Los Angeles, Jun 8: It's almost scary how much actor Colin Farrell likes horror films, including the 1985 favourite "Fright Night."
"Oh, I loved it," he said recently while promoting his new "Fright Night" remake to film exhibitors at the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas.
"And I grew up where, I grew up watching 'Halloween' and 'Friday The 13th,' and knew who Michael Myers was by the time I was six, and Jason Voorhees and all that crew.
"And then Freddy Krueger was very much my generation. But I think I understood 'Fright Night' in the way that it was possably intended. I mean, that would be a question for (direcor Todd) Holland.
"To be understood, which was, yes, there were some scares. There was some horror, but there was kind of a self-awareness to it that spoke with a sense of humor, that spoke to it not taking itself too seriously."
In a nutshell, the new "Fright Night," like the original, is a story of the vampire who moves in next door.
What's new is the glossy production and a classy cast and crew, including Golden Globe-winning Farrell, as well as director Craig Gillespie hot off the acclaimed 2007 drama "Lars and the Real Girl."
So what's Gillespie doing directing a mere horror flick?
"Which really has me worried that he is not saying to me, 'What are you doing being in 'Fright Night'?' I'm not a real actor, you're a real actor. I'm out of here,'" Farrell replied.
Added Gillespie, "I didn't know what I was going to do after my last film. But, when they sent me the script, I really wasn't almost interested in reading it, because I wasn't looking to do this kind of film.
"And then I sort of reluctantly picked it up, and I read it and said, 'Wow, this is actually really good!' And it's got this tricky blend of horror and humor, which is very much a throwback to the '80s. You don't see it much anymore.
"I love being able to mix the genre like that. And that was the exciting part for me. And the challenge of it. So, intellectually, I thought it wasn't for me. But in my heart, I knew exactly what I wanted to do."
The cast also includes Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Toni Collette.
"I worked like half a day with her," said Farrell. "So, she was story-free that day. She was taking the day off. She was mellow, she was nothing but pleasant. She's a fine actress." "Fright Night" hits American cinemas in August. AP
