Now this one's going to be a tricky flick to review, and here's why: If I go into a lot of details about the plot or rattle off a list of movies that The Passage borrows (and semi-steals) from, then I'm spoiling the whole package for anyone who wants to see the film. And even though I didn't exactly adore the flick, I certainly wouldn't think of ruining the thing for anyone. Suffice to say that any horror fan worth his salt will figure out where The Passage is headed after only about 25 minutes -- and then it goes precisely there. The scenery is handsome and the screenplay's not half-bad, but there's always something to be said for a little originality, and unfortunately that's one thing that The Passage lacks. Big time.

Stephen Dorff and Neil Jackson play a pair of thinly-drawn buddies who are spending some time in Morocco for a vague-yet-upsetting reason. (I'm not spoiling anything by saying that they're getting over a sad tragedy together.) But when Luke (Dorff) meets up with the stunningly beautiful Zahara (Sarai Givaty), his mopiness subsides for just a few minutes. So imagine our hero's excitement after Zahara invites him on an overnight trip to a far-away hotel. (Getting the clues yet?) Meanwhile, Adam (Jackson) stays behind and plans to meet up with the couple the next morning.

Needless to say, things don't even remotely go according to plan.

Fox 2000 and Ridley Scott's production company have snagged the (pricey) rights to Jordan Ainsley's as-yet-unpublished vampire trilogy -- but the concept sounds pretty dang cool. Described by Variety as a cross between 28 Weeks Later and The Stand, Ainsley's The Passage won't hit book stores until next year -- but that hasn't stopped the studios from mounting a hefty bidding war for the three-part property.

Seems that Mr. Ainsley (who is actually the award-winning author Justin Cronin) received about $3.5 million for film rights on his three books. And get this: That paycheck was based only on a partial manuscript and an outline! Here's how the trade paper describes the story: "When terminally ill cancer patients get healthy after being bitten by bats in South America, the government conducts secret tests with human subjects to see if a virus can cure illness. Instead, it unleashes a swarm of bloodthirsty vampires out of the test subjects, which include death row inmates."

Awww yeahhh. Now that sounds like a book I'll want to read before seeing the movie. (Usually I wait till after. I know. I'm weird that way.) Although the project will be guided to the screen by Fox 2K and Scott Free Productions, it's not yet clear if Ridley (or Tony) will direct the first film. Although as a huge Ridley Scott fan, I really hope he does. That way it'll be a hardcore horror epic that's made for grown-ups. Plus it'll look real neat. Sir Ridley's good that way. As mentioned earlier, The Passage won't hit book stores until next summer ... but I'll be waiting.

Stephen Dorff confuses me. He's done some work that I love, whether we're talking years ago with The Power of One, taking on Candy Darling for I Shot Andy Warhol or Waters movie mayhem like Cecil B. Demented. However, he's also a part of better-off-forgotten flicks like Deuces Wild and FeardotCom. He's one of those actors who is never completely written off, yet no one is expecting greatness either. What will become of his latest film? Well, that remains to be seen -- although most of his success is usually in idiosyncratic roles.

The actor's upcoming The Passage was penned by Neil Jackson, who played Marcus Van Sciver in the Blade television series. The thriller is about an American man who falls in love with a Moroccan woman, and finds out that his forbidden romance could prove deadly. Dorff stars along with Jackson, Israeli actress and model Sarai Givati (who recently made a guest appearance on CSI) and Khalid Benchagra, a Moroccan television star. A low-budget film (less than $5 million) financed by Silverwood Films, Passage is the cinematic directorial debut for British theater director Mark Heller. If you're hungry for more Dorff before this film hits the screen, you might be able to see him in prime-time this fall. He's got a television pilot on the pike from The Queen director, Stephen Frears. Called Skip Tracer, the CBS pilot is about a charming man who finds missing people for clients in Los Angeles.