aka The Lightly Fictionalized Rehabilitation of the Historical Vlad III "The Impaler" Tepes of the House of Draculesti, Prince of Wallachia, Former Hostage of the Ottoman Empire, and Defender of His People against Same, aka Maybe They Do Make 'Em Like They Used to, Sometimes. (The "lightly fictionalized" part involves a deal the desperate prince strikes with an ancient vampire in a mountain cave.) Just an all-around solid B-picture about the dangers of embracing the darkness in order to defend the light. Don't go looking for horror, gore, or vampiric sexytimes; this here is an old-fashioned tragedy that just happens to involve a guy who can turn into a cloud of bats. Everybody (especially star Luke Evans) brings sufficient sincerity to anchor the melodrama,the boys in Special Effects show a measure of restraint in every department except sound, and Charles Dance's too-brief turn as the Master Vampire manages to blend Max Schreck and Christopher Lee to excellent, unsettling effect. (2014) — Matthew Lickona