A group of thieves break into a chamber expecting to find paintings, but instead they release the count himself, who travels to New Orleans to find his nemesis' daughter, Mary Van Helsing.
In the millenium version of this classic Gothic horror we find Abraham Van Helsing (Plummer), who has tangled with Count Dracula (Butler) in the past, working as an English antiques dealer. Simon (Miller) is a vampire hunter in training under his apprenticeship. Van Helsing and Simon travel from London to New Orleans to rescue Van Helsing's daughter Mary (Waddell) from the family's life long nemesis - Dracula.Written by
Sujit R. Varma
Script doctor Scott Derrickson tells the story of how he got the job working on this film. He got a phone call from Harvey Weinstein, saying, "I just bought this script, called, 'Dracula 2000'." Derrickson replied, "Oh, yeah? Is it good?" "It stinks!" "So why did you buy it?" "Because it's called, 'Dracula 2000'." Derrickson did the re-write. Derrickson's rewrite was subsequently discarded by Weinstein and the script was rewritten by Ehren Kruger. See more »
Goofs
The opening sequence (set pre-2000) contains a shot of London, including the Houses of Parliament, with a black-roofed building opposite (which, in fact, was not built until 2000). Later during the movie, now set in the present day, a similar shot correctly shows this building under construction, with bare foundations. See more »
Quotes
Simon Sheppard:
What just happened in there?
Abraham Van Helsing:
I told you to kill her! They can be killed by silver, by sunlight or by stakes. You must pierce their heart or behead them. They are nosferatu, vampires.
Simon Sheppard:
And you knew this? And-and-and you're all right with this?
Abraham Van Helsing:
I had them destroyed, eradicated. All but one: my secret in the abbey. He is what they stole.
Simon Sheppard:
Who?
Abraham Van Helsing:
Dracula. Dracula: not myth, nor ravings of a mad Irish novelist, oh no. He's real, I assure you.
Simon Sheppard:
This is the fucking Twilight Zone!
See more »
Crazy Credits
As the credits roll, interspersed in the words, are coloured pictures of things important to the movie's premise, including a row of teeth, a bat, and a cross. These pictures are seen both on the left and right sides. See more »
Night on Bald Mountain
Written by Modest Mussorgsky
Performed by The Oslo Filharmonic Orchestra (as Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra)
Courtesy of EMI Classics
Under License from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets See more »
Dