Italian postcard by Promocard, no. PC 4802. Photo: Universal. Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing (Stephen Sommers, 2004). The card was published for the video and DVD release of the film in Italy.
A tribute to Universal's classic Horror films
Universal produced Van Helsing (Stephen Sommers, 2004) as a homage and tribute to the Horror Monster films from the 1930s and 1940s, which were also produced by Universal Studios. Director is Stephen Sommers then known from The Mummy (1999), and its sequel, The Mummy Returns (2001). Sommers is a fan of Universal's horror films which were based on classic novels by Irish author Bram Stoker and by British Mary Shelley.
The character of Van Helsing was inspired by the Dutch vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing from Bram Stoker's novel 'Dracula'. The film includes a number of monsters such as Count Dracula (and other Vampires), Frankenstein's monster, Duergar, Mr. Hyde and werewolves in a way similar to the multi-monster movies that Universal produced in the 1940s, such as Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (Roy William Neill, 1943), House of Frankenstein (Erle C. Kenton, 1944) and House of Dracula (Erle C. Kenton, 1945) with Lon Chaney Jr.
The film received mostly negative reviews. Jeremy Wheeler at AllMovie: "With a budget reportedly weighing in at a hefty 160 million dollars, Van Helsing is a bloated excuse for a crowd-pleaser whose excessive effects and humorless tone will undoubtedly suck the life out its audience long before the credits roll."
However, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film 3 stars out of 4: "The screenplay by Sommers has humor but restrains itself; the best touches are the quiet ones, as when the friar objects to accompanying Van Helsing ("But I'm not a field man," he insists) and when the Monster somewhat unexpectedly recites the 23rd Psalm. At the outset, we may fear Sommers is simply going for f/x overkill, but by the end, he has somehow succeeded in assembling all his monsters and plot threads into a high-voltage climax. Van Helsing is silly, spectacular and fun."
Despite the mostly negative reviews, Van Helsing (Stephen Sommers, 2004) earned $51 million at #1 during the opening weekend of 7-9 May 2004. The film eventually grossed US $300,257,475 worldwide.
Italian postcard by Promocard, no. PC 4804. Photo: Universal. Kate Beckinsale in Van Helsing (Stephen Sommers, 2004). The card was published for the video and DVD release of the film in Italy.
Italian postcard by Promocard, no. PC 4805. Photo: Universal. Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing (Stephen Sommers, 2004). The card was published for the video and DVD release of the film in Italy.
Sources: Jeremy Wheeler (AllMovie), Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun Times), Wikipedia and IMDb.
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