Based on the popular series of books by Darren Shan, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant tells the story of a small town teen who inadvertently shatters a 200 year old truce between warring factions of vampires. Sixteen year old Darren (Chris Massoglia) is your typical teenager; he spends most of his time with his best friend Steve (Josh Hutcherson), earns decent grades, and generally manages to stay out of trouble. But trouble finds Darren when he and Steve make the acquaintance of a vampire named Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly) while attending a traveling freak show at a local theater. Transformed into a bloodsucker by Crepsley, Darren joins the Cirque du Freak and quickly ingratiates himself with the unusual cast of characters who populate it, including the Madame Truska the Bearded Lady (Salma Hayek) and the traveling sideshow's towering barker (Ken Watanabe). As Darren works to master his newfound powers as a budding member of the supernatural underworld, he becomes a valued pawn between the vampires and their deadlier rivals, the Vampanese. With tensions between the two sects intensifying, Darren must figure out a means of keeping the coming war from destroying his last vestige of humanity. Patrick Fugit, Orlando Jones, Willem Dafoe, and Jane Krakowski co-star.