‘Fright Night’ Star Chris Sarandon Is The Best ‘80s Vampire

Vampire movies ruled in the 1980’s – truly a glorious time to be undead! Masterworks from Kathryn Bigelow (Near Dark), Tony Scott (The Hunger), Tobe Hooper (Lifeforce) and even Joel Schumacher (The Lost Boys) gave us ghoulishly great performances from rising stars like Bill Paxton, Adrian Pasdar, Kiefer Sutherland, and Jason Patric. But all pale in comparison to one actor: Chris Sarandon.

Before he became synonymous with Prince Humperdinck from The Princess Bride, Chris Sarandon scared the pants off of audiences as vampire Jerry Dandrige in Tom Holland’s Fright Night. The premise of the 1985 classic hit the sweet spot for scary movie fans everywhere: teenage horror fanatic Charley Brewster finds out that his neighbor is a vampire and nobody – not his mother, the police, his friends – believes him. Why not? Besides the fact that people foolishly don’t believe in vampires, Jerry Dandrige is the sexy, charismatic, scary, take charge Chris Sarandon!

Just look at how he’s introduced:

And what does Jerry Dandrige do when he sees creepy Charley Brewster peeking in his window and when later the police come to his house? He charms Charley’s mother and gets himself invited to Charley’s house. The scoundrel.

Being alive for hundreds of years or so has made Jerry Dandrige crafty…and surprisingly merciful. He gives Charley the option to return to his normal life as long as he keeps his mouth shut. Managing to be simultaneously menacing and appealing, Sarandon conveys the complexities of being a vampire like no other. After all, he kills to stay alive, not to senselessly torment.

When, like an idiot, Charley refuses, the two enter into a dangerous game of cat and mouse. While Charley and his pals enlist the help of hapless horror host Peter Vincent, Jerry goes to work biting “Evil” Ed and seducing Charley’s girlfriend Amy, who just happens to be his reincarnated long-lost love. Jerry’s seduction of Amy is full of classic ‘80s tropes – dance club, neon lights, teased hair – but Sarandon makes the sequence breathtaking by exuding the passion he once had for his former beloved.

What’s so fascinating (also hot) about Jerry Dandrige? He’s never rattled, even when someone brandishes a cross nearby. And Sarandon effectively conveys the world-weariness that comes with being alive for centuries. He reacts to the puny mortals trying to destroy him with mild annoyance, a knowing smile, and a droll quip here and there. He can’t believe that these mere mortals can destroy him… until it’s too late.

So RIP Jerry Dandrige. Though the character is reincarnated in the 2011 reboot of Fright Night, Colin Farrell cannot come close to the sexiness, charisma and menace that Chris Sarandon captured on screen.