Directed by David Charbonier and Justin Douglas Powell, Vampire Carnival feels like a tale of two movies. It’s unsure if it wants to be a horror or romance, often flirting with both genres instead of just merging them. By failing to do so, it never attains the addictive bite of Twilight, though Vampire Carnival remains watchable for those who are willing to forgive its desire to commit.
Life hasn’t been kind to Gemma (played by Thanksgiving’s Nell Verlaque, who is on her way to becoming a scream queen). She lost her father, while her mom deals with her own grief by throwing herself into work. Attempting to lift herself out of her slump, Gemma meets up with her friends Ryan (Corrado Martini) and Olivia (Pauline Chávez) at the carnival. The evening takes an unexpected turn when Gemma’s creepy and whistling-happy ex, Eric (Kieron Moore), arrives, inviting them to see his twisted show that night, while Gemma’s eye is drawn to the mysterious and handsome Sebastian (Alvise Rigo).
Vampire Carnival‘s beginnings play out like a typical 2000s teen horror, rife with alternative rock, a compelling location (the carnival), and sexual tension between all these ridiculously good-looking people. Verlaque makes you care about Gemma, and Martini is delightfully and intentionally annoying as Ryan, while Moore’s performance as Eric during his Man Who Feels No Pain scene could have been pulled straight out of a Cradle of Filth music video. To top it all off, , Jason Isaacs’ hypnotic character, Toussaint, is so deliciously over the top that there’s an overwhelming sense that the rollercoaster is about to start, and everybody had better get seated for the ride.
Any blast-off toward the fun side of horror is derailed by the second act, as Vampire Carnival pivots hard toward romance but fails. This isn’t like the lovey-dovey antics of Twilight or The Vampire Diaries, though, as there’s a distinct lack of connection between the characters. It’s not necessarily anything to do with the actors’ chemistry; it’s just hard to take Gemma and Sebastian’s blooming romance seriously, since they have only just met in the storyline, and some of the plot choices don’t feel earned.
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The addition of Eric and his jealousy is a nice touch, because what’s a vampire romance without a love triangle? Yet none of this leads to any meaningful conflict for a long while, making you wonder why setting the majority of the story in the carnival was necessary. This is one of those situations where time jumps and different locations could have helped to further the illusion. Instead, it’s hard to keep your eyes open, as this movie tries to be more serious and thoughtful than it has any right to be.
Having said that, Vampire Carnival‘s third act sparks to life, bringing out the horror and saucy tidbits about what connects all these characters. In fact, this feels more in line with the first part of the movie, making the choice to veer off into whatever the hell the second act is even more bizarre in retrospect. You just wonder how nobody looked at the edit and thought, “Hmm… This chunk of the movie feels off compared to everything else.”
Despite the messy and befuddling middle section, Vampire Carnival has an uncanny charm that keeps you glued to the screen and wanting to know the outcome. Better direction and another polish of the script could have seen this become the next Twilight.
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Vampire Carnival opened in select US theaters on October 7 and arrives on VOD on October 30, 2026 via Aura Entertainment.
Vampire Carnival |
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Haunted by her past, a grieving girl is drawn to a mysterious traveling carnival that arrives in her small town - only to discover an underground world that feeds on despair and demands a costly price for escape. |
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| Studio: AURA Entertainment |
| Running Time: 1h 46m |
| Release Date: Oct 30, 2026 |
| Cast: Nell Verlaque, Jason Isaacs, Kieron Moore, Paulina Chávez, Corrado Martini, Elizabeth Sanjuán |
| Director: David Charbonier, Justin Douglas Powell |
| Writers: Jason Filardi, Peter Filardi |
| Genre: Horror, Romance, Vampire |
| Box Office: N/A |
The Review
Vampire Carnival
Vampire Carnival never quite sinks its teeth into the audience, but there's something enchanting about it.
Review Breakdown
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Verdict
