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Fright Night Origins
You think you know the whole story, don't you?
High school isn't going well for teenage horror fan Charley Brewster, still dealing with the loss of his father, he finds himself in his first serious relationship with the vibrant and beautiful Amy Peterson. If new love wasn't complicated enough Charley is also failing Trigonometry. Late one night while cramming for a test Charley spies something suspicious in the yard next door, two men carrying what appears.to be a coffin. What's going on in the old Victorian House and who are Charley's new neighbors?
Tom Holland returns to the world of Fright Night along with A. Jack Ulrich to lay the groundwork for a brand new series of books set in the world of Fright Night.
High school isn't going well for teenage horror fan Charley Brewster, still dealing with the loss of his father, he finds himself in his first serious relationship with the vibrant and beautiful Amy Peterson. If new love wasn't complicated enough Charley is also failing Trigonometry. Late one night while cramming for a test Charley spies something suspicious in the yard next door, two men carrying what appears.to be a coffin. What's going on in the old Victorian House and who are Charley's new neighbors?
Tom Holland returns to the world of Fright Night along with A. Jack Ulrich to lay the groundwork for a brand new series of books set in the world of Fright Night.
292 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 8, 2022
204 people are currently reading
275 people want to read
About the author
Tom Holland
6 books22 followersTom Holland is an American director and screenwriter of horror and thriller films. His early writing projects include Class of 1984 (1982) and the Robert Bloch-inspired Psycho II (1983), the latter starring Anthony Perkins as the menacing psychopath, Norman Bates, which spawned the Psycho franchise.
His directorial debut was the popular 1980s Vampire film, Fright Night (1985). The film was a box office hit and garnered three Saturn Awards and one Dario Argento Award. Last year, Tom produced a documentary of the film called You’re So Cool Brewster: The Story of Fright Night.
His next project, Child's Play (1988), was a number one box-office hit in America and a worldwide success, despite controversy over its thematic content. Tom then went onto direct two films based upon adaptations of Stephen King's novels: The Langoliers (1995) for TV and the feature film Thinner (1996). He also took a cameo role in the Stephen King miniseries The Stand (1994). He recently completed production on the thriller Rock, Paper, Dead starring Michael Madsen.
Tom's other projects have included The Incredible Hulk episode "Another Path," Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories (1985), three episodes of Tales from the Crypt (1989), and the prestigious Masters of Horror (2005) anthology. He starred in A Walk in the Spring Rain (1970) with Ingrid Bergman.
In 2009, Tom took a starring role in Hatchet II alongside Kane Hodder and Tony Todd.
The Notch is his first novel.
His directorial debut was the popular 1980s Vampire film, Fright Night (1985). The film was a box office hit and garnered three Saturn Awards and one Dario Argento Award. Last year, Tom produced a documentary of the film called You’re So Cool Brewster: The Story of Fright Night.
His next project, Child's Play (1988), was a number one box-office hit in America and a worldwide success, despite controversy over its thematic content. Tom then went onto direct two films based upon adaptations of Stephen King's novels: The Langoliers (1995) for TV and the feature film Thinner (1996). He also took a cameo role in the Stephen King miniseries The Stand (1994). He recently completed production on the thriller Rock, Paper, Dead starring Michael Madsen.
Tom's other projects have included The Incredible Hulk episode "Another Path," Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories (1985), three episodes of Tales from the Crypt (1989), and the prestigious Masters of Horror (2005) anthology. He starred in A Walk in the Spring Rain (1970) with Ingrid Bergman.
In 2009, Tom took a starring role in Hatchet II alongside Kane Hodder and Tony Todd.
The Notch is his first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
October 6, 2022
Do not read this novelization/reimagining if you haven’t already seen the movie. Serves as a “this, too, was going on” which can take away from a first-time watch.
Enjoyed the backstory for Jerry/Billy. Not sure we needed all the police investigating, though this new ending absolutely sets up a sequel in a planned trilogy, so maybe they’ll continue to be involved.
More of a **1/2, but I can’t grade down so I rounded up.
Enjoyed the backstory for Jerry/Billy. Not sure we needed all the police investigating, though this new ending absolutely sets up a sequel in a planned trilogy, so maybe they’ll continue to be involved.
More of a **1/2, but I can’t grade down so I rounded up.
October 3, 2022
3.5 rounded up.
I would be interested to hear how this played for someone who didn't have experience with the film as I imagine a lot of my love for this came for my love of the film.
In terms of content it is about 60% the story you know from the film and 40% new material. It feels less like a Novelization and more like if Fright Night was originally written as a novel.
