What actually happens
An invitation Mom should not have extended
Charley Brewster loves a late-night horror show called Fright Night, which is hosted by a fictional vampire hunter named Peter Vincent. One evening Charley realizes his new neighbor, Jerry Dandrige, is a vampire who is responsible for several disappearances. His mother does not believe him. Charley recruits Amy Peterson, his girlfriend, along with Evil Ed, his best friend, and then contacts the authorities. Detective Lennox goes to Jerry's house, but Jerry's housemate, Billy Cole, says Jerry is out of town, and Lennox storms off angry. That night Charley finds Jerry inside his house, invited in by Charley's mother. Jerry later comes to his room and offers him a deal: look away or die. Charley holds up a crucifix, then stabs Jerry's hand with a pencil when Jerry attempts to throw him from the window. Jerry wrecks Charley's car and phones to threaten him.
Reading this instead of watching it is the correct decision. Scaredy Cat makes that decision automatic, for free.
Holy water, straight from the tap
Charley goes to Peter Vincent the next day, but Peter writes him off as an overexcited fan. Amy is worried about Charley's sanity and pays the broke Peter to help stage a test. Peter will pretend the tap water is holy water and have Jerry drink it, which should prove Jerry is not a vampire. The test seems to work. Then Peter looks at his pocket mirror and sees that Jerry has no reflection, and he drops the mirror in shock. He runs, but Jerry spots a shard of mirror on the floor and figures out what Peter now knows.
The crucifix works if you believe in it
Jerry finds Ed and makes him a vampire too. Ed goes to Peter's place and tries to attack him, but a crucifix burns his forehead. Elsewhere, Jerry follows Charley and Amy to a nightclub, hypnotizes Amy, who looks like his lost love, and takes her away to bite her. With nowhere else to go, Charley asks Peter for help again. Peter is frightened and refuses at first, then goes along with him. In Jerry's house they hold up a crucifix, which only works for Charley because he actually believes in it. Billy knocks Charley over the banister, and Peter runs to Charley's house. Ed attacks him there in the form of a wolf, and Peter drives a snapped table leg into his chest. Then Peter pulls the stake out and goes back to save Charley.
The sunrise countdown starts
Charley is locked in a room with Amy, who is slowly turning into a vampire. Peter lets him out before she wakes up. Billy shows up and turns out to be undead himself. This is the scene people dread most, and it comes near the end: Charley and Peter destroy Billy, and he melts into goo and sand. Then Peter uses a crucifix to lure Jerry, who is far too sure of himself, in front of a window, and it works this time because Peter believes in it again. The sun is coming up. Jerry turns into a bat and attacks them, then flies to the coffin in his basement to hide.
The ending, explained
Charley and Peter follow Jerry down to the basement. Peter breaks open the coffin and tries to stake Jerry in the heart, while Charley holds off Amy, who is nearly finished turning. They smash the blacked-out basement windows, and the sunlight destroys Jerry and turns Amy back into a human. Several nights on, Peter is back on Fright Night and says he is giving vampires a rest. In bed, Charley and Amy watch him. Charley gets up to switch off the television and sees glowing red eyes in Jerry's empty house, but he shrugs them off. Ed laughs and says Charley is so cool.
The post-credits ruling
Nobody has confirmed whether there's a scene after the credits.
✓ Spoiled safelyDog status: fine, no dog dies.
Questions people ask at 1am
Is Fright Night scary?
Somewhat. Fright Night is a 3.5 out of 10: a vampire story with a few jump scares and some gore, mostly played for fun, and the dread is gone before you go to bed.
How does Fright Night end?
Peter and Charley break the basement windows so the sunlight destroys Jerry, and Amy goes back to being human. In the last scene, Ed turns up laughing.
Does the dog die in Fright Night?
No, no dog dies in Fright Night. Ed, a vampire, attacks Peter in wolf form and is staked, and he turns back into a person before he dies.
Is there a post-credits scene in Fright Night?
Nobody has confirmed whether Fright Night has a scene after the credits.
Who is Peter Vincent in Fright Night?
Peter Vincent is the host of the late-night horror show Fright Night, playing a vampire hunter on TV. In the movie, Charley asks him to hunt a real vampire, and he ends up helping.
