As the wait for the next decent vampire movie continues, a new British film makes a bid for this elusive badge of honour, one that combines the vampire and gangster genres to hopefully engaging effect. The world premiere will be held at the Empire Leicester Square and will attended by a number of the film's stars, with a DVD release to follow in September. Rather than reword the press release we'll reproduce it in full below:

The second feature from British director Steve Lawson (Just For The Record), the vampires-meet-gangsters horror romp Dead Cert marks a welcome return to a fun, almost traditional British horror filmmaking style that affectionately evokes the spirit of the contemporary-set movies of Amicus and Hammer – particularly the latter's Dracula A.D. 1972 and The Satanic Rites Of Dracula.

An inventive hybrid of the vampire and Cockney gangster movie genres that comes complete with all the standard ingredients of both – creepy monsters, beautiful, scantily-clad women, tough-talking wise guys, guns, stakes, gratuitous bloodshed and a seemingly crazy vampire hunter – Dead Cert features a star-studded cast of familiar British acting talent that includes Craig Fairbrass (The Shouting Men; The Bank Job; Rise Of The Footsoldier), Billy Murray (Rise Of The Footsoldier; Essex Boys), Dexter Fletcher (Kick-Ass), hot newcomer Lisa McAllister (How To Lose Friends And Alienate People; Pumpkinhead: Ashes To Ashes), Steven Berkoff (44 Inch Chest), Dave Legeno (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), Jason Flemying (Clash Of The Titans; Kick-Ass) and, in a brilliantly judged cameo, Danny Dyer (Dead Man Running; Adulthood).

When respected but small-time gangster Freddie 'Dead Cert' Frankham (Craig Fairbrass) is unexpectedly given the chance to make a tentative leap into the big leagues with the opening of his new nightclub in London's East End, he doesn't quite realize what he is getting into. Unknown to Freddie and his partners, the club stands on the former site of a Black Church, established as a temple of evil in the 17th Century by a Romanian warlord-turned-vampire known as The Wolf. Flushed out of the city by emissaries of the Vatican during the Great Fire of London, and since then exiled in mainland Europe, The Wolf and his undead disciples have now returned to England to continue their diabolical plans to expand their legions and overcome mankind.

On the opening night of the club, Freddie is approached by an uninvited guest in the form of Dante Livienko, an Eastern European businessman, gangster and drug-dealer with a fearsome reputation. Livienko and his associates want ownership of the club and are prepared to make Freddie an offer he can't refuse in order to get what they want. But to Freddie, his new, legitimate business means far more to him than money and he's not about to give up his hard-earned turf without a fight. What he doesn't know, but is soon to find out, is the man he is about to cross is a 500-year-old vampire determined to rebuild his empire of evil on its original, unhallowed site.

Produced by horror specialists Black & Blue Films and recalling the previously mentioned Hammer classics, as well as later vampire movies such as Vamp and The Lost Boys, Dead Cert is a bloodsucking feast with more bite than most and one that horror fans will defininely enjoy getting their teeth into – especially now that it has been selected for the opening night of the prestigious FrightFest horror film festival.

The World Premiere of Dead Cert will take place 11.30pm on Thursday 27th August at The Empire Cinema in Leicester Square, London, on the opening night of the FrightFest horror film festival. Talent confirmed as attending include Craig Fairbrass, Lisa McAllister, Billy Murray, Dexter Fletcher, Jennifer Matter and screen legend Steven Berkoff along with director Steve Lawson, Executive Producer Martin Kemp and Producer Jonathan Sothcott who commented, "I'm so excited we're going to Frightfest – it really is the best horror film festival in Europe and its a real honour that they've taken Dead Cert. Craig Fairbrass and I went last year and were blown away by what a quality event it is."

Dead Cert (cert. 18 tbc) will be released on DVD (£15.99) by Momentum Pictures on 27th September 2010. Special Features include: audio commentary and a 'Making of' featurette.