As with any project that attempts to be all things to all people, it has its moments of success and its moments of failure

As the vampire-version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s Willow liked to say, ”Bored now.” Maybe that’s not completely true for every minute of Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, but it certainly applies more often than not.

Continuing the trend of digging up anything vampire-related and dragging old texts into the light of day, Darren Shen’s “Cirque du Freak” series, first published in the UK in 2000, has been updated for the post-Twilight world. The Vampire’s Assistant, not to be confused with the television show The Vampire Diaries, also based on books aimed at teens a decade ago, tries to be funny, dark, lighthearted, and macabre — all at once. As with any project that attempts to be all things to all people, it has its moments of success and its moments of failure.

Darren (Chris Massoglia) is your typical good kid, while his best friend Steve (Josh Hutcherson) is the bad influence. But you wouldn’t know these distinctions when the duo sneaks out to attend the traveling freak show, and one steals a spider while the other begs to be turned into a vampire. In their tiny little town, once quaint but now surrounded by strip malls, the supernatural almost seems natural.

It’s no wonder Cirque du Freak piques the boys’ interest – the freaks are the most interesting part of the film. Featured, with sometimes nauseating clarity, are the ribless man (eat your heart out Cher), the man with two stomachs, the bearded lady (Salma Hayek) and the regenerating limbs woman (Jane Krakowski). The Freaks’ performances are brief but mesmerizing, and their winter campground is absolutely magical. Director Paul Weitz really focuses on this setting and nails it.