"Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" * (out of four): Suddenly, death by bloody neck doesn't seem so unappealing.

What's tall, blood-thirsty and prone to crashing various media outlets? No, not Dr. Phil -- vampires. These fanged plasma suckers are popping up everywhere these days, from "Twilight" and HBO's "True Blood" to the CW's "The Vampire Diaries." Now there's "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant," based on a young adult U.K. book by Darren Shan. If the last is any indication, it's time for a new trend, pronto.

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