There are bad sequels, and then there’s Dracula II: Ascension—a direct-to-video fever dream that makes you nostalgic for the artistic integrity of Leprechaun 4: In Space. Directed by Patrick Lussier, it’s a follow-up to Dracula 2000, a film that already stretched “creative liberties” to the breaking point by revealing that Dracula was actually Judas Iscariot. That twist was questionable enough, but Ascension decides to double down: Judas is back, he’s crankier than ever, and he spends the runtime surrounded by medical students who should’ve flunked out of kindergarten science.
Strap in. This is not a film—it’s a car accident in a Romanian parking lot dressed up as a horror movie.
The Opening: Holy Father, Holy Fool
We begin with Father Uffizi (Jason Scott Lee), a priest whose job description seems to be “hunt vampires at night, attend confession by day, complain about his job to God on his lunch break.” He fights two twin vampires, kills them, but not before one manages to bite him. Instead of succumbing to the infection like any other mortal, Uffizi cures vampirism by standing dramatically in sunlight while squinting. Apparently, SPF 1000 is Vatican-issued.
It’s supposed to set the tone for a gritty, holy-warrior flick. Instead, it sets the tone for ninety minutes of “Wait, what?”
Enter Dracula’s Corpse (Again)
Meanwhile, Elizabeth (Diane Neal), a medical student with the bedside manner of a DMV employee, ends up with Dracula’s corpse. Naturally, instead of burning it, beheading it, or maybe mailing it back to Hell, she pricks her finger on a fang and starts the slow transformation into a vampire.
Her professor husband, Lowell (Craig Sheffer), is dying of a degenerative disease, so of course the solution is to dunk Dracula into a bathtub of blood. Because when faced with incurable illness, why not go straight to Pinterest’s Worst Science Experiments?
Dracula in a Bathtub
This is the big reveal. The resurrection of Dracula. The payoff we’ve been waiting for. And what happens? He pops out of a claw-foot tub like a drunk uncle falling asleep at a spa. He kills Tanya (Brande Roderick) in about thirty seconds, tossing her out a window like yesterday’s trash, and spends the rest of the movie looking less like the Prince of Darkness and more like a guy who missed his bus.
Stephen Billington takes over the Dracula role here, and bless him, he tries. But he spends half his screen time chained up under fluorescent lights while the med students poke him with syringes like he’s part of a science fair project gone horribly wrong. If Dracula was supposed to be menacing, why does he look like a patient in the world’s edgiest dermatology clinic?
Father Uffizi: Vampire Hunter or Glorified Cosplayer?
Uffizi keeps showing up to whip himself with sunlight like a man trying to win gold at the Catholic Olympics. Every time he enters a scene, the movie screeches to a halt so he can give us another tortured monologue about faith, temptation, and how the Church won’t cover dental for vampire bites.
He’s supposed to be our Van Helsing, but he comes across like a mall cop who just discovered holy water. Watching him fight Dracula feels less like an epic clash of good and evil and more like a confused PTA dad scolding the neighbor’s goth kid.
The Supporting Cast: Darwin Award Nominees
Kenny (Khary Payton), a fellow med student, decides that the best way to join the immortality club is to inject himself with Dracula’s blood. Spoiler: it doesn’t go well. He immediately turns into a budget vampire, goes on a mini feeding spree, and then loses his head—literally.
Eric, the supposed “wealthy benefactor,” shows up with a light gun that looks like it was stolen from an arcade. His big contribution is looking shady and reminding us that yes, the budget was definitely under $10.
And Lowell, dear sweet Lowell, reveals that he orchestrated everything to cure himself. Of course, becoming a vampire cures his disease, but also turns him into a whiny bloodsucker who gets roasted by holy water in record time. Congratulations, professor—you discovered immortality, but forgot about sunlight and crucifixes. Rookie mistake.
Elizabeth: Falling for Judas
Elizabeth’s arc is the cinematic equivalent of eating expired yogurt. She goes from medical professional to Dracula’s groupie faster than you can say “malpractice.” Her big “romantic” wish? To love Dracula for who he really is. Which is… Judas Iscariot. The guy who sold out Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Nothing says romance like “Hey babe, I caused the crucifixion.”
The movie tries to sell us on this tortured love story, but it’s about as believable as Dracula applying for a Costco membership.
The Climax: Judas vs. Discount Van Helsing
The big showdown between Uffizi and Dracula takes place in the most uninspired setting imaginable: an abandoned pool. Chains, UV lights, holy water, lots of shouting—basically the worst nightclub in Romania. Dracula gets free, bites people, and delivers some half-baked theological monologues about being Judas.
Then Elizabeth shows up fully vamped out, stabs Uffizi, and runs off with Dracula. The priest, still alive, shakes his fist at the sky like a man who just lost his parking spot. Cue credits, and cue viewers asking, “Wait, that’s it?”
The Theological Gymnastics
Here’s the thing: the Judas-as-Dracula twist could’ve been interesting if handled with nuance. Instead, it’s handled with all the grace of a drunk theology major at 3 a.m. Dracula taunts Uffizi with visions of the crucifixion, implies he turned Jesus into a vampire, and generally makes a mess of 2,000 years of religious history. By the end, you half-expect the Apostles to show up with garlic bread and a stake.
Final Thoughts: A Franchise That Should’ve Stayed Dead
Dracula II: Ascension isn’t scary, it isn’t profound, and it sure as hell isn’t fun. It’s ninety minutes of people standing around in Romania pretending to be in New Orleans, while Jason Scott Lee looks perpetually constipated and Dracula sulks in chains like a moody teen grounded by his parents.
The film’s biggest crime isn’t its low budget, its wooden acting, or even its nonsensical plot. No, the real crime is that it’s boring. A Dracula movie should never, ever be boring. And yet, here we are—Dracula as Judas, trapped in a bathtub, while medical students argue about immortality like they’re on a bad episode of Shark Tank.
