…aka “Cirque du Freak”

This is a fabulous film…and it was filmed in me second home – New Orleans (though the film location is “Anywhere, USA”). Dark humour, interesting story and none of your “slim fast” vampires.

The movie tells the story of a young boy who falls in with a band of vampires while visiting a bizarre sideshow. The trailer begins with the words, “It was an ordinary, normal, predictable life — until things got freaky.” A good example of “be careful what you wish for”.

From there, it shows a series of sideshow-type characters, including a bearded Salma Hayek, and a brief taste of the plot, in which John C. Reilly talks the boy into becoming a vampire. It’s clear from the style of visual effects — and from the bearded Hayek — that Weitz isn’t going so much for a realistic feel as a surrealistic one.

“The Vampire’s Assistant” is based on the first three books in author Darren Shan’s “Darren Shan Saga,” which is divided into four three-book cycles. The film is now available for purchase on DVD or Blu-Ray…for more information, visit the website.