There has always been something weirdly special about vampire movies. It’s one aspect of the horror genre that’s sure to be a box office success with a good script. Van Helsing (2004) brought together all that’s exciting in that world of horror—Dracula, werewolves, slayers, Frankenstein’s monster, and holy water.
So, it was no surprise the movie was successful at the box office. With a budget of $160–170 million, the movie grossed $300.2 million. There have been talks about a reboot, with Universal Pictures making an official announcement in May 2012. However, the plans are to have Tom Cruise play the movie’s main protagonist. Hopefully, Van Helsing 2 will be worth the wait.
While we wait, here are the cast and characters that made Van Helsing a success.
Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman)
Credit: Van Helsing
When you have a movie named after its main character, you need the best actors to give it life. Hugh Jackman put down his Wolverine claws to pick up an automatic crossbow, revolvers, pump action shotgun, and pistol.
The character Abraham “Gabriel” Van Helsing has a reputation that precedes him. As a legendary hunter of monsters, he journeys to Transylvania with his friar, Carl. Their mission is simple; kill Dracula and protect the surviving Valerious—the last bloodline of an ancient Romanian family.
Things go awry when he becomes one of the monsters he has fought for most of his life. Added to his mission, he must find a cure to reverse his curse.
Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale)
Credit: Van Helsing
The beautiful and talented Kate Beckinsale plays the character of Anna Valerious. Beckinsale came on the project with lots of experience from slaying monsters in the first film of the Underworld franchise that premiered the previous year.
Anna Valerious is the only surviving daughter of the Valerious bloodline. She loses her only brother when he falls into the river gorge with one of Dracula’s werewolves. She teams up with Van Helsing to stop and kill Dracula. This was a role that was definitely spearheaded by her character of Selene in the Underworld movie trilogy.
Count Vladislaus Dracula (Richard Roxburgh)
Credit: Van Helsing
The Dracula character is not new to TV screens, but it takes a super-talented actor to breathe life into it. Richard Roxburgh delivers exceptionally as Dracula. In the movie, Dracula is the most powerful vampire in Transylvania.
He’s got three brides (Verona, Marishka, and Aleera) that do his bidding and satisfy his insatiable lust. Somehow, Dracula has managed to capture and train werewolves and uses them as foot soldiers. Igor, Frankenstein’s former servant, helps Dracula torture them to submission.
Dracula is seeking ways to bring his children to life. To do this, he needs Frankenstein’s monster to act as a conduit to provide the needed electrical charge.
Carl (David Wenham)
Credit: Van Helsing
Heroes need a sidekick, and Carl embodies Van Helsing’s sidekick role. Carl is a friar of the Holy Order and a weapon inventor. He accompanies Van Helsing to Transylvania and helps provide the necessary weapons to battle monsters.
Frankenstein’s Monster (Shuler Hensley)
Credit: Van Helsing
Shuler Hensley plays the famous Frankenstein monster. The monster awakes to discover his father (Frankenstein) has been killed by Dracula. To avoid being killed by the angry mob, he flees to a nearby windmill with Frankenstein’s body.
After surviving the fire, he tries to lay low and fit in. However, he becomes part of the movie’s main character when Dracula discovers he’s the key to his planned experiment.
Igor (Kevin J. O’Connor)
Credit: Van Helsing
The movie starts with Igor as a servant of Frankenstein. Upon his death in the hands of Dracula, Igor moves on to serve Dracula. He’s one of the movie’s antagonists whose death probably excited viewers. For some strange reason, Igor enjoys torturing werewolves.
Velkan Valerious (Will Kemp)
Credit: Van Helsing
Will Kemp plays Velkan, the brother of Anna Valerious. The last time she sees him, he falls into the river gorge with a werewolf. She would later discover that he had been turned into a werewolf. After enduring Igor’s torture, Velkan is loyal to Dracula.
Aleera (Elena Ayana)
Credit: Van Helsing
Elena Ayana plays Aleera, one of Dracula’s brides. She’s the last bride to die and is killed by Anna Valerious. Just before stabbing her heart with a stake, Anna gives us one of the most epic lines in the movie:
“I think if you’re going to kill someone, kill them; don’t stand there talking about it.”
Verona (Silvia Colloca)
Credit: Van Helsing
Verona is also one of Dracula’s three brides. She and Aleera are deceived into thinking the carriage Van Helsing was riding contained Frankenstein’s monster. She’s killed when silver stakes are shot at her after the carriage explosion.
Marishka (Josie Maran)
Credit: Van Helsing
Marishka is one of Dracula’s three brides and the first to die. She’s killed by Van Helsing when a shot from his holy water-dipped crossbow pierces her heart. In trying to play games with Van Helsing before killing him, she miscalculates and throws him closer to his crossbow. It’s never a good idea to play with one’s food!Kate Beckinsale
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