Say Goodbye to Hugh Jackman’s Cult Classic Vampire Movie as It Flies Off Streaming
When you think about Hugh Jackman, you usually associate the Australian actor with two personas: the Marvel superstar that has become the definitive live-action representation of the mutant Wolverine, or the Tony winner that has expressed his love for musicals in movies like Les Misérables and The Greatest Showman. But we often forget that the actor almost kicked off his own franchise as a monster hunter over 20 years ago in the action/fantasy flick Van Helsing. The movie first premiered in 2004, and if you feel like rediscovering it, the time is now: Netflix will remove it from the library on October 1.
Van Helsing tells the story of a monster hunter who gets tasked with going to Transylvania in order to stop the king of vampires from putting a deadly plan into motion. Dracula (Richard Roxburgh) wants to unleash a slate of supernatural creatures into the world, while Van Helsing (Jackman) himself is trying to find a way to retrieve his own memories. The cast also features Kate Beckinsale (Canary Black), David Wenham (Pieces of Her), Will Kemp (Reign), and Kevin J. O’Connor (Chicago P.D.).
The movie made over $300 million at the global box office, which is a pretty big number, but not that great when you factor in that the ambitious project cost roughly $170 million to come to life. Since the adventure features a slate of Universal Monsters such as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, werewolves, Dr. Frankenstein, and others, it’s easy to see how Van Helsing might have spawned a franchise. However, the studio was not too happy with the performance, and the less-than-stellar reception didn’t help: The movie currently holds a 24% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Fans of ‘Van Helsing’ Weren’t Abandoned
Even though we never got to see a Van Helsing sequel, fans of the would-be franchise weren’t left to their own devices for too long. In 2016, SyFy brought to life a Van Helsing series, which has no direct connection with the 2004 movie but is also inspired by Abraham Van Helsing — a character in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It stars Kelly Overton (True Blood) and ran for five seasons, and fans will tell you that it was overlooked and underrated.
Van Helsing — the movie — was directed by Stephen Sommers, who previously showcased his talent for thrilling adventures by helming The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. After Van Helsing, he directed G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and Odd Thomas.
You can stream Van Helsing on Netflix until October 1.
