Analyzing Differences: Dandridge 1985 vs. Dandridge 2011

An Unbiased Opinion? Probably Not!

By

~GaGa4FrightNight~

Obviously there is a great difference between both Dandridge's because of the overall decades, actually centuries, twentieth century versus early twenty-first century. The decades here play a huge role in the differences between these two totally different Jerry Dandridge characters. 80s versus 2011 (what the hell do you call it? The 10s or 2000s?). Two characters imagined in two totally different ways. Two different types of actors portraying the same character.

Let's start with the obvious difference; fashion statement.

The original Jerry Dandridge of the 80s was a walking fashion statement; even an article in, I believe, Newsweek labeled him the designer Dracula. You never once saw Dandridge not without style, even shirtless he had his own statement, 'hey, I'm shirtless but my pants are awesome!' Perhaps his live in 'carpenter' Billy was also his fashion consultant; doubtful because that dude had no fashion sense at all, his master shoulda kept him better dressed than that! The vampire obviously looked as if he stepped straight out of a fashion magazine, not a wrinkle in his shirt and perfectly coordinated so he probably spent an hour before sleeping the sleep of the undead to pick out the outfit for the next day. The guy must've put a hell of a lot of thought into what he wore, right down to the shoes. He made so many changes, had special outfits for certain scenarios. Hell, he had time to get all dressed up to get his groove on! That is a creature that obviously was wearing a clean and stylish pair of underwear (boxers I presume by my keen observation during his sexy stroll down the staircase) when he died; went to hell wearing clean drawers with a designer label, of course.

The newer Jerry Dandridge of 2011 was a simpler dresser. A handsome creature he was but it seemed he just threw on whatever was hanging in his closet or perhaps whatever stuck out of the dirty clothes hamper. This vampire was more a white wife beater and a pair of ass enhancing jeans kinda bloodsucker; had this whole beer drinking (evidence of alcohol consumption in the movie) construction worker vibe. Yeah, it wouldn't be all too bad having him do some cat calls from a high rise but most likely you'd become the meal for his late night lunch break. I believe you would find this particular example of beefiness inside a calendar, probably October for Halloween sporting his fangs and funky eyeballs. Surely this Dandridge was meant for the ladies who love the whole tough and rugged guy but this one could bench probably a couple thousand pounds without breaking a sweat. You could quite possibly discover him on the cover of a biker magazine sucking the life outta a big breasted biker chick. Throw on this vampire some leather pants, silver tipped biker boots, studded belt, a wife beater, and leather jacket and you have the straight version of Rob Halford (Judas Priest) but like most vampires he could charm the panties or tidy whities off anyone! And most likely this mysterious lawn mower pushing vampire went up in flames wearing boxer briefs that have been worn for about three days straight; Hanes his way!

Now the appearance doesn't just mean clothing, duh!

Our 1985 Jerry Dandridge was obviously a bit more physically older than 2011's Jerry Dandridge and he had more of a tan too. Mr. 1985 was the opposite of most vampires we've seen; he didn't sport an anemic complexion, his was that European kinda tan that is genetically passed down, like Greek or Italian or something along those lines. Let's not forget Mr. 1985's lovely large black eyes (brown I know so piss off) and that mouth, those full lips with that very naughty signature slanted grin which is always highlighted in everything I've personally written about the gorgeous vampire. The smexy critter, 1985, also had a superb crown of ebony waves atop his pretty head which was always stylishly and neatly done, not a freaking hair outta place until he got all sorts of vampire ugly. And for his body, a trim appearance, but I am a woman who hates a severe case of 'my muscles are my best friend' kinda fellows. Oh my lord! You cannot forget the vampire's ass! Every time he'd tuck his hands into those pants pockets you get some serious eye candy tooshy! Hey, Chris Sarandon might have been in his forties when he played that role but he triggered my taste for older men. See that's the kinda vampire every woman, younger or older, can truly appreciate; sorta like a moderately aged bottle of red wine perfect for popping its cork and letting the vintage sweeten your mouth and tantalize your tongue. I'm a perv.