I did notice a few continuity things that were a bit odd in character perspectives but unlike some people I actually found this MORE believable not less. Like when we end a chapter about Billy saying he wants to have an actual discussion about being turned into a vampire with Jerry, only for the next chapter to be content with waiting until the time is right. While this could have been a continuity issue, it is more likely emblematic of how we lie to ourselves and have an internal debate about big topics that can change from day to day. Same with the police who vow to take Charlie's lead seriously and then when Charlie reaches out to him again the police man rebukes him a second time.
Perhaps I am just making excuses because I liked the book so much, but so be it I had a great time.
I would be interested to hear how this played for someone who didn't have experience with the film as I imagine a lot of my love for this came for my love of the film.
In terms of content it is about 60% the story you know from the film and 40% new material. It feels less like a Novelization and more like if Fright Night was originally written as a novel.
I did notice a few continuity things that were a bit odd in character perspectives but unlike some people I actually found this MORE believable not less. Like when we end a chapter about Billy saying he wants to have an actual discussion about being turned into a vampire with Jerry, only for the next chapter to be content with waiting until the time is right. While this could have been a continuity issue, it is more likely emblematic of how we lie to ourselves and have an internal debate about big topics that can change from day to day. Same with the police who vow to take Charlie's lead seriously and then when Charlie reaches out to him again the police man rebukes him a second time.
Perhaps I am just making excuses because I liked the book so much, but so be it I had a great time.
January 2, 2024
Good Enough
It is essentially a novelization of the classic film, with some deleted scenes added in.
It was entertaining enough. But like two subplots were dropped.
It is essentially a novelization of the classic film, with some deleted scenes added in.
It was entertaining enough. But like two subplots were dropped.
July 22, 2025
Oh you're so cool, Brewster!
October 19, 2023
This book calls itself the prequel to Fright Night and uses the term Origins in the title, so I was shocked to discover that it's not at all a prequel and contains very little in terms of origins. This is just a novelization of the film though slightly expanded with some unnecessary scenes. And Fright Night already had a novelization, a better one, that I read prior to this so I was really bored reading through yet another one. There's a few paragraphs about Jerry's past but not enough to justify the term Origins and certainly not enough to call it a prequel. The only other thing it adds to the story is a bunch of scenes of the police investigating Jerry's murders but it never goes anywhere. They just show up and get confused by the evidence.
I hate to give it one star but when you advertise something as a prequel and instead just write a novelization to a film that already has a better written novelization and just throw in a few more details that don't really add much to the story then you've lost me.
I hate to give it one star but when you advertise something as a prequel and instead just write a novelization to a film that already has a better written novelization and just throw in a few more details that don't really add much to the story then you've lost me.
October 27, 2022
It's essentially the original film story with a few added details and an alternate ending. I'm grateful that Tom Holland has returned to the world of Fright Night and I am looking forward to the next book in this new trilogy but this first book was missing the magic of the movie. It felt more like a recitation of events than it's own thing.
January 26, 2023
An awful lot of fun.
Pro-tip: get the audiobook read by Jerry Dandridge himself, Chris Sarandon. His characterizations and vocal imitations of the movie characters are spot on!
Pro-tip: get the audiobook read by Jerry Dandridge himself, Chris Sarandon. His characterizations and vocal imitations of the movie characters are spot on!
October 13, 2025
This was more of a novelization of the 1985 movie with some extra material thrown in to give more depth and background to the characters, plus add a few scenes to the story. The explanation behind where Jerry Dandridge and Billy Cole cane from and how they got their powers was interesting, the further backstory explaining why Charley was the way he was was, OK I guess. There were extra scenes with Det. Lennox and other police investigating the killings of Dandridge's, but while they may have added more substance to what was just snippets on the news in the film, they ultimately went nowhere. Fright Night is a classic from the 1980s and one of my top two vampire films of all time, so to be able to read its novelization was fun even if there was only but so much of substance added to the story.
March 7, 2023
This is more of a 3.5 star. I really enjoyed this book, though it felt billed as an original novel that was a prequel (hence the Origins subtitle and the fact there is already an existing novelization written at the time of the film’s release.) That said, this book eschews most of what was in the previous novelization, superseding it will this new version. It hews very close to the film and only adds a smattering of new material and expanded character backgrounds, all of which are a lot of fun. It also sets up the story for a sequel that appears to vary distinctly from the Fright Night 2 that made it’s way to film. Curious to see where this story goes in future volumes if they’re published.
January 5, 2024
I loved it! I may be one of the few who left a review that feels this way, but I thought it was great. I especially love that the original writer and director of the movie, Tom Holland, wrote this book. I agree with another reviewer that you should watch the first movie (the 1985 version) before reading this book.
I was stoked to learn more about Jerry Dandridge, Billy, and Evil Ed. Of course, I was most excited to learn more about Jerry. I've always had a crush on Chris Sarandon and his character Jerry.
I switched between reading the book on Kindle and listening to it on audiobook. I found the audiobook version much more enjoyable, mainly because Chris Sarandon narrated it. I suggest giving the audiobook a listen.
