Based on an Italian comic, Dylan Dog: Dead of Night borrows from old detective noir films while injecting a dose of comic horror.
Dylan Dog (Brandon Routh), private investigator of the supernatural, is coming out of retirement. When Elizabeth (Anita Briem) finds her father dead, mauled by something inhuman, she enlists Dylan's help. Searching for answers among hostile werewolves, vampires and zombies, Dylan and sidekick Marcus (Sam Huntington) find themselves in some truly bizarre situations.
The plot is thin and interspersed with flashbacks and a distracting side plot. Briem and Routh have no chemistry. The original Dylan was a womaniser, but this one lacks raw charisma.
Taye Digg's performance as Vargas, the vampire, is an exception. Vargas is a strong villain and one of the better-developed characters. Peter Stormare as Gabriel, the werewolf, is no less intense.
Sadly, Marcus and Elizabeth lack credibility. For a mourning daughter, she is surprisingly aloof. She also looks as if she has just come from the beach. Marcus is funny, but there's not a lot in his lines to work with. He's more the fool whose role is to make Dylan seem cooler.
Dylan Dog: Dead of Night is rickety but charming.