Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Starring: Ken Watanabe, John C. Reilly, Willem Dafoe

Director: Paul Weitz
Producer: Lauren Shuler-Donner
Producer: Paul Weitz
RELEASE DATE: 2/23/2010
Studio: Universal Studios
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Length: 109 Minutes

Based on the popular series of books by Darren Shan, this is a fantasy about a teenager, Darren unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between the two different sets of vampires. Lured into the life of misunderstood creatures of the night, this teen will vanish from the safety of his boring existence and be drawn into a place of nightmares. A vampire named Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly) turns Darren into a half vampire where he joins the Cirque Du Freak, a touring sideshow filled with creatures considered freaks. Darren is a key player between both vampires and their deadlier counterparts while he trys to survive. Darren attempts to keep their brewing war from destroying what’s left of his humanity.


This is funny and fascinating Vampire movie taking you down a path you may not expect. It is just what it set out to be, a good followable story with a good dose of humor in it. A snakeboy, a wolfman, a bearded lady (Salma Hayek) and a gigantic barker (Ken Watanabe)are inhabitants at a place called Cirque du Freak. This place was fascinating. The sets were great! There was a lot attention to detail and the characters were all believable and in odd ways lovable. I did not read the very popular books so have no basis on how to judge the movie as a comparison. I did think it was a fun movie and definitely worth the time I spent watching it.There is some language in it and of course the violence of the intense super-natural kind. I think it is good family fun if your children are not very young. There is a good moral sense of right and wrong in this film, between the teens and the circus inhabitants. Even when they are doing wrong it is made very clear it is wrong. This is something sometimes missing in films today and here they got it right in a Vampire movie! It did leave me hoping for another movie or even a TV series! I am inspired to check out the widely read book series as well!