Trivia / Fright Night Part 2

• Actor-Inspired Element: It was Brian Thompson's idea for his character to recite the name of each genus and species of insect before he devoured them.
• B-Team Sequel: Tom Holland was asked to return for the sequel, but he and Chris Sarandon were tied up making Child's Play.
• Cast the Runner-Up: Josh Richman auditioned for the role of werewolf Louie but landed the part of mental patient Fritzy.
• The Cast Showoff: Acclaimed choreographer Russell Clark portrayed Belle, the mute, androgynous, roller-skating vampire. He was hired not only for the dance sequence with Julie Carmen, for which they underwent rigorous 8-hour rehearsals, but also to coach his vampire co-stars to move together fluidly.
• Franchise Killer: There were plans for a third film, but the infamous murder of Live Entertainment head Jose Menendez by his sons put the kibosh on them. Ironically, the day before Menenzdez was murdered, Roddy McDowall and director Tommy Lee Wallace had a rather unpleasant meeting with him voicing their disappointment with how poorly handled the distribution was, which resulted in it bombing. After the news of his murder broke out, McDowall called Wallace and quipped, "Well, I didn't do it. Did you?"
• Keep Circulating the Tapes: The movie was caught in a legal nightmare because its producer, Jose Menendez, was murdered by his two sons Lyle and Erik, and the assets of his production company are unclaimed. Read more here.
• Throw It In!: Josh Richman (Fritzy) improvised the scene where he mops the floor and talks to himself. He was best friends at the time with Robert Downey Jr., and the pair had developed a lingo of their own that no one else could understand, so he used some of it in the movie.
• What Could Have Been:
  • As it was scripted, the fight sequence in the library was intended to be a more elaborate battle which resulted in all of the bookshelves toppling like dominoes.
  • Stephen Geoffreys was offered to reprise his Evil Ed character, but he turned it down to take a starring role in 976-EVIL, which was scheduled to film at the same time. After Geoffreys passed on the part, the script was revised and Evil Ed was renamed Louie, who was ultimately portrayed by Jon Gries.
  • Amanda Bearse was unable to return due to her commitment to Married... with Children, so a new Love Interest was created.
  • According to Julie Carmen, Regina was originally written to be a hammy villain, calling the original version an Elvira imitation.
• You Look Familiar:
  • Jon Gries also played the human form of the Wolf Man in The Monster Squad.
  • Brian Thompson (Bocworth) went on to play a vampire at least twice more: in Kindred: The Embraced and the very first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

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