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

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

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

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #45128) | Ireland:12A | UK:12A | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Mexico:B | Japan:G

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)

Soundtrack:

Something Is Not Right with Me

See this one BEFORE it comes out on DVD!

Unable to understand the low ratings that critics are giving this film. From the dazzling and witty opening credits through the delightful cast and story line, this film delivers great visuals, charm and one of John C. Reilly's best performances to date! A little disappointed that we didn't see enough of Willem Dafoe, But Salma Hayek was charming! Young adults will enjoy the freak show characters and vampire storyline; older viewers will get a kick out of the humor and identifying actors from other films. I haven't read the books, but I sure would love to see what happens on the next day as the film comes to a close. FOLLOW YOUR HEART, FORGET THE NAY-SAYERS AND SEE THIS FILM WHILE YOU CAN!