Dracula 2000, also known internationally as Dracula 2001, is a 2000 American horror film written and directed by Patrick Lussier (Drive Angry; My Bloody Valentine 3D; Dracula II and III) from a screenplay by Joel Soisson. The promotional title was Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000 as he was a co-executive producer.
Composer Marco Beltrami and a slew of nu-metal bands provided the soundtrack.
The Miramax film was a critical and commercial disappointment – it cost a whopping $54 million but took just $47 million theatrically. On its initial video release, it grossed an additional $32 million in the US and Canada alone so two direct-to-video sequels were produced.
Main cast:
Gerard Butler, Christopher Plummer (Vampire in Venice; Murder By Decree; The Pyx), Jonny Lee Miller, Justine Waddell, Omar Epps, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Jeri Ryan, and Jennifer Esposito.
Opening plot:
Matthew Van Helsing (Christopher Plummer), the alleged descendant of the famed 19th century Dutch medical doctor, Abraham Van Helsing, owns an antique shop in London in 2000.
One night with Van Helsing upstairs, his secretary, Solina (Jennifer Esposito), allows a group of thieves (Danny Masterson, Lochlyn Munro, Sean Patrick Thomas), led by her boyfriend, Marcus (Omar Epps), into the shop. The thieves infiltrate the shop’s underground high-security vault and find a sealed silver coffin which they escape with and flee to New Orleans, Louisiana.
Aboard the plane, one of the thieves manages to open the coffin, revealing Count Dracula (Gerard Butler) who awakens and attacks the thieves, causing the plane to crash in the Louisiana swamps.
Dracula survives the crash and travels to New Orleans where college students Mary Heller (Justine Waddell) and Lucy Westerman (Colleen Ann Fitzpatrick) are living. Mary is estranged from her family and has recently been plagued by dreams of a strange, terrifying man…
Reviews:
“There are some very good moments, most of them featuring the frail Van Helsing as he attempts to battle the fast and deadly vampires. Also, I appreciated the background given to Dracula’s aversion to silver, crosses, and God, as well as Dracula’s “true” origins. Not bad work, but it could have been much better.” Nix, Beyond Hollywood
“With its corny one-liners punctuated by gore (“Never cross an antiques dealer!”—splat), standard heavy-metal soundtrack, and religious mumbo jumbo (Dracula turns out to be Judas Iscariot!), this film could have been a real hunk o’ junk. But Lussier’s brisk direction combines with Carol Spier’s stylish production design and Peter Pau’s feverish camera work to make it totally watchable.” Steve Newton, Ear of Newt
“The formulaic big budget production is energetic and kind of fun in a curious way. The main reason is Plummer who’s able to deliver the silliest drivel with some conviction and make it sound good. The big effects are all right, and the stuff involving leeches and eyeballs really is nasty.” Mike Mayo, The Horror Show Guide
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“Dracula 2000 may not be rich in horror or story, but it’s entertaining genre fodder that you can sit back and amuse yourself with … Surely it’s not the best Dracula film ever injected in to the genre, but it’s a fun and solid vampire film that is a very apt reflection of the late nineties with a slew of stars either on their way out of the public consciousness or just about rise to fame.” Felix Vasquez, Cinema Crazed
“Dracula may stay undead in the new millennium, but there’s not a sign of life — oh, that bloodless acting — in this sorry mess.” Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Cast and characters:
- Jonny Lee Miller as Simon Sheppard
- Justine Waddell as Mary Heller/Van Helsing
- Gerard Butler as Count Dracula/Judas Iscariot
- Colleen Ann Fitzpatrick as Lucy Westerman
- Jennifer Esposito as Solina
- Danny Masterson as Nightshade
- Jeri Ryan as Valerie Sharpe
- Lochlyn Munro as Eddie
- Sean Patrick Thomas as Trick
- Omar Epps as Marcus
- Christopher Plummer as Abraham Van Helsing
- Tony Munch as Charlie
- Shane West as J.T.
- Nathan Fillion as Father David
- David J. Francis as Jesus of Nazareth
- Tom Kane as Anchorman
Choice dialogue:
Dracula: “I don’t drink… coffee.”
“Never, ever, f*ck with an antiques dealer!”