I can't wait for the next book in the trilogy. I'm really curious about the backstory of Regine, Belle, Bozworth, and Louise.
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October 26, 2022Put a stake through it.
Light it on fire.
Bury it.
But don’t read it.
If you think you know the whole story, don’t be fooled you know the whole story.
And I don’t know how one reviewer said that it’s 60% the movie and 40% new material. That is a very generous high curve.
Even with the addition of some characters, insights and thoughts, there’s no point. And the police investigation into the murders is basically all the added material and that literally goes nowhere.
One meh twist just seemed like pandering to fan-fiction.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the movie. I watch it all the time but this book does not deliver anything it promises unless you want a play-by-play of the movie.
Light it on fire.
Bury it.
But don’t read it.
If you think you know the whole story, don’t be fooled you know the whole story.
And I don’t know how one reviewer said that it’s 60% the movie and 40% new material. That is a very generous high curve.
Even with the addition of some characters, insights and thoughts, there’s no point. And the police investigation into the murders is basically all the added material and that literally goes nowhere.
One meh twist just seemed like pandering to fan-fiction.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the movie. I watch it all the time but this book does not deliver anything it promises unless you want a play-by-play of the movie.
July 27, 2023
An interesting attempt to fill in more backstory from the 1985 film, though a good chunk of it remains the same. I love that they made Evil canonically queer, but the book suffered from a lack of editing. The prose could have been tightened, and repeated words, errant punctuation and italics, and other slips made it a less than clean reading experience. Still, a fun read, and if the story continues, I will likely pick up the next volume.
December 22, 2022
Fun book, I love the movie. The added bits to set up a sequel messed with the pacing of the ending a bit, and other added bits were wholly unnecessary and then never resolved. There also was a couple typos and self contradictions in the book, which any competent editor should have caught. It was a fun read though, and I'm excited for the sequel
February 20, 2023
When I first heard about this I thought it was a behind the scenes sort of thing but when I started reading it it became clear it's the book of the film. An absolute must for all fans of the movie. It answers all questions and addresses all the plot holes the film had and that little bit more.
February 27, 2023
It is mostly a novelization of the original film with some extra back story thrown in. Still, as an avid fan of the movie, this is a harmless collectible. The end is a setup of some sort of novel spinoff. I would read it.
January 9, 2023
A warning to possible readers, this book is about 80-85% a novelization of the film. The rest is added material. There is a little bit of Jerry backstory, a police investigation that is just filler and thankfully not much of the story, and the ending is different. If you like the movie, you'll enjoy the book. I was just thinking that with the word "Origins" in the title, the image of Jerry on the cover, and the fact that there is already a novelization of the film that this book would perhaps be a prequel focusing on Jerry. It is not. It feels like this is the "original" book that the film was based on (even though it wasn't based on a book).
I get that it is the beginning of a possible trilogy. That's cool. I look forward to see where the story goes. I guess I was just expecting something other than the movie on the page.
I get that it is the beginning of a possible trilogy. That's cool. I look forward to see where the story goes. I guess I was just expecting something other than the movie on the page.
July 22, 2024
I'm a sucker for vampires (pun intended) and have wanted to read this book for a while. I haven't watched the OG film but I like the remake.
This is a fun read which sees vampire Jerry Dandridge move into the old creepy Victorian house next door to Charley Brewster.
A new spate of murders happens in the small town and Charley is sure the culprit lives next door, even worse he suspects his neighbour is a vampire and nobody believes him.
Its up to horror movie legend Peter Vincent the great vampire killer to help Charley and friends on their quest to destroy the undead creature next door.
There was a bit of a police investigation mentioned which added a nice touch to the story and gave us more of an insight into Jerry's victims but this kind of dropped off and wasn't fully explored.
I also feel the final chapter wasn't needed but it may explore this in future books.
This is a fun read which sees vampire Jerry Dandridge move into the old creepy Victorian house next door to Charley Brewster.
A new spate of murders happens in the small town and Charley is sure the culprit lives next door, even worse he suspects his neighbour is a vampire and nobody believes him.
Its up to horror movie legend Peter Vincent the great vampire killer to help Charley and friends on their quest to destroy the undead creature next door.
There was a bit of a police investigation mentioned which added a nice touch to the story and gave us more of an insight into Jerry's victims but this kind of dropped off and wasn't fully explored.
I also feel the final chapter wasn't needed but it may explore this in future books.
October 23, 2022
This is the first of a trilogy of novels.
Though it's called Fright Night: Origins,
It's basically the 1985 film.
There is more back story here, and several scenes not in the film.
I found the short chapters kind of jarring at times -and I'm a fan of short chapters! This book has 68 chapters. It hurt the flow of the story at times, and I already knew the story, for the most part.
