Dracula II: Ascension (2003) (V)

Director:

Patrick Lussier

Writers:

Joel Soisson (written by) &
Patrick Lussier (written by)

Release Date:

7 June 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Burnt Body | Gore | Decapitation | Priest | Shot In The Neck

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Jennifer Kroll	...	Twins of Evil
Jason Scott Lee	...	Father Uffizi
Craig Sheffer	...	Lowell
Diane Neal	...	Elizabeth Blaine
Khary Payton	...	Kenny
Brande Roderick	...	Tanya
Jason London	...	Luke
Chris Hunter	...	Corello
Tom Kane	...	Doctor (voice)
John Light	...	Eric
Stephen Billington	...	Dracula II
Nick Phillips	...	Officer Smith
John Sharian	...	Officer Hodge
Dragos Balauca	...	Altar Boy
Silviu Olteanu	...	Young Priest
David Gant	...	Old Priest
Roy Scheider	...	Cardinal Siqueros
Daniela Nane	...	Cat-Woman
David J. Francis	...	Jesus
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vasile Albinet	...	Horseman (uncredited)

Directed by
Patrick Lussier

Writing credits
Joel Soisson		(written by) &
Patrick Lussier		(written by)

Produced by
W.K. Border	....	producer
Nick Phillips	....	executive producer
Ron Schmidt	....	co-producer
Joel Soisson	....	producer

Original Music by
Marco Beltrami
Kevin Kliesch

Cinematography by
Douglas Milsome

Film Editing by
Lisa Romaniw

Casting by
Sam Chandley
Carrie Hilton

Art Direction by
Serban Porupca

Costume Design by
Oana Paunescu

Makeup Department
Daniela Busoiu	....	key makeup artist (as Dana Busoiu)
Cristina Catanescu	....	assistant makeup artist
Christopher K. Grap	....	special makeup effects artist: crew
Snowy Highfield	....	makeup effects sculptor
Marina Ionescu	....	assistant hair stylist
Steven Lawrence	....	special makeup effects artist
Viorel Militaru	....	prosthetic makeup artist
Mirela Nitu	....	key hair stylist
Gary J. Tunnicliffe	....	makeup effects designer (as Gary Tunnicliffe)

Production Management
Jack Skeets Gleeson	....	assistant production manager: Los Angeles
Bogdan Moncea	....	executive in charge of production
Jason Mundy	....	production supervisor: Los Angeles
Jake Myers	....	executive in charge of production
Ovidiu Stoia	....	production manager: second unit

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Cris Andrei	....	first assistant director
Cris Andrei	....	first assistant director: second unit
Bogdan Barbulescu	....	second assistant director
Irina Bryson	....	third assistant director (as Irina Niculin)
Oana Ene	....	second second assistant director
Monica Lazureanu	....	second second assistant director
Gary J. Tunnicliffe	....	second unit director

Art Department
Adriana Bucataru	....	assistant set decorator
Mihai Buciumeanu	....	assistant property master
Gabi Bálint	....	swing gang (as Gabi Balint)
Crina Cartos	....	construction coordinator (as Crina Cartas)
Stefan Curelaru	....	assistant art director
Costin Dragan	....	assistant property master
Viorel Ghenea	....	property master
Adriana Iurascu	....	storyboard artist
Iasar Memedali	....	leadman/on-set dresser (as Iasar Memedari)
Petre Nicolescu	....	swing gang
Ciprian Oprea	....	on-set carpenter
Mihaela Poenaru	....	assistant art director
Florin Samoila	....	lead painter
Christian Simion	....	construction foreman (as Cristian Simion)
George Stanciu	....	set painter
Mihai Stanciu	....	set painter

Sound Department
Steve Baine	....	foley artist
Todd Beckett	....	sound re-recording mixer
Alex Bullick	....	second assistant sound editor
Tony Currie	....	adr editor
Stanomir Dragos	....	sound engineer: post-production
Nelson Ferreira	....	dialogue editor
Peter Persaud	....	foley recordist
Jill Purdy	....	dialogue editor

Special Effects by
Kevin Carter	....	special effects contact lenses
Lucian Iordache	....	special effects supervisor
Ionel Popa	....	special effects consultant

