Fright Night 2 In Development With Original Director, May Retcon 1988’s Sequel

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Fright Night 2 In Development With Original Director, May Retcon 1988’s Sequel

Fright Night 2 is in the works from the original movie's writer and director Tom Holland, whose script may retcon 1988's Fright Night Part 2.

Director Tom Holland is working on a script for Fright Night 2, which may retcon the 1988 movie Fright Night Part 2. The original Fright Night film came out in 1985 and served as Holland's directorial debut. He also wrote the script for the movie that centered on Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale), a teenager who comes to realize his neighbor, Jerry Dandrige (Chris Sarandon), is a vampire. Like a lot of horror films of the '80s, Fright Night has become a cult classic. It even inspired a remake in 2011, with Anton Yelchin as Charley and Colin Farrell playing Jerry. A direct-to-video sequel, Fright Night 2: New Blood, came from the remake, though none of the 2011 movie's cast returned.

Though Holland is credited with crafting the story for the remake, he wasn't involved in Fright Night Part 2. Only Ragsdale and Roddy McDowall, who played movie vampire hunter Peter Vincent, reprised their roles from the original film. Fright Night Part 2 was a departure from the first movie in that it didn't utilize the "Evil Ed" tease from Fright Night's ending, instead focusing on a new villain, Regine (Julie Carmen), who's eventually revealed to be Jerry's sister. Perhaps due to Holland's lack of involvement, Fright Night Part 2 doesn't hold quite the same status with fans as the original.

Since the 1988 film came out, many have been hoping for a true sequel from Holland. Luckily, the director recently revealed to SyFy Wire he's at work on a script for one he's calling Fright Night 2: Resurrection. What's more, Holland shared his plans to bring back many of the original film's characters, while also speaking about the likelihood the new movie will retcon Fright Night Part 2:

I’m writing a sequel to Fright Night now... I’m calling it Fright Night 2: Resurrection. Well, it’s the only way to protect myself: If you wanna see something done right, do it yourself... Of course, Charlie’s back, and so is Evil Ed. I’m bringing back everybody I can. I’m calling it Resurrection because we’ve got to resurrect Billy Cole and Jerry Dandridge. And now I’ll say no more.

Though it's been a long time since the original Fright Night came out, there's still an interest in the franchise. The remake received positive reviews and earned $41 million at the global box office. Additionally, the fact it was able to attract top talent like Farrell shows the respect many have for the original. Holland's involvement in Fright Night 2 comes as a relief as well, as audiences will finally see what he intended for his characters, albeit 35 years later.

It's also exciting to hear about the director's plans to likely retcon Fright Night Part 2. Many feel it failed to capture the spirit of the original, especially with so many of the first film's characters missing from the sequel. Luckily, due to the nature of horror movies, it will be easy to bring back characters who "died" in the first movie. Holland seems to be embracing this idea with the title Fright Night 2: Resurrection. That will give audiences a clear idea of what to expect in the sequel, which should make for a satisfying follow up to the original film.