When Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant was released in 2009, Roger Ebert called it "a mess" and gave it one and a half stars. Despite an A-list cast and a promisingly twisted sensibility, the film came and went with little fanfare. Perhaps Ebert and his peers were right, or perhaps Salma Hayek as The Bearded Lady and John C. Reilly as a cuddly vampire simply goes too far. The talented folks at yU+co, however, created an opener worthy of much weightier fare.