Visual Effects by
Chadd B. Cole	....	digital artist
Christopher Dusendschon	....	digital imaging: iO FILM
Jamison Scott Goei	....	visual effects supervisor
Adam Hawkey	....	digital film opticals: iOFilm
Ivo Horvat	....	digital artist
Sookie Park	....	digital artist
Kevin VanHook	....	visual effects supervisor
Pam Vick	....	digital artist
Chris Zapara	....	visual effects
Sean C. Cunningham	....	digital effects artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Mariana Apostu	....	stunt player
Dicu Aurel	....	stunt player (as Aurel Dicu)
Florin Barcun	....	stunt player
Ferenc Berecz	....	stunt player
Aurel Boata	....	stunts
Gabi Burlacu	....	stunt player
Anne-Marie Caragea	....	stunt player (as Ana-Maria Caragea)
Nelu Caragea	....	stunt player
Nicu Constantin	....	stunt player
Zuzana Drdacka	....	stunt player
Doru Dumitrescu	....	stunts
Marius Florian	....	stunt player (as Florin Silviu Marius)
Julian George	....	stunt player
László Imre	....	stunt player
Bela Kasi	....	stunts
Péter Katona	....	stunt player (as Peter Katona)
Catalin Mancafa	....	stunts
Laszlo 'Sancho' Mecseki	....	stunt player (as László Mecseki)
Domonkos Pardanyi	....	stunt player (as Domonkos Pardany)
Adrian Pavlovschi	....	stunt coordinator
Ken Quinn	....	stunt coordinator
Béla Unger	....	fight coordinator (as Bela Unger)
Mihai Ungureanu	....	stunt player
Fanel Ursu	....	stunt player
Vasile Albinet	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Gabi Burlacu	....	utility stunts (uncredited)
Marius Florian	....	stunt double: Father Uffizi (uncredited)
Dicu Marian	....	stunt double: Jason Scott Lee (uncredited)
Vasilescu Valentin	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Raduta Adi	....	additional generator operator (as Adi Raduta)
Manole Bogdan	....	grip
Alessio Bramucci	....	best boy electric
Patrick Bramucci	....	gaffer
Pascu Cioc	....	electrician (as Cioc Pascu)
Calin Constantin	....	gaffer
Florica George	....	electrician
Ilie Georgica	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera (as George Ilie)
Catalin Grigoras	....	electrician
Cristi Grosu	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Marcu Ion	....	electrician
Radu Ion	....	best boy electric
Gheorghe Ionel	....	grip
Adrian Ionescu	....	electrician
Marcu Laurentiu	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Costel Musat	....	electrician
Vali Pal	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Emanuel Parvu	....	still photographer
Ionut Perianu	....	loader
Raniero Raparelli	....	generator operator
Antonio Scaramuzza	....	Steadicam operator
Alexandru Sterian	....	camera operator (as Alex Sterian)
Vaclav Svehla	....	additional generator operator
Ladislav Szucks	....	additional generator operator (as Ladislau Szucs)
Ion Tincea	....	grip
Michael Tsimperopoulos	....	Steadicam operator (as Michail Tsimperopoulos)
Sorin Udrea	....	key grip
Gheorghe Ursescu	....	electrician (as George Urescu)
Malek Vilem	....	additional generator operator

Casting Department
Rita VanderWaal	....	casting: USA (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mihaela David	....	wardrobe supervisor
Carmen Ilie	....	costumer
Aurelia Ivascu	....	costumer
Florinela Popescu	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Diana Negoitescu	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
Kevin Banks	....	music editor
Michael Stern	....	scoring mixer

Transportation Department
Ion Balcan	....	driver
Costel Barbu	....	driver (as Barbu Costel)
Dan Brezeanu	....	driver
Gheorghe Ciocarlea	....	driver
Dragos Constantinescu	....	driver
Eugen Dinu	....	driver (as Dinu Eugen)
Ion Eremia	....	driver
Nae Ioana	....	driver
Marcu Ion	....	driver
Gheorghe Ionel	....	driver
Giancarlo Lanzeri	....	driver
Marcu Laurentiu	....	driver
Gabi Marin	....	driver
Cornel Nevala	....	driver
Gabriel Pop	....	driver
Sarmis Stamatescu	....	driver
Ion Stefan	....	driver (as Stefan Ion)
Petre Surugiu	....	driver
Marin Traian	....	driver
Dan Trica	....	driver
Mircea Tudor	....	transportation coordinator
Bobby Barbacioru	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Madalina Bland	....	assistant to director (as Madalina Simionescu)
Michele Boudreau	....	production accountant
Wes Craven	....	presenter
Simone De Camargo	....	post-production accountant
Clara Jacobs	....	production secretary (as Clara Gheorghiu)
Devin C. Lussier	....	computer consultant
Ruxandra Popescu	....	production accountant
Paul Serbanescu	....	production assistant
Cornelia Stefan	....	script supervisor
Ovidiu Stoia	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Castel Film Romania
• Neo Art & Logic

Distributors

• Art Port (2003) (Japan) (theatrical)
• GAGA (2003) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2006) (Spain) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Video (2003) (USA) (VHS)
• Dimension Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Dimension Home Video (2003) (USA) (VHS)
• Echo Bridge Home Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS) (rental)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS) (retail)
• Walt Disney Home Video (2003) (USA) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Neo Digital Imaging
• Two Hours In The Dark (special make-up effects)

Also Known As:

"Wes Craven Presents Dracula II: Ascension" - USA (video title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence/gore and language

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA | Romania

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | Germany:16 | Japan:R-15 | Norway:15 | Singapore:M18 | USA:R | UK:15 | Spain:18 | Australia:MA | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Bucharest, Romania

Company:

Castel Film Romania

Goofs:

Continuity: The net that has been thrown onto Dracula when he's in the pool repeatedly moves up and down.

Quotes:

Lowell:Okay. We all know it's a vampire. Nobody's kidding themselves here. The trick is to separate the diseased vector - the evil, if you will - from the healthy one.
Eric:Right. Like a vaccine. When you take what makes you sick and you turn it into a cure.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Bad Movie Beatdown: Wes Craven Presents Don't Look Down (#5.4)" (2013)

Quite Impressive

The filming and overall effects for this movie are quite good. The story, however, may be a bit weak. It's curious how they tried to reconcile a scientific approach to the whole vampire lore with a supernatural one. Looking at other recent movies of similar vein (pun intended) like Blade and Underworld, it probably should have stuck to either the supernatural approach or a scientific one. Brande Roderick acting in this movie was a sure sign of it clearly being a 'B-grader' but as it turns out, she didn't really get in the way of some of the better actors. It's unfortunate she didn't show much skin because that might have been a plus. I'm always suspicious of movies where the cast looks too gorgeous but this one didn't let that slow it down. It's a fairly entertaining movie and definitely a must-watch for vampire fans.