Abraham van Helsing moves his two sons to the United States in an attempt to escape their past.
Chuck says:
There’s an interesting concept at the core of Natasha Kermani’s “Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story.” Adapted from the novella by Joe Hill, the premise of inherited trauma is ripe for exploration where the vampire mythos is concerned. Yet in Kermani’s hands, this examination of dysfunctional family dynamics becomes a plodding affair, one imbued with the proper gravitas, yet lacking a sense of urgency in execution. The result is a rather frustrating viewing experience, one in which you see the story slowly go sideways, fully aware of the narrative road that should have been taken.
The setting is in rural California, 1915. Abrahan Van Helsing (Titus Welliver) has located his family in as remote a location he can find. Having killed Count Dracula some 18 years prior, he’s still cautious regarding the vampire’s influence over other members of the undead. Having married Mina Harker (Jocelin Donahue), after her husband Jonathan died, they have raised two boys, each of whom are at a crossroads.
16-year-old Max (Brady Hepner) feels as if he’s a constant disappointment to his father. Unsure how to please him or meet his unrealistic expectations, the young man is constantly on edge, looking for ways to impress his father. On the other hand, 12-year-old Rudy (Judah Mackey) can seemingly do no wrong. Obviously, Van Helsing’s favorite, the boy at times goes so far as to join in when his dad is chastising his brother.
It comes as no surprise that evil comes knocking on their door. Van Helsing knows that because Mina was a victim of Dracula’s she’s susceptible to being contacted by other vampires. This is an inevitability, especially now that the railroad lines have expanded and a small town has cropped up close by. Once the undead infiltrate the home, Max and Rudy see another side to their parents, which changes their perception of both and their interactions with each of them.
Once the boys are told of their mother’s past and are taught by their father how to kill a vampire, which they are forced to do when they find one in their basement, the dynamic between them shifts. Van Helsing is proud of Max for once, after he dispatches one of the undead, yet terse and violent with Rudy who refuses to participate.
The curse of vampirism is used as a metaphor for the toxic behavior parents pass on to their children. Whether modeling good acts or bad, the impact mothers and fathers have on their offspring is undeniable and inescapable. And while the traits children inherit are not irreversible, breaking the cycle of behavior is difficult and often traumatic.
Max and Rudy begin to wonder about their father’s sanity, questioning not only his methods but also his insistence that vampires are real is true. The crux of the film is whether they will blindly accept Van Helsing’s practices and beliefs or find the courage to drive a stake through them.
As compelling as this sounds, this central conflict is sidetracked. A needless subplot involving a brother and sister who are working nearby and make the mistake of seeking Van Helsing’s help, goes nowhere, having no bearing on the central conflict. A visit by Arthur Holmwood (Jonathan Howard) is a superfluous effort to connect the action to Bram Stoker’s novel, these distractions only slowing down an already plodding movie.
The final nail in the coffin is Welliver’s flat performance, giving us a Van Helsing that’s not a threat as much as a bore. In the end, “Abraham’s Boys” may have played well on the page, but on screen, it’s dead on its feet.
2 Stars
