Sunday, October 20, 2013

Character Spotlight- Regine Dandridge- Fright Night Part II 1988




Yeah, so I'm trying out a new post series titled "Character Spotlight." In this series, I'll share my thoughts on various characters from various film genres. And it's horror month, so I'm starting with Regine from the original Fright Night 2!

Charley Brewster was free of vampires, and happy to live a normal life with his new girlfriend Alex...... until Jerry Dandridge's sister, Regine came into the picture. Seeking revenge for her brother's death, Regine is able to use seduction to toy with Charley's mind, and before Charley has a chance to realizes it, he's transformed into the very creature he fought to destroy with Peter Vincent's help.

Julie Carmen's Regine is the female counterpart for Chris Sarandon's Jerry Dandridge. She's smooth, cunning, sexy, and she knows when to strike at the perfect moment. Although, unlike her brother, Regine knows where to draw the line in the sand, when it comes to cockiness. Remember, Jerry had PLENTY of chances to turn Charley, but he decided to play around with him until the end, so he could use Amy as a weapon. Of course, this approach backfired, and Jerry's dismissive attitude towards Charley as an amateur sleuth cost him his life.

Regine on the other hand was smart enough to catch Charley before it was too late by turning him into a vampire. And as I alluded to before, Regine used her good looks to mesmerize and weaken Charley, so he could lower his guard. A prime example right here:


                                


Another noticeable change is Regine's entourage. Remember, in the original Fright Night Billy was the only person (until Jerry turned Evil Ed), who protected and looked after Jerry, especially during Charley's daily snooping in the daytime. In Fright Night 2, Regine had a wall of security that included Belle, another vampire, Louie, the lone werewolf in the group, and Bozworth, a supernatural being, who spent most of his time devouring various insects. But as always, the villain makes one crucial mistake at the end:

                                

Still, Julie Carmen's smooth and confident portrayal of Regine is so fun to watch. Regine was a sultry seductress, who forced Charley to eat out of the palm of her hand, and until her last moments, she salivated in the thought of taking Charley as her eternal slave. Julie Carmen had some BIG shoes to fill as the primary antagonist in the Fright Night sequel, but Carmen stepped up to the challenge, and she nailed the Regine character.

Follow this link to read my spoiler review for Fright Night 2! http://mitchmacready.blogspot.com/2013/07/fright-night-part-ii-1988.html



   

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