Capsule reviews for Oct. 10

Dracula Untold

While Dracula likes to suck blood, Dracula Untold simply sucks. It’s an origins story based more in the cliches of vampire mythology than on anything in Bram Stoker’s literary source material. Vlad (Luke Evans) is trying to protect his Transylvanian kingdom from the Turks, when his influence becomes swayed by a vampire (Charles Dance) able to give him secret powers for a price. The film contains some visual flair and a charismatic performance by Evans (The Raven), but the uneven screenplay can’t decide whether it wants to be a battle epic or a horror movie. By becoming caught in the middle, it doesn’t succeed either way. (Rated PG-13, 93 minutes).

The Houses October Built

There’s an intriguing idea buried deep within this mostly tedious hybrid of fact and fiction that employs the tired found-footage structure. It follows four friends traveling in an RV, ostensibly to make a documentary about the scariest and most extreme haunted houses and their actors. But when they think they’ve hit the jackpot, the tables are turned when some sadistic backwoods thrill-seekers. The low-budget film is derailed not by the concept but the execution, namely that the actors are fine while portraying filmmakers, but they don’t earn much sympathy in the fictional segments. It’s not scary or insightful enough to smooth out the rough spots. (Not rated, 94 minutes).

Whiplash

You might not hear smooth jazz the same way again after watching this terrific character-based drama about an aspiring drummer (Miles Teller) who enrolls at a prestigious New York music school to be under the tutelage of its perfectionist instructor (J.K. Simmons), whose intimidating tirades turn him into a monster behind the scenes. While the script by director Damien Chazelle strains credibility at times, it provides insight into the rhythm of the artistic process and conveys a passion for the music and the cutthroat dedication required for greatness. The ferocious lead performances create a mesmerizing power struggle between teacher and pupil that’s both unsettling and thrilling. (Rated R, 107 minutes).