Welcome to Fright Night . . . again

I watched the remake of Fright Night yesterday and, while it wasn't a bad movie in itself, it doesn't hold a candle to the classic original. The main problem is that all the characters are pale shadows of their original versions. That's not the fault of the actors but the writing - a real disappointment from Buffy writer Marti Noxon.
First off, Charlie is something of a douchebag in this. Right from the outset we learn he stopped being friends with Evil Ed so he could hang with the cool kids. That wouldn't be so bad except he never changes this attitude and Ed is killed too early for them to have any kind of reconciliation. That negated much of the empathy I would have had for his character, even though I like Anton Yelchin.
Jerry the vampire is just a brute in this version. While I appreciate Colin Farrell trying to give a more savage and animalistic take on the character, the charm and pathos of Chris Sarandon's Dandridge is sorely missed. And when he starts blowing up houses and throwing motorbikes at people - no, just wrong. I also missed his companion, Billy. Farrell does his best, but just compare his delivery of "welcome to Fright Night" with Sarandon's more flamboyant version.
David Tennant as Peter Vincent comes off the best of all the cast. He's no Roddy McDowall but he's clearly having fun in the role. I can almost forgive him being a Las Vegas entertainer rather than a horror host, but I can't forgive how little screen time he has. His turn from coward to vampire slayer is unconvincing, especially as he doesn't even get to stake any vamps! Which is a shame as I would pay to see a movie about Tennant offing bloodsuckers.
Evil Ed is reduced to little more than a cameo. Aside from the way they screwed up his relationship with Charlie, having him figure out Jerry is a vampire long before anyone else removes any suspense the film might have had for viewers who haven't seen the original. He does come back as a vampire, but it lacks the pathos of his turn in the original.
Imogen Poots is cute as Amy. That's all.
Technically the film is fine. The effects are good, though the 3D is just okay. If this movie had taken the same basic premise (kid discovers a vampire living next door) and spun off its own story and characters I probably would have enjoyed it more. But as it sticks so close to the original, for the most part, the changes were just jarring. Worth a watch for vampire fans (it even has a nice dig at Twilight) but it won't be remembered years from now.