Our Mr. 2011 was in many ways the opposite of our Mr. 1985. He had a paler complexion, not 'I'm a corpse' complexion, but more Caucasian than Italian. He wasn't really a very clean shaven fellow; nothing wrong with a nice bristly whiskers grazing along the side of your neck! And what a smile, too! He had his own unique charming smile that could hurl a thousand trailer park teenaged panties his way (hey, there is nothing wrong with trailer park people cause I once was one just everyone that lived there were nuts). To go along with his rugged style his hair was dark and tussled with that somewhat charming messy look. He's the kinda looking guy that you would bring home to impress your dad, someone who would hang out and drink beer on the front porch and later on slaughter your whole family. He not only had blood on his hands but grease as well after doing some fine tuning of his pickup truck. This Dandridge had to change his own oil because he didn't have a slave boy to do all the dirty work. So you would most likely see this stud come rolling out from under his truck dripping with used oil over his muscular arms and staining the wife beater over his etched pecks and abs. Hey, I will admit, he is a fine looking piece of work; nothing horrible to look at until he gets vampire ugly, like his predecessor. And, yes, a very tight tooshy hugged by them fitted denims! Now, Collin Ferrell was your mid-aged version, just about perfect for a mature cougar and hormonal jail bait. I bet he's the perv, not me!

It's apparent that not only styles and appearances separate these two totally different species of Jerry Dandridge. Their personalities are majorly different. I guess ones appearance can express ones personality. Jer (1985) and Jerry (2011) have two different approaches to how they handled certain situations and people and victims. Both wanted their privacy but in the long run, didn't get it. Damn kids and their dog… wait that's Scooby Doo!

Jer, oh yes, our lovely Jer of 1985 Fright Night-dom; he was definitely irresistible to both sexes of any age which seems to be true about all vampires. But he was a quiet sort of vampire going about his business fixing up houses that probably had some sorta representation of how he maintained his ancient self. When it came to feeding time, hell this guy took his time, talk about playing with your food. If I were his food he could play with me all night long! He literally charmed the bra off that teenaged chick in the window; she was like, hell to the yeah you can see my tah-tahs! And the manner he approached the whole biting your neck; how slick and suave was that? Watching those well manicured fingers stroke through her hair made me wanna knock the chick outta the window and jump him! Now, my opinion on the whole scream that was heard; that was no scream of terror that was a scream of pure 'holy shit this guy's hot!' Truly this vampire really had no need for those hypnotic eyes of his; just looking at him with his eyes closed would surely seal any deal with any lady. Hell, Mrs. Brewster was basically undressing him with her eyes imaging that yummy-ness beneath those layers of fashionable duds (I know I was).

Jerry had his own manner of oozing sex appeal. He'd stand out on his lawn polishing anything while flexing his arm muscles and at times I imagine him making his pecks dance. The ladies in the neighborhood would run and bake him a blood red cherry pie and run it over to him in droves. He seemed to skip the step of pulling out the whole 'I'm gonna seduce my dinner before I eat it', it's like saying screw it I'll shoot the deer in my back yard from my window instead of sitting for hours in a deer blind in the woods. He just dove right in, a get to the point sorta vampire. Oh, he gave some pleasure of a little rough making out but straight to the point; you're dead. Being the type of 'white trash' (don't hate me ladies), he liked himself some tasty strippers. Yeah, he went to the local strip clubs and didn't use his sexual eyeball allure to attract these naked ladies; a wad of cash did the job nicely, bet he got some serious lap dances. Yet, he surely attracted that cougar next door, yeah, the other Mrs. Brewster; Jane wanted some of that grease monkey and his wrench too! Okay, sure I would probably be curious what was under all the layers of auto grease and denim. I ain't freaking dead, people!

A part of the personality differences is the specific manner of both creatures' approach to Amy Peterson and Evil Ed.

Jer was well trained in the art of seducing both sexes. But as with all vampires, seduction from a vampire has some serious side effects. In the case of both Amy and Ed, they both became vampires after the seduction. I make the assumption that Jerry was bisexual because of the manner he took charge and seduced our goofy comedic relief Evil Ed. Surely our brilliant vampire knew and sensed Evil's sadness of not fitting into the norm of society which he played completely to his advantage. But I do believe Evil was also lured with the sexual bait as well. Come on, I don't care who they are, if you, man or woman, were looking up into those large black pools of swirling sex and watched those kissable lips, you'd be hooked, lined, and sunk! And who knows what went on in that alley way; who knows what kind of scream that truly was that came outta Evil's mouth! Huh? Think about it. As for the pure as driven snow Amy, oh that girl was a goner the moment those fabulously luscious lips pressed against the back of her hand; hell I sure would've been. Oh she might have said he was neat; she meant 'HOT DAMN!' then stared as his ass while he walked away. And, the dance floor! Come on! That man is talented! I'd shove Patrick Swayze aside and start dry humping Jer's leg in an instant. You think Amy was just caught up in his whole vampire hypnosis ability but she wasn't! Nope, he just gave her what Charley couldn't; a little kick in the ass sending her teenage hormones into an overloaded uproar. That smile was real and she loved touching his bum! I'm jealous! Then we get to the whole bedroom room seduction scene. That girl was so far gone it was hilarious. She was far from thinking about Charley, Charley who? The moment she saw that shirtless torso she was buried beneath an ocean of Jer! I would have gladly drowned in that ocean! And my curiosity, as many others, wonders exactly what happened after the bite. I'll leave that to my perverted imagination and yours too.

