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Fright Night

Directed by Henri Pachard
Written by Joel Gross
Starring Norman Fields, Harrison Phillips, George 'Buck' Flower
R • 1975 • 83 minutes

by Choconado

We start off with Clifford Bradley (Norman Fields), the manager of a local TV station, who is slightly off. He believes that there is a conspiracy afoot to asexualize the nation. The local censor board, as well as the ultra-conservative film critic that reviews films for his channel's news program reinforce this belief in him. Though he does prove is crazyness with a Strangelove-ian belief that there are chemicals put into tap water to effectively neuter the population.

However, Bradley has a plan. To strike the first guerilla blow in the war against conservatism, he organizes his channel to run a "stag" movie awards show, not unlike todays AVN awards. He goes so far as to hand pick sponsers to match his programming choice. And finally, to really stick it to the man, he forces Gordon Gordon (Harrison Phillips), his prudish film critic, into hosting the whole thing with great reluctance and humiliation.

The remaining 2/3rds of the film are the awards show itself, which follows a rather simple format: They give out an award, show a clip from the awardee, and then cut to commercial. Each stage of the process is quite hilarious all on its own. The ceremony includes a set that's an enormous dick, and Gordon stammering through his lines of monologue filled with vulgarities with increasing uncomfortableness.

The film clips themselves are obvious parodies of the actual "blue" films that aired in the same 42nd street environment this film flourished in, with such highlights as a bondage film that doesn't even attempt to hide such gaffes as the man not actually hitting the woman at all, or the obvious fact that the weapons he grabs are clearly handed to him from off camera.

And then there's the true highlight of the film: The commercials. These ads are just as ribald and graphic as the clips, offering such products as "Minute Merkin" (results so realistic, he won't know the difference, and it only takes a minute!) and "Kentucky Dildo" (Girls, we've come a long way!) each with all the catchy jingles you'd expect from a TV commercial

The end result of this airing is of course, phenomenal. The ratings are through the roof. It's apparent that moral values are destined to begin changing, most evident by the press conference that Rex Boorski (Character actor George "Buck" Flower! ) who co-organized the show holds sway over in the aftermath.

Frankly, I'm almost surprised that this film is as old as it is, having come about during the height of the grindhouse movie industry. It anachronizes itself amongst its 42nd street peers by being openly critical of the society around itself. If anything, the film feels more timely today, in the midst of an America where we are the subject of scrutinized censorship in the light of Janet Jackson's breast. I say we must follow the message of this film, and begin fighting in the war against censorship, and embrace the sexual world for all its values!!

4.5 out of 5.