The ending is slightly different, setting up the 2nd book in this series, I suspect.
If you're a fan of the film, you should enjoy this. It's familiar enough to enjoy, and different enough to keep you interested.
Though it's called Fright Night: Origins,
It's basically the 1985 film.
There is more back story here, and several scenes not in the film.
I found the short chapters kind of jarring at times -and I'm a fan of short chapters! This book has 68 chapters. It hurt the flow of the story at times, and I already knew the story, for the most part.
The ending is slightly different, setting up the 2nd book in this series, I suspect.
If you're a fan of the film, you should enjoy this. It's familiar enough to enjoy, and different enough to keep you interested.
September 23, 2025
So, I write this review having no prior knowledge about Fright Night. This book was just okay. It was pretty entertaining in parts, but some things seemed to go nowhere. I'm not sure what the point of the police/detective stuff was. Those parts felt like a waste of time, especially during the last stretch of the book. The author seemed to forget they existed. I also could've done without the spell casting and introduction of Eliza altogether. It felt as though the book dragged on for two extra chapters for no reason.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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June 27, 2023This book isn’t going to knock your socks off necessarily but it’s definitely done well enough to hold my interest. And the fact that it is penned by the original screenwriter is a definite plus. This was an efficiently told story that brought me back to the movie in a great way. And as this will evidently be the springboard into a trilogy I will be looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here.
October 23, 2024
Utter garbage.
I have been a fright night fan for a long time and this is such a major disappointment. From editing and spelling mistakes to story choices that go absolutely nowhere except adding pages to the book (the whole detective subplot), this book made me as violently angry as the vampire within. It is obvious that this was to set up a new series of fright night books, but with none of them materializing as of 2024, this novel isn’t even worth it to long time fans.
I have been a fright night fan for a long time and this is such a major disappointment. From editing and spelling mistakes to story choices that go absolutely nowhere except adding pages to the book (the whole detective subplot), this book made me as violently angry as the vampire within. It is obvious that this was to set up a new series of fright night books, but with none of them materializing as of 2024, this novel isn’t even worth it to long time fans.
May 26, 2025
It was fun, I enjoy movie novelizations. Fright Night is a favorite cheesy one of mine, Chris Sarandon is perfect for it, and is the underrated score. I'm not sure why it;'s called origins instead of just something like Fright Night: Movie Novelization. I like the additional back story that suits books better since they have more time, and this was very fun overall for fans of the film. Not perfect, but enjoyable.
January 25, 2023
This new Fright Night book has some new material in it, but it is mostly an adaptation of the film as most remember it. The new material sets the stage for canon book sequels, and that excites me more than anything else. The ending is very different, and left me with many questions. Looking forward to the next book.
April 1, 2023
I enjoyed it but was not quite what I was expecting. It was more of a novelisation of the movie with ‘extended scenes’ rather than a prequel like the Origins title suggests. Although it does have some origin story too. I just do not recommend reading this and the original novelisation back to back like I did as they are too similar.
October 22, 2025
Can appreciate the added detail on Jerry and Billy, but feel kind of mixed on some of the more “modern” takes on a few things… All in all, it was ok and I would at least suggest giving it a read. The ending parts (and a few details included earlier in Jerry and Bill’s arrival), leave something to be desired, in my opinion.
September 29, 2022
2.5
If you're a fan of the Fright Night movies (I am, both versions) you might like this. I did, but there were errors in punctuation and word usage that threw me out of the book, along with some inconsistencies within the story itself.
If you're a fan of the Fright Night movies (I am, both versions) you might like this. I did, but there were errors in punctuation and word usage that threw me out of the book, along with some inconsistencies within the story itself.
January 19, 2024
Awful. If you love the film as I do, avoid this book. The additions to the original story are completely unnecessary, and sometimes they are plainly irritating. Plus, the narrative is filled with mistakes and inconsistencies. A waste of time and money.
May 22, 2024
Holland picks over the bones of his successful hit 1985 Vampire picture. Whatever was added to the story only provided a drag to the slick narrative audiences know and love. Cliched police chatter and MCU style world-building are most unwelcome additions.
August 9, 2025
Vampires are stupid
Good story filling in background on the characters. But through out the story I kept thinking how dumb to eat in your own yard and think you won't get staked or sunburnt. Salem Lot did the same . if your a smart vampire you don't eat were you live.
Good story filling in background on the characters. But through out the story I kept thinking how dumb to eat in your own yard and think you won't get staked or sunburnt. Salem Lot did the same . if your a smart vampire you don't eat were you live.
September 2, 2025
I watched the film when I was thirteen and the memories linger within me today (at age 51!) This book did answer several questions I’ve had for quite some time. It was quite enjoyable to return to this story. My rating - four pots of bloody tea!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews