Hugh Jackman becomes the legendary monster hunter, Gabriel Van Helsing, in this 2004 action-thriller which spans the combined universes of some of gothic fiction’s most iconic beasts – more specifically those featured in Universal’s 1930s horror-monster features. Joining Jackman amongst the cast are Kate Beckinsale as Anna Valerious, the last surviving member of an ancient Romanian family, Richard Roxburg as Bram Stoker’s iconic vampiric antagonist, Count Dracula, and David Wenham as Carl, a friar of the holy order and an ally to Van Helsing.
The film picks up in the late 19th century as Van Helsing, an acclaimed monster hunter, finally killing the elusive Mr Hyde in Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris. He subsequently returns to the Vatican where he is met by the enigmatic Anna Valerious and her brother, Velkan who hire the monster hunter to kill a vampiric count and his fledgling vampire brides, claiming that their ancestors are unable to find peace in the afterlife until the coven of monsters are dead. What begins as a standard monster hunting case, suddenly takes a dangerous turn for Van Helsing and his new companions however as malevolent forces conspire against them from the shadows.
Van Helsing (2004) – Friday 9:00pm on ITV2.
