Marco Brambilla directed "Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant" in 2009; it's a fantasy, horror, and comedy film about a teenager, Chris Massoglia, who finds himself drawn into a circus of unusual performers. There, he becomes the assistant to a vampire, portrayed by John C. Reilly, and discovers an ongoing conflict between different groups of vampires. Josh Hutcherson plays his friend, while Michael Cerveris takes on the role of Mr. Tiny, and Ray Stevenson is memorable as a vampiric antagonist. Following the success of “Twilight” in 2008, producers figured that another young adult series involving vampires might be successful financially. The movie is based on the first three books from Darren Shan’s (a pen name for Darren O'Shaughnessy) twelve-book "Cirque du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan." Hardcore fans have expressed concerns about changes made in adapting the material to film. It wasn’t a big success at the box office, having cost $40 million and earned back only $39 million globally, with $14 million coming from North America. Still, I find it more enjoyable than “Twilight.” I've always liked stories that are set in circuses or carnivals; "Water for Elephants" (2011) is a great example of this. While that movie was realistic, "The Vampire’s Assistant" leans heavily into fantasy elements. The beginning introduces the two teenage friends and their lives before they visit The Freak Circus – which translates to Cirque Du Freak – and things pick up in the second act when Larten Crepsley becomes more prominent. Reilly is captivating and commanding as this character. The third act is also strong, focusing on the war between vampires and the vampanese. The plot has enough going on without becoming overly complicated, and the movie demonstrates a considerable amount of imagination across nearly every aspect. Salma Hayek delivers an interesting performance among the female cast members as one of the performers with a less-than-impressive talent, but her presence isn’t fully utilized. Jane Krakowski appears in a small role, and Jessica Carlson plays Rebecca, a potential romantic interest for the main character; she was only 15 during filming and it shows. The film has a running time of 1 hour and 49 minutes and was filmed in Louisiana (New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Folsom) and Los Angeles, with studio work completed at Universal City. I give it a B grade.

Source on TMDB