Fright Night
VIEW CONTEXT: The Falls, Miami.
VIEW DATE: 1985
AWARDS (3): First film to reference the Monster Kids phenomenon. Best new creature face. Tenderest casting of Roddy McDowell.
The nice kid knows that his neighbor is a vampire but no one believes him. So he gets the host of the local Creature Features kids show to help him. What a sweet and comforting story.
Fright Night was first film to self-consciously reference the Monster Kids phenomenon, and it did so as a sweet and comforting fantasy. The kids want monsters to counterpoint, and miss the dying breed of the Creature Features host. And those hosts, now unemployed, need social purpose.
The famous Amy Peterson mouth (played by Amanda Bearse) was a major watershed in monster face history. Designed by Steve Johnson, who interned under Rick Baker during American Werewolf.
I just realized: the horror potency of the big mouth effect was so good that the marketing department used it as the centerpiece of the movie poster.