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Plot

Based on the popular series of books by Darren Shan, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant tells the story of a small-town teen who inadvertently shatters a 200-year-old truce between warring factions of vampires. Sixteen-year-old Darren (Chris Massoglia) is your typical adolescent; he spends most of his time with his best friend, Steve (Josh Hutcherson), earns decent grades, and generally manages to stay out of trouble. But trouble finds Darren when he and Steve make the acquaintance of a vampire named Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly) while attending a traveling freak show at a local theater. Transformed into a bloodsucker by Crepsley, Darren joins the Cirque Du Freak and quickly ingratiates himself with the unusual cast of characters who populate it, including Madame Truska the Bearded Lady (Salma Hayek) and the traveling sideshow's towering barker (Ken Watanabe). As Darren works to master his newfound powers as a budding member of the supernatural underworld, he becomes a valued pawn between the vampires and their deadlier rivals, the Vampaneze. With tensions between the two sects intensifying, Darren must figure out a means of keeping the coming war from destroying his last vestige of humanity. Patrick Fugit, Orlando Jones, Willem Dafoe, and Jane Krakowski co-star.
MPAA Rating:
PG-13 for sequences of intense supernatural violence and action, disturbing images, thematic elements and some language.
Genre(s):
Action,Family,Fantasy
Run Time:
108min.
Theatrical Release Date:
10/23/2009
DVD Release Date:
02/23/2010
Distributor(s):
Universal
Director(s):
Paul Weitz
Starring:
John C. Reilly , Ken Watanabe , Josh Hutcherson , Chris Massoglia , Jessica Carlson
Themes:
Vampires,Metamorphosis,Chosen One
Tone:
Humorous,Stylized,Atmospheric,Flashy
Keywords:
assistance,barker,bloodsucker,catalyst,feud,freak,freak-show,half-human,rival,teenagers,vampire,ringmaster
Country of Origin:
USA (10-23-2009)
Language:
English