The Fright Night film franchise is relatively small compared to other notable horror IPs like Puppet Master. What it lacks in feature films, however, it makes up for in comics. There have been numerous Fright Night comics published since the 1980s, and now fans can use the below guide to learn how to read the Fright Night comics in order.
Fright Night began life as a simple vampire horror comedy in 1985. The film was a great success, with a sequel titled Fright Night Part 2 following soon after in 1988. Though it didn’t receive the same acclaim as its predecessor, Fright Night remained a huge brand, spawning the initial run of comics from NOW Comics between 1988 and 1993. After the film franchise was revived with 2011’s Fright Night and 2013’s Fright Night 2: New Blood, other comics were released, all of which include the involvement of Fright Night creator Tom Holland.
The first run from NOW Comics consisted of 22 separate issues. The first two issues of Fright Night are a direct adaptation of the original 1985 movie. After that, issues begin taking the form of a direct sequel, with the continued adventures of Charley Brewster and Peter Vincent leading them into an array of different monsters including other vampires, demons, and even space aliens. While it often went off-the-rails, NOW Comics’ Fright Night series also occasionally found itself building a cohesive overarching story, one which included the return of Evil Ed and even the resurrection of Jerry Dandrige.
Evil Ed’s involvement is notable as he was teased to have survived by the end of the original film, though he was absent from the feature film follow-up as actor Stephen Geoffreys chose to star in 976-EVIL instead. Fans who wanted to see the character return, then, had only the Fright Night comics to see his survival. Likewise, by the end of the run, Jerry Dandrige was revived not unlike Christopher Lee’s Dracula who continually found new ways to cheat death throughout Hammer’s classic film series. In fact, Hammer’s Dracula series was always a big influence on Fright Night, and the comics had more than a few gags to pay tribute to them. Unfortunately, the series was prematurely canceled, leaving fans with several major cliffhangers.
In addition to the original run of 22 issues, NOW Comics reprinted three previously-published issues as 3-D Specials, while a fourth special titled Fright Night 3-D Halloween Annual featured a previously-unpublished issue titled “Nightmares.” Unfortunately, it did not conclude the story arc of the original 22 issues, as it was not intended as a proper ending. NOW Comics also published a separate comic book adaptation of Fright Night: Part 2 (stylized as Fright Night Part II for the comic) to fully flesh out its license.
Fright Night Comics in Order (NOW Comics)
Fright Night
- Issue #1 – Fright Night
- Issue #2 – Fright Night
- Issue #3 – The Dead Remember
- Issue #4 – Eight Arms to Hold You
- Issue #5 – The Spider-Boy
- Issue #6 – The Legion of the Endless Night
- Issue #7 – The Legion of the Endless Night (Conclusion)
- Issue #8 – The Revenge of Evil Ed!
- Issue #9 – The Revenge of Evil Ed! (Conclusion)
- Issue #10 – Psychedelic Death, Part 1
- Issue #11 – Psychedelic Death, Part 2
- Issue #12 – Bull-Whipped
- Issue #13 – Pup Pet
- Issue #14 – The Resurrection of Dracula, Part 1
- Issue #15 – The Resurrection of Dracula, Part 2
- Issue #16 – Potion Motion
- Issue #17 – Blood Ball
- Issue #18 – Fang Fusion
- Issue #19 – Daddy’s Girl
- Issue #20 – The Charge of the Dead Brigade
- Issue #21 – Were-Wolf, There-Wolf
- Issue #22 – Reign of Terror
Fright Night Annuals
- Fright Night 3-D Halloween Annual
Fright Night Reprints
- Fright Night 3-D Special
- Fright Night 3-D Fall Special
- Fright Night 3-D Winter Special
Fright Night Comic Adaptations
- Fright Night Part II
NOW Comics had a rather successful run for a few years. Unfortunately, their ownership of the license came to an end before they could give Fright Night a proper conclusion. It wasn’t until Tom Holland reacquired ownership of his original Fright Night screenplay that new comics were released. This began with a one-off comic book in 2018 intended as a test for a potential new comic series directly from Tom Holland’s Terror Time webstore. As the title suggests, The Peter Vincent Chronicles revolves around titular vampire hunter and television host Peter Vincent shortly after the events of the original film. Similar to the NOW Comics series, it brought back Evil Ed, which was also the case for the Fright Night series that followed.
Fright Night Comics in Order (Tom Holland’s Terror Time)
The Peter Vincent Chronicles
- Issue #0
While the test didn’t result in an ongoing series based on The Peter Vincent Chronicles, it seemed to keep Tom Holland eager to try again with the property, as a more successful run titled Tom Holland’s Fright Night was released under American Mythology. The newest run took a similar direction by following the adventures of Charley and Peter Vincent alongside Charley’s girlfriend Amy shortly after the events of the original movie. Likewise, Evil Ed makes yet another return, and Jerry Dandrige is once again resurrected towards the end of the series. To coincide with this run, American Mythology also released a one-off issue for a spin-off series titled Tom Holland’s Fright Night: Evil Ed Rising.
Fright Night Comics in Order (American Mythology)
Tom Holland’s Fright Night
- Issue #1
- Issue #2
- Issue #3
- Issue #4
- Issue #5
Tom Holland’s Fright Night: Evil Ed Rising
- Issue #1
It’s currently unknown what plans, if any, are currently in place to further continue the Fright Night comics brand. If the dozens of existing Fright Night comics are any indication, however, then we’ll probably see another run sooner or later. For now, Tom Holland is actively keeping the brand alive with other avenues, including a new series of books. It’s nice to see a franchise that was only intended as a one-off vampire story has found so much longevity. The characters brilliantly written by Tom Holland have all proven to succeed in the world of comics as well as they do on the silver screen.
