Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Paul Weitz

Writers (WGA):

Paul Weitz (screenplay) and
Brian Helgeland (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

23 October 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Meet Darren. He's sixteen going on immortal.

Plot:

A young boy named Darren Shan meets a mysterious man at a freak show who turns out to be a Vampire. After a series of events Darren must leave his normal life and go on the road with the Cirque Du Freak and become a Vampire. |

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Punctuation In Title | Wolfman | Stew | Apostrophe In Title

US Showtimes:

AMC Magic Johnson Crenshaw 15

Buy tickets:  11:15am | 1:55pm | 4:40

(personalize)

Cast

John C. Reilly	...	Larten Crepsley
Josh Hutcherson	...	Steve
Chris Massoglia	...	Darren Shan
Jessica Carlson	...	Rebecca
Michael Cerveris	...	Mr. Tiny
Ray Stevenson	...	Murlaugh
Patrick Fugit	...	Evra the Snake Boy
Daniel Newman	...	Pete
Morgan Saylor	...	Annie
Don McManus	...	Mr. Shan
Colleen Camp	...	Mrs. Shan
Ken Watanabe	...	Mr. Tall
Salma Hayek	...	Madame Truska
Orlando Jones	...	Alexander Ribs
Frankie Faison	...	Rhamus Twobellies

Also Known As:

Circus of the Freak (International: English title) (literal title)
Cirque du Freak (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense supernatural violence and action, disturbing images, thematic elements and some language.

Runtime:

USA:109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #45128) | Ireland:12A | UK:12A

Filming Locations:

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Some of the characters required a great deal of prosthetics and makeup. Prosthetics did not quite add the height needed on certain shots for the character of Mr. Tall played by Ken Watanabe. Although Watanabe's height of 6ft is tall a body double was cast for certain shots. Trevon Flores, a local basketball player, stands at 6-foot-10, 210-pounds and was used for certain shots to show the abnormal height of Mr. Tall. Additionally Watanabe utilized in pre-production and production, dialogue coaches Kathleen S. Dunn and Francie Brown respectfully to further enhance his performance as the circus barker.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Darren is about to drink Rebecca's blood, she pulls her shirt down and there is a strap still left on her shoulder. When the shot switches to her back, the strap is gone, and upon snapping back to her front, it is there again.

Quotes:

Evra the Snake Boy: [Embarrassed after shaking Darren's hand and leaving some skin behind] Sorry about that, shedding. Itches like crazy.
Darren Shan: [slightly disturbed] ... right...
Evra the Snake Boy: [scratches head sheepishly] Better go wash that, before you get pink eye...

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Jay Leno Show: (#1.22)" (2009)

Good, Solid Origin Story, Leaving Me Wanting Sequels

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (PG-13, 1:48) — Fantasy: Supernatural, 2nd string, original

The book on which this movie is based was written by Darren Shan. The protagonist, played by Chris Massoglia, is named Darren Shan. The posters and other publicity tout the presence of Josh Hutcherson and John C. Reilly as better-known actors (as best buddy Steve and vampire stage magician Laren Crepsley, respectively), but it's Massoglia who carries the picture.

Darren (the movie version) and Steve sneak out late one night to attend a mysterious freak show at the run-down Dix Theater. It's not all that easy to get into. "Are you 21? Say yes.", intones the tall, cadaverous doorman (Ken Watanabe). Mere seconds into the show, we realize that these are not simply physically deformed people, as the baboon man rips a woman's arm off, and she regrows it before our eyes.

To cut a long story short, Steve has always been the wild one, looking for adventure, who would gladly give up his kinda crummy life to become a vampire (an obsession of his), but thru the turnings of fate it's arachnophile Darren who ends up taking this particular route away from the conventional "college–job–family" future his well-meaning but hopelessly square parents have planned out for him. "Guess I'm just lucky", Darren says while playing video games in his coffin, waiting to be dug up.

Steve thinks fate has played yet another dirty trick on him and falls in with (or is taken in by) Mr. Tiny (Michael Cerveris), a huge fat man with arcane powers and a puppeteer's mindset. Tiny seems to be set on cracking the century-old truce between the reformed latter-day vampires, who anesthetize their victims before merely sipping their blood, and the old-line traditionalists, the vampinese, who still live for the thrill of the chase and the kill.

If you've been following Heroes lately, the carnival atmosphere in this movie should be pretty familiar. Among the freaks who befriend Darren are Madame Truska (Salma Hayek), a seer and bearded lady; Rebecca (Jessica Carlson) the monkey girl; Ringmaster Gavner Purl (Willem Dafoe); Evra the snake boy (Patrick Fugit), who really would rather be known for his rock music; and a flock of little gnomish creatures about the size and appearance of Jawas. They do their best to become Darren's new family, but he still misses his real family (who think he's dead), and he's determined not to give in to his bloodlust, despite the fact that it would clearly make him stronger and more resilient.

I liked the characters, I enjoyed their interactions, the various twists and turns of the plot kept me engaged, and the special effects were quite well done. I particularly liked the way the camera used a spider's-eye view when the red-and-blue tarantula, Octa, was scurrying over the walls, ceilings, and corridors of Beckmann High School, frantically looking for an escape route. Nicely done!

In short, good, solid entertainment, clearly an origin story that will spawn progeny if it does well at the box office. I'm wishing it well.