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Abraham’s Boys’ Debuts to Mixed Response Over Its Art-House Take on Van Helsing

Critics single out Natasha Kermani’s psychological western texture, faulting the film’s slow build for damping tension

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Jocelin Donahue in 'Abraham's Boys: A Dracula Story' (RLJE Films/Shudder)

Overview

  • Abraham’s Boys opened in limited U.S. theaters on July 11 before arriving on Shudder later this year
  • Natasha Kermani’s 89-minute adaptation of Joe Hill’s short story reframes Van Helsing as a traumatized patriarch raising two sons in 1915 California
  • Titus Welliver anchors the film with a restrained performance that underscores its tension and thematic depth
  • Reviewers praise the movie’s unsettling domestic atmosphere and artful ambiguity but criticize its deliberate pacing and sporadic suspense
  • The hybrid release strategy reflects a growing genre trend of brief theatrical runs followed by exclusive streaming access