Harry Potter and ‘Vampire Academy’ Stars Officially Join Forces for Your Next Halloween Watch

Jason Isaacs playing a vampire should be enough to get a movie onto your Halloween watchlist. Add Kieron Moore, a sinister traveling carnival, and the filmmakers who brought us The Boy Behind the Door, and it becomes an especially tempting way to spend the holiday. Vampire Carnival is bringing all of that home on October 30, leaving horror fans just enough time to squeeze another vampire movie into their October plans.

Thanksgiving’s Nell Verlaque stars as Gemma, a grieving young woman drawn to a mysterious carnival that arrives in her town. Isaacs plays Toussaint, while Moore takes on Eric, a role that puts the Vampire Academy actor back among the undead. Between the carnival setting and a cast with plenty of experience making trouble in supernatural worlds, directors David Charbonier and Justin Douglas Powell have an enticing setup for a Halloween watch.

During an interview with Collider’s Maggie Lovitt, Moore discussed getting into character, right down to learning how to speak with his new teeth. “I had to beat the lisp pretty quickly,” he admitted. “First put them in, I was like, 'Oh no, like this is gonna be terrible.'” The fangs required some homework, too. “I was practicing in my room with the fangs, like I took them home.” The carnival offered a more welcoming introduction to the production, at least behind the scenes. “I love it when you don’t have to pretend in regard to the scenery,” Moore said. For anyone who grew up wanting to run away and join the show, his enthusiasm will sound familiar:

“As a kid, you’re either terrified of the carnival or you’re like, 'I could do this,' you know, 'I could run away and be part of the show.'”

Kieron Moore Had to Remind Himself He Was Acting Opposite Jason Isaacs

Then there was the matter of working with Captain Hook himself. Sharing scenes with Isaacs meant Moore had to get past the understandable urge to watch him work. “On the first day, I kind of caught myself being like, 'This guy is amazing, but get that out of your head,'” he recalled. “'Stop watching him, just be in there with him.'” The experience left Moore with more than another familiar name on his resume. “I just walked away being like, 'That’s the kind of actor I want to be,'” he told Lovitt. Even the comparison between this production and Isaacs’ larger projects made an impression: “Some people try and coast through stuff. Jason never did that.”

As for Moore’s own contribution to the carnival’s dangers, Eric gave him plenty to work with. “I definitely didn’t come at him as a villain,” he explained. “I really just tried to find the person in there.” That approach still leaves room for a warning about the character: “I just think he’s a man with an obsession, really.” Vampire Carnival is at its most entertaining when it embraces the excess of its premise, letting its gorgeous setting and dangerous vampires do the seducing. Moore makes Eric compelling even when he’s making it very clear why Gemma should stay away. It’s an easy pick for a Halloween movie night, especially if your taste in vampires leans toward leather coats and red flags.

If your Halloween plans involve staying home and watching attractive vampires make terrible decisions, Vampire Carnival deserves a spot in the rotation. Vampire Carnival arrives on VOD October 30. Stay tuned at Collider for more.