There has been so much done to the Dracula mythos that anyone working with it would seem to have free reign to do whatever they want. Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story makes some interesting changes. Max and Rudy Van Helsing live in California with their parents Mina and Dr. Abraham Van Helsing. When their mother becomes ill, the sons start to learn dark secrets about their father’s past.
In the over one hundred years since Bram Stoker’s novel was first published, the various adaptations of Dracula have seen him travel the world. Still, setting the film on an isolated farm in 1915 California is jarring. And though Abrham’s Boys shifts from a traditional vampire narrative, it never feels quite right. The bright and open landscapes may look beautiful, but they not fit the themes or story that are presented.
Abraham’s Boys is never able to establish a tone. The more horror tinged moments do not hit in the way they should. There is a great shot of a vampire, but it ends up being a tease of what might have been. A twist involving the basement of the house is initially played for scares, but then tries to become something more suspenseful. What worth that is in these shots is undone by the glacial pacing.
That being said, Abraham’s Boys is trying to create a deeper more psychological fear. It is not going for visceral scares. This is where the lack of atmosphere negatively impacts the film most. Due to the pacing and erratic writing, it often feels like the movie is just going through the motions. Aside from Jocelin Donahue, none of the performances sell the actual characters. The acting is fine, it just never adds to the story.
The result is that the big reveal is lacking in its emotional impact. It just sort of happens before the film ends. It is an interesting idea that could have covered the same themes if it went in a different direction. (It seemed to be teasing a much more interesting PTS storyline.) The nature of the twist should leave audiences wondering what is fact and fiction. Instead, the question will be why did they do this to Dracula?
Abraham’s Boys comes to Shudder November 7th.