Jerry has his own unique way of taking care of business with Evil Ed and Amy Peterson. He wasn't entirely gentle; again, he got right to the point. Sure he did play a little on Ed's outcast-ness but he knew he needed that kid because he lacked a day bitch. I really don't remember a hug, a sweet embrace, (oh shit I gotta watch it again!) Jerry wasn't one for being all cuddly. His whole approach with Amy wasn't filled with romance and the whole 'you look like this chick I used to know' thing. I honestly believe Jerry never loved any one and never would; he loved his beer and sucking babes. In the club there was no dirty dancing, he just bit that chick right there on the dance floor because he didn't give a rat's ass who noticed. He didn't care, that's it, he just didn't care, and he was a bad-ass who just didn't give a flying fuck. What he wanted he plain and simply took. Amy was more of a tool in his game to destroy Charley; he used her for his own gain. Wow, he's sorta a douche bag! He wouldn't have given one flying turd if she died just as long as he lived. Well, then again, Amy was sorta the pushy one wanting Charley to put out and all which I thought was a funny touch. So, Jerry basically gave her what Charley didn't because it took him no time to rip into her throat. I think she was easier than the 1985 Amy; definitely. But these days many are… wait…the 80s were like that too! Yeah, Jerry was more of a stickler to the goal at hand; kill Charley and Peter and that's it, nothing else. Evil died, he didn't care. Amy could have died, he wouldn't have cared. Honestly, if he did get a little something-something from Miss Amy it was probably just a quick romp where he was satisfied and she was left to finish turning into one of his drones. Hate me, but that's what I got.

For the situation with the whole Charley thingy. Both creatures handled things in their own way. Jer was your typical screw you in the head vampire while Jerry was an all around I'm gonna fuck you over in every way imaginable.

Now, Jer had his day bitch Billy Cole who did all the labor around the house but Jer was a true hands-on sorta vampire when it came to dealing with a certain teenager. He had this ability to really screw with someone's head; he mind fucked Charley persistently. He oozed sex even when he attacked the kid in the bedroom and I bet in a way Charley was like, 'he sure has a perty mouth' as Jer spoke (the script refers to Charley unable to not notice Jer's fineness). He had to have thought it all out, gonna make it look like poor Charley committed suicide, that's what I determined, which shows the vampire's intelligence to cover his ass. And when things went bad, I did notice a flaw in this otherwise flawless vampire, he pitched a hissy fit not getting to kill Charley which made him go and trash the kid's car. Now come on! Ain't that just like a spoiled child who doesn't get his way then spins around screaming then goes and breaks the other kid's toy car? But he turns right back around and gives Charley the 'I'm gonna finish your ass tomorrow night' middle finger; mind fucking. He holds his composure the entire time; not until very near the end does he lose his cool. The scene with the whole group at the vampire's pad basically continues to point the crazy finger at Charley and Jerry makes sure poor Charley looks like a complete ass in front of his best friend, girlfriend, and Peter Vincent. He continues mind screwing Charley throughout the entire movie and kicks the kid in the emotional balls letting it be known he gave the teen's girlfriend her first orgasm at the end of his sexy fangs. Then what's worse, have the girlfriend try to kill Charley, what a total dick! But a genius dick at that! Yeah, sure the good guys win in the end and that sexy as hell vampire goes 'poof'. What a shame, a waste of some fine piece of immortal flesh gone bye-bye!

As for Jerry, he was fucking with poor Charley like a lunatic who escaped the local nut house. Sure it was Evil who firstly discovered the vampire's secret which Jerry swiftly dealt with but Charley was screwed the moment he didn't believe his old friend; dumb ass. Now, Charley had some back up with his mommy Jane; the other Charley's mommy Judy was a flake and had not a clue what the hell was happening. Jerry presented himself as a territorial animal prepared to piss all over Charley and everything the kid loved just to bring the point home that he's not to be screwed with. Hell he went and blew up the Brewster house! He didn't give a flying flip what it took to bring the annoying shithead down! Once Charley had that invisible target on his back it was a no holds bar match between good and evil where evil practically buried good six feet under. This vampire didn't care where the battle ended up; boom the house was gone now let's hit the freaking highway where he can cause some real chaos then turn around and eat who was Jerry Dandridge 1985. (WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?) He'd eat the neighbor's dog if it meant he got ahead of the game with Charley. He was practically eating his way through the entire neighborhood. Jerry didn't pull any punches; he shoved his fist up Charley's rear every chance he got and anyone who tried to back the kid up. He pulled the same 'your girlfriend is gonna eat you' scenario as his predecessor which is the tried and true method of mind raping Charley; stick with what works. There was no taking your time, no foreplay, just wham-bam thank you ma'am! He was the land shark version of Jerry Dandridge that will charge you without smelling blood and swallow you whole without tossing your ass in the air like a rag doll seal. He was a bad-ass all the way up to the end until he too went 'poof'. Not positive how I felt about his demise. Roast marshmallows over his burning corpse and make smores. Or shake my head believing he simply needed a few more lessons in vampire etiquette and he woulda been a true force to reckon with.

A difference of great importance is their goals.

The Jerry Dandridge, my favorite, only wanted his privacy. Throughout the movie it was made clear he was a very secretive vampire who didn't want some nosy Peeping Tom discovering his secret then blabbing it all over the neighborhood. Yes, the Other Jerry Dandridge in ways wanted the same thing. But, another goal came into play within the cat and mouse game of the 1985 Fright Night. Our bleeding heart Jer was a vampire suffering from a love lost and the moment virgin Amy was spotted he saw an opportunity to not only screw with Charley but to again possibly regain that love he longed for. Chris Sarandon was a genius when he suggested such a theme which made every woman go 'awe that's so sad' especially when he spoke the line 'Looks just like her, doesn't she?' and with that pout made me wanna root for the bad guy! Now, Other Jerry Dandridge of 2011 Fright Night, of course not my fave, didn't give no such bleeding heart plot; basically he was portrayed just as the original script was written, a cold hearted but hot prick. I truly wish they would've had him dry hump Amy's leg as it was truly written; I woulda died laughing as I did when I read it. There isn't really any knowledge what Collin Ferrell had thrown into the role besides his good looks and the ability to pull off being a ruthless killer but it is well known that his Jerry Dandridge wanted to rule the world by creating an army of bloodsuckers which he failed at doing. There's nothing wrong with a total asshole and most ladies fall for the bad guys in the long run just to disappoint their parents whom the Other Jerry was perfect for; then again, he'd eat your entire family and make you into his bitch. Hey, The Jerry would've done the same thing but he would've been really calm and cool when he went about doing it and most likely your head would be chopped off and you'd just be dead.

The biggest difference is I would likely allow Jerry number one suck me dry. But he would have to take me out for a drink (I love Bloody Marys) then take me onto the dance floor giving me a dirty dancing whirl. Then he could take me to his place where he had to turn on some mood music and make out with me for a lot longer than he did with Amy and I wouldn't be as meek as her (he'd be in serious trouble). After I got what I wanted out of the deal then he could penetrate the side of my neck or anywhere else he wanted draining me into an oblivious bliss.

As for Jerry number two, I would call him to fix my sink where I'd eagerly watch him flex every one of his muscles while unscrewing the drainage pipe. Most likely water would purposely be left in the drain which will pour all over his stained wife beater and he would have to remove it so I could ogle his firm and well formed torso. Then, likely, I would offer him some coffee which he'll reply saying he doesn't drink coffee. And, lastly, he'd rip into me without any hesitation then I'd be buried in his backyard where I'd wake being a mindless drone in his army of bloodsucking immortal bitches.

So, my 'unbiased' choice between these two totally opposite devils…Ain't it obvious?

And last but not least. Who would win in an all out bloody battle royal between Jerry from nearly thirty years ago and Jerry from a few years ago? Well, we know that Mr. 2011 was the type that wouldn't hold anything back and would throw everything into an all out battle including my clogged sink, let alone he was more muscular and physically younger. Yet, Mr. 1985 had some serious back up named Billy Cole and most likely his doggy would go fetch and play a dirty card to help his master get the upper hand. Then, again, if it came to a runway challenge…my main man Mr. Jerry Dandridge 1985 would smoke Mr. Jerry Dandridge 2011! That creature was created for the catwalk! Okay, I will admit…bronze will totally win over beauty. But I love my beasts beautiful! So, on the sideline, I would definitely be dressed in my naughtiest cheerleader's outfit waving both sets of pompoms rooting for the 1985 team! That's alright, that's okay! 2011 is gonna pump 85s gas some day!

2011 JERRY DROOLS! 1985 JERRY RULES!