HEIRS OF THE NIGHT Series One
Vampire kids don’t suck
UK CBBC, all available on iplayer Creators Maria von Heland, Diederik van Rooijen Cast Anastasia Martin, Ulrik William Graesli, Julian Bleach, Lance West
Arriving at least five years after the world’s pop-culture vampire fetish reached its height, this Dutch children’s series might lose points for timeliness but earns many more for having an extremely watchable cast of promising young actors, most of whom you can’t help but like.
Based on a German children’s book, it certainly isn’t original – ancient prophecies, “chosen ones”, vampires falling for humans… you could easily play cliché bingo while you watch – but once you stop gritting your teeth at the overused tropes, you’ll have fun.
Set in 1889, yet somehow filled with characters who say things like “Dude, that’s sick”, it follows Alisa (Anastasia Martin) as she starts vampire school with a bunch of fanged kids from other European clans. Bickering and bullying ensues. Alisa falls for a grumpy Draco Malfoy wannabe; she also meets a human lad who tickles her fancy (Lance West, who’s bloody brilliant). Then an outrageously gothic Dracula (Julian “Davros” Bleach) wakes up from a centuries-long nap and goes on an Evil Rampage.
The episodes may be a mere 25 minutes apiece but they pack in a lot of action and are paced surprisingly well. The only downside is how gloomy everything looks, with the screen digitally graded to remove any glimpse of sunlight and thus vibrancy. The highlight is a woman who keeps turning into a bat. There’s no fannying about with a rubber thing on strings here: this flappy creature could be the most realistic in screen vampire history. For that feat alone, Heirs Of The Night gets a “fangs-up” from us.
A second series is already in the can in the Netherlands, and will be coming to CBBC and iplayer in early January.
The episodes pack in a lot of action