, so I might have more to say Tuesday night when we watch it together. The 1080bp quality print on YouTube is just phenomenal, but there are Fright Night 2 fans like me dying for a proper physical media release. As physical media starts to come under threat of extinction, I just hope this film hits a release by one of the boutique labels, because so many want a copy of this in their library. This is a great late Saturday night movie. But unlike the first film, which I always save for a Saturday afternoon for whatever reason--it might date back to my youth when I would always watch it on Saturdays--I can watch the sequel any evening or day of the week.