Critic Reviews

More than anything, it functions as a powerful encapsulation of the death of innocence in youth; a distillation of the moments when we come to terms with the realization that our parents may not be the valorous outlines we’ve built them up to be.

Abraham’s Boys has some interesting ideas when it comes to a Van Helsing-based Dracula spinoff. Unfortunately, its weak visuals and lack of atmosphere stop it from fully delivering.

The pieces are all there for a perfect summer favorite, so it’s a shame that none of them really come together to form a cohesive whole.

You may want to leave the theater, go directly to a bookstore and buy the source material. That’s good! But you may want to leave before the movie’s over. That’s bad.

As the celluloid universe spun from Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” continues to accrue remakes, spin-offs, addendums and miscellany, “Boys” does provide one potentially compelling footnote. But its execution feels like a missed opportunity.

Kermani deserves credit for expanding on Hill’s story, which has a great premise, but not much else going for it.

Abraham’s Boys wants to drive home a message about violent legacies and the never-ending cycle of generational trauma, but the payoff feels incongruous with the setup, the final kill feels unearned, and the B-movie execution makes it unintentionally funny.