FRIGHT NIGHT (Rated R)

Not often do we see an R-rated movie from Disney, but a remake of “Fright Night” apparently requires vampires and their slayers to drop a few F-bombs.

Normally, I avoid horror films, namely because I just don’t feel like being terrified witless or having to watch more blood spilled than during an entire World War.

Based upon the 1985 film of the same title, “Fright Night” is thankfully not in the same league with the repulsive “Saw” franchise or the bloody “Friday the 13th” films.

To be sure, blood is spilled, but the scary parts don’t cause your hand to uncontrollably grip your seatmate or the hair on your neck to stand up.

Altogether different in tone and spirit, “Fright Night” intentionally seeks out amusement in its vampires, as opposed to the inadvertent humor one would find in the “Twilight” series.

Speaking of the teen vampire craze, “Fright Night” also delights in taking a few jabs at “Twilight” in some good-natured ribbing.

More importantly, this remake as well as the original takes great joy in mocking the popular culture’s weird fascination with vampires.

Where else would you encounter a vampire named Jerry? Shouldn’t a fearsome bloodsucker have a Gothic name, or even something like Drake, Vlad or Lucius?

It’s up to high school student Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) to convince his skeptical single mom (Toni Collette) and others that the handsome new neighbor Jerry (Colin Farrell) is from the dark side.

The problem for Charley is that he comes to this conclusion from the antics of his geeky old pal Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse).

Now hooked up with the hot Amy (Imogen Poots), Charley is desperately trying to fit in with the hip crowd, and talk of vampire-hunting doesn’t help his cause.

The setting for this story is awesome. Charley lives in a bland suburban Las Vegas housing tract, which looks like the developers abandoned before completion.

It’s the perfect hideaway for Jerry. Surely nobody will miss the slutty blonde across the street who works as an exotic dancer on the Vegas Strip.

Oddly enough, nobody except Charley seems to notice or care that Jerry is never seen in daylight and that all his windows are blocked out.

To Charley’s mom, Jerry is a working stiff on the graveyard shift in Vegas, just like many other unfortunate dwellers in this hopeless, forsaken suburban outpost.

As to be expected, Charley takes increasing risks to expose the vampire Jerry, breaking into his house and uncovering the torture rooms of his victims.

Realizing the need to find a vampire slayer, Charley seeks out Peter Vincent (David Tennant), a star magician pretending to be a vampire expert in a tacky Vegas act.

For his part, Tennant’s Vincent resembles Russell Brand, another self-indulgent Brit with the flair for a flamboyant gothic style and degenerate pretense. At least, Tennant is strangely funny when he revels in debauchery.

Farrell’s vampire Jerry has a charismatic personality and irresistible charm that only Charley alone can see through. However, no one will ever confuse Farrell with Bela Lugosi.

A remake may not be necessary, but “Fright Night” has lots of prickly, comic dialogue that is greatly amusing and vastly entertaining.

“Friday Night” moves at a nice pace, but oddly enough it hits a few spots where you expect the story to end. But that just leads to more fortunate surprises.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

Just because the CBS Television network has decided that Charlie Sheen is supremely expendable now that he’s been cast aside from “Two and a Half Men” doesn’t mean that he is forever banished.

OK, maybe networks will be reluctant to take a chance on him, but you can still enjoy the irrepressible Charlie in another TV venue.

The DVD release of “Spin City: The Complete Fifth Season” might pass unnoticed save for the fact that this particular season introduced Sheen as the new Deputy Mayor and right-hand man to Barry Bostwick’s Mayor Winston.

Sheen came to the series to replace Michael J. Fox, whose character had to leave the Mayor’s office when taking the blame for his boss’ association with the Mafia.

Heather Locklear also stars as the mayor’s communications director, a position that puts her at odds with the sarcastic Sheen.

With Sheen and Locklear locking horns, the sparks will fly and so will the fun in “Spin City: The Complete Fifth Season.”

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.