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Your Daily Dracula – Edson Celulari as ‘Ula Drax’, Meu Cunhado é um Vampiro (A Vampire in the Family) (2023)

Your Daily Dracula – Edson Celulari as ‘Ula Drax’, Meu Cunhado é um Vampiro (A Vampire in the Family) (2023)

A Brazilian vehicle for middle-aged comedian Leandro Hassum, who plays a beleaguered family man – ex-football player Fernandinho, who has to cope with longstanding rumours that he once threw a match and a family who aren’t that impressed with him and are always haring off on their own obsessions.  He’s annoyed when handsome, charismatic, irresponsible brother-in-law Greg (Romulo Arantes Neto) comes back from a round-the-world tour – with a significant stopoff in Transylvania – and moves into the house, especially when he’s the only one who notices the telltale signs that he’s a vampire.  Eventtually, he gets his goth daughter Carol (Mel Maia) to see the truth and they team up with his fumbling sidekick Ameba () to expose Greg’s position as front man for Romanian businessman ‘Ula Drax’ (for once, everyone sees through the obvious alias) and a plan to extend a vampire empire to Brazil.  This turns into some Dance of the Vampires schtick about crashing a Halloween soiree at the Drax mansion in disguise as vampires, with Hassum wearing ridiculous Gary Oldman drag.

It has a lot of Brazil-specific business which might need footnoting to find funny – that bit about a vampire-hunter having to have faith for religious symbols to be effective against the undead (which I think comes from Dracula Has Risen From the Grave) means only a true fan of a particular football club can believe enough for its cross logo to repel Dracula.  Points for a few references to local horror supremo José Mojica Marins, including a kid in a ‘Zé do Caixão’ costume.  Hassum is a local comedy sensation – he does the voice of Gru in the Despicable Me Brazilian dubs – as a middle-aged paterfamilias who’s also a foulup and working off grudges against the world.  One of the jokes belaboured here is that Fernandinho’s ex-wife Michele (Renata Bras) really is a bloodsucking monster.  It’s colourful and has a few funny stretches, but is also kind of mean-spirited.

With Bruno Buaiz as hunchbacked Reinfildo.  Features scenes set in a club called Lugosi.

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