ABRAHAM’S BOYS: A DRACULA STORY (2025)

New in select theaters, coming soon to On Demand from RLJE Films & Shudder!
Directed by Natasha Kermani.
Written by Natasha Kermani from a short story by Joe Hill.
Check out the trailer here!!

ABRAHAM’S BOYS is a sequel of Bram Stoker’s DRACULA of sorts. It begins 18 years after the death of Count Dracula. Abraham Van Helsing (Titus Welliver) has moved his wife Mina (Jocelin Donahue) and his family away from Europe to America, Central Valley, California, to be specific. The family lives a modest life on a farm, away from the larger cities that are sprouting up across the land. But when a railroad company begins laying tracks near Van Helsing’s land, both Mina and Abraham believe that this harkens the return of the Prince of Darkness and his vampire minions. Abraham decides it is time to train his two sons, Max (Brady Hepner) and Rudy (Judah Mackey), as combat with the enemy is on the horizon.

ABRAHAM’S BOYS is a different kind of vampire movie. It isn’t a story told in bold, dramatic movements, but one that is much more cerebral. It’s a psychological horror film that delves deep into the trauma Mina and Abraham experienced in England and how that trauma affects how they raise their young boys. Much of the film is more meditative, showing slow looks across the beautiful landscape, untouched by man. If you’re an impatient viewer, this is not the vampire movie for you.

But if you stick around, you’ll get a group of strong performances by the cast. Titus Welliver is a character actor I always watch out for. He exudes power and pride as Van Helsing. There is a foreboding cloud of dread floating over his household and he plays the stern father who believes that cloud could descend upon them at any minute, taking action to prepare his family for the worst. Welliver delivers an intense and memorable performance, one that makes me want to see him play Van Helsing in an adaptation of the Bram Stoker classic and not just a sequel.

It was a bold decision to have Mina marry Van Helsing after the end of Dracula and one I never really envisioned. Still, this twist opens up tons of potential, as the much older doctor seems to have a sort of power over the very damaged Mina. Jocelin Donahue still delivers poise and spirit in this role. She is still traumatized by the events in England and haunted by dreams filled with monsters and darkness. Along with Van Helsings stern teachings, it is how fragile Mina is that alerts the boys that a very real threat is coming. Donohue has been in scores of horror films like HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, SUMMER CAMP, OFFSEASON, I TRAPPED THE DEVIL and the truly exceptional “Father’s Day” sequence in HOLIDAYS, and it’s a gift to the horror genre that she sticks with films on the spookier side. Here she gives one of her most iconic performances.

But this film is called ABRAHAM’S BOYS, so teen actors Brady Hepner and Judah Mackey take center stage as Max and Rudy, respectively. While more seasoned actors like Welliver and Donohue carry the film, Hepner and Mackey prove to be interesting characters—one duller and stronger, the other more clever yet smaller. Both did a fine job conveying this story of impending doom and the pressure put upon them by their frightened parents.

There are quite a few nightmarish moments peppered through the story involving visions of a bald man in a cape, but the late in the game twist is what many are going to be talking about ABRAHAM’S BOYS. Joe Hill’s story as adapted by director Natasha Kermani really does make you look at the original DRACULA story in a different light. This is a truly original psychological slant on vampires, specifically involving classic characters. And impossibly, it elevates the original story to a smarter level due of this twist. While it takes its sweet time to get there, I do feel the way the film ends makes the wait satisfying and worthwhile.

While the music occasionally feels a bit out of place and more modern, as if it were ripped right from Manfredini’s FRIDAY THE 13TH score at times, this is a gorgeous looking movie as it steadies the camera upon painterly landscapes. If you’re looking for a different kind of vampire story, ABRAHAM’S BOYS is it. This is DRACULA by way of FRAILTY. Strap in and be patient, the final revelations in ABRAHAM’S BOYS are wonderfully mind-blowing.