The Cirque Du Freak Stops In Your Town On February 23rd

Ready to get in touch with your freaky side? I hope so because on February 23rd, Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant on DVD and Blu-ray.

Darren (Chris Massoglia) is a good kid. He gets good grades in school, he's polite, and he always listens to his parents. Well, almost always. When he and his more devious friend Steve (Josh Hutcherson) come across a flyer for a traveling freak show, they can’t resist. While there, Darren ends up face-to-face with a vampire, Larten Crepsley, who ultimately turns Darren into a bloodsucker and has him join the Cirque. Darren enjoys hanging out with his new freaky friends and testing out his powers. Meanwhile, his buddy Steve is wedging his way into the evil vampire group, the Vampaneze. Peace between Crepsley’s more docile vampires and the Vampaneze is about to come crashing down, and Steve and Darren are right in the middle of it.

Cirque du Freak is a little on the childish side, but overall it's a fun film. If you’ve got a kid, this DVD is an excellent buy, and even if you don’t, it might prove a guilty pleasure. I may not have loved the film, but something about it made me hope it grows into a franchise. Sadly, there’s no way a measly $16.6 million worldwide gross could justify that.

In that case, unless you caught it in the theater, the DVD and BD will be your only chance to get a taste of the Cirque (of course, you could always read the Darren Shen novels the film is based on). According to Shock Till You Drop, the only bonus features will be “Guide to Becoming a Vampire” and “Tour du Freak.” That’s a shame, because this would have been the perfect film to go featurette-crazy with considering the great cast, elaborate set designs, and innovative characters. There’s no word on price yet, so hopefully more material will be tacked on in an official press release. We’ll keep you posted!