Darren Shan (Chris Massoglia) is an ordinary teenager who spends most of his time with Steve (Josh Hutcherson), his best friend, secures good marks, and normally stays out of trouble. Unfortunately he does gets into trouble as he and Steve become friends with a vampire called Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly). Darren is changed into a bloodsucker by Crepsley, joins the Cirque Du Freak and quickly finds himself in the company of strange characters like Madame Truska the Bearded Lady (Salma Hayek) and Mr. Tall (Ken Watanabe). As Darren tries to master his nascent powers as a potential member of the bizarre world, he becomes a valued wager between the vampires and their staunch opponents, the Vampaneze. While tensions between the two cults mounts, Darren must find out a way to keep the imminent war from annihilating his last trace of humanity.