ACF 391: The Vampire's Assistant coming to theaters on October 23rd, 2009

Vampires here, vampires there. Them damn vampires seem to be everywhere. Asian film fans had a couple of our own recently with the live-action version of Blood: The Last Vampire and with Thirst.

The Vampire's Assistant - which will be opening October 23rd - ain't Asian but it sure does look promising. (Actually there is one Asian connection: the terrific Japanese actor Ken Watanbe has a major role as Mr. Tall, the circus's barker.)

I'm excited about it for several reasons. Among them is the fact that it stars John C. Reilly as the vampire. I find him a very personable actor to watch. Also, Selma Hayek stars as Madame Truska, a character who sprouts a beard when she gets passionate!

Don't miss the link to the film's sweepstakes at the end of this post.

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, based on the popular series of books by Darren Shan, is a fantasy-adventure about a teenager who unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires. Pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night, one teen will vanish from the safety of a boring existence and fulfill his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares.

16-year-old Darren (Chris Massoglia) was like most kids in his suburban neighborhood. He hung out with his best friend Steve (Josh Hutcherson), got decent grades and usually stayed out of trouble. But when he and his buddy stumble upon a traveling freak show, things begin to change inside Darren. That’s the exact moment when a vampire named Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly) turns him into something, well, bloodthirsty.

Newly undead, he joins the Cirque Du Freak, a touring sideshow filled with monstrous creatures from a snakeboy and a wolfman to a bearded lady (Salma Hayek) and a gigantic barker (Ken Watanabe). As Darren flexes his newfound powers in this dark world, he becomes a treasured pawn between the vampires and their deadlier counterparts. And while trying to survive, one boy will struggle to keep their brewing war from devouring what’s left of his humanity.

Cast: John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Josh Hutcherson, Chris Massoglia, Ray Stevenson, Patrick Fugit, Orlando Jones, with Willem Dafoe and Salma Hayek

Directed by: Paul Weitz

Screenplay by: Paul Weitz and Brian Helgeland

Based on the Cirque du Freak Series of Books by: Darren Shan

Website: www.thevampiresassistant.net.

NEW film clips are now available on http://www.epk.tv!

New iPhone/iTouch App for Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant now available at http://www.itunes.com/apps/iFreak.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant Sweepstakes: Enter now at http://www.thevampiresassistant.net/sweeps for a chance to win a sneak preview screening for you and your school (or 200 of your closest friends), including a special appearance by one of the stars of the film! Visit the sweeps website to enter to win and see what other great prizes are being given away.