Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Darren Shan is an ordinary teenager until a traveling freak show arrives in town. He and his best friend, Steve, sneak into a performance of the Cirque du Freak, where the strange acts on stage include a snake boy, a wolf man and a bearded lady. There Darren meets the vampire Larten Crepsley, who bites him and sets him on a path away from his old life. The change pulls Darren into the circus as a half-vampire and into a long-running conflict between vampires, dividing those who kill their victims from those who merely drink from them.

Paul Weitz directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Brian Helgeland, and produced with Lauren Shuler Donner and Andrew Miano. The film is the sixth of thirteen Weitz has directed, following American Dreamz and preceding Little Fockers. Chris Massoglia plays Darren, with John C. Reilly as Crepsley, Josh Hutcherson as Steve, Patrick Fugit as Evra the Snake Boy, Salma Hayek Pinault as Madame Truska and Jessica Carlson as Rebecca.

Made for a reported 40 million dollars, the film took in about 38 million worldwide, less than its production cost. On IMDb it holds 5.8 out of 10 from roughly 50,000 votes, and on TMDB 5.9 out of 10 from about 1,190 votes. Critics scored it 5.2 out of 10 across 137 reviews, placing it below both audience ratings.