DRACULA: REBORN Reviews of L.A. vampire shenanigans

  

‘The legend. Infused.’
Dracula: Reborn is a 2012 American horror film written and directed by Patrick McManus (The Mummy Resurrected), making his film debut. Very loosely based on Bram Stoker‘s 1897 novel Dracula, the film stars Corey Landis, Victoria Summer and Stuart Rigby.

Plot:
In Los Angeles, California, realtor Jonathan Harker (Corey Landis) proposes the sale of an abandoned building in a gang-dominated neighbourhood for $12.5 million to his wealthy client Vladimir Sarkany – who is actually the vampire Count Dracula (Stuart Rigby).

The sale makes Jonathan enough money to start a family with his wife, Lina (Victoria Summer). The night that Jonathan visits Dracula at his home to have the property deed signed, he notices a painted picture reminiscent of Lina.

Later, Quincy Morris (Krash Miller) warns him about Dracula, who murdered his girlfriend, Lucy Spencer (Linda Bella)…

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Reviews:
“There isn’t a whole lot of blood and gore, yet at the same time there isn’t much invested into emotion or character development. The use of cinematic close-ups with the character of Dracula or Vladimir Sarkany (who incidentally resembles a poor man’s Tom Cruise) is a little bizarre at first yet it tends to grow on you. The sound effects of simultaneous unholy whispers is bone-chilling…” Horror News

Dracula Reborn was never going to knock off socks as a must-see version of the story, although it does possess decent digital FX work and an okay look for this level of production. Aside from giving the locale a facelift, the film is a misfire in terms of revitalizing, much less improving, a 100-year-old tale for modern interests.” Culture Crypt

“The British-accented Rigby […] rasps his lines in a Terence Stampish British accent (Stamp was a stage Dracula) and stares into space often, but writer-director Patrick McManus makes the odd choice to overlay his face with marble pallor, blue veins, hollow cheeks and neon eyes in post-production image tampering which just looks cartoony. With few locations, clumsy action, dull soap opera set-up scenes and no sense of Sarkany/Dracula as a growing threat to anyone much, this is one of the less-felt screen Draculas.” The Kim Newman Web Site

“Though most of the effects are CG, they aren’t bad, especially the dead eyes look the vamps get when they fang out. The crooked false chompers of the vamps are a nice touch to make them feel a bit more visceral. That said, out of the million and one retellings of Stoker’s classic, this is one of the more forgettable ones.” Ain’t It Cool News

” …the film might have been an average movie but for the wooden acting (more than anything) and the lack of exposition. As it is, it falls below average.” Taliesin Meets the Vampires

Cast and characters:

Corey Landis … Jonathan Harker (Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre; Camel Spiders; Dinocroc vs. Supergator)
Victoria Summer … Lina Harker (Dawn of 5 EvilsTerrordactylThe Zombie Diaries)
Krash Miller … Quincy Morris (Primal)
Stuart Rigby … Vladimir Sakarny/Count Dracula (The Mummy Resurrected)
Ian Pfister … Renfield (Never Alone; The Millennium Bug; Vampire Birth Certificate)
Keith Reay … Van Helsing
Preston James Hillier … Detective Holmwood
Linda Bella … Lucy Spencer
Amy Johnston … Vampire Lucy
Charlie Garcia … Detective Varna
Dani Lennon … Dr Joan Seward
Rene Arreola … Bandana Vato
Haref Topete … Gangbanger
Patrick F. McCallum … Trigger
Sharlene Brown … Harker’s Assistant
Christianna Carmine … Petra Hawkings

Filming locations:

Los Angeles, California

Notes:

This film should not be confused with Attila Luca’s Dracula Reborn (2015).

Trailer:

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