Soon after the filming was wrapped up, Roddy McDowall and Fright Night creator Tom Holland were scheduled to meet with Live Entertainment chairman Jose Menendez to discuss making a third film, but plans died with Menendez, who was infamously murdered by his sons. As a direct consequence of this horrific tragedy, Part 2 ended up losing its planned countrywide distribution and playing only in one LA and another NY theater, which directly resulted in its poor box office results (even though its per-theater results were pretty good) and being released almost straight to video. Since all of the movie's planned promos and ads were canceled as well, most people never even learned of the movie's existence until eventually noticing it at their local video store.
Roddy McDowall and director Tommy Lee Wallace had an unpleasant lunch with Live Entertainment chairman Jose Menendez to discuss the film's distribution and marketing, and later the same evening the exec was slaughtered by his sons, Lyle Menendez and Erik Menendez. As news of the murders swirled around Hollywood the next morning, McDowall phoned Wallace and cracked, "Well, I didn't do it. Did you?"
One of the few (if only) vampire films to acknowledge that roses would repel vampires as much as garlic does. According to legend, five aromatic plants could repel vampires: garlic, wolfsbane, hemlock, wormwood, and wild roses.
Writer/director Tom Holland was asked to return for the sequel, but he and original star Chris Sarandon were tied up making Child's Play (1988).
Julie Carmen had never done any prosthetic makeup prior to this film, and she was so freaked out when they made the life mask of her head that she had a panic attack as the plaster hardened and then went home and burst into tears about the experience. As soon as she regained her composure, Carmen received a call from a crew member informing her that there had been a problem with the mold and she'd have to do it again the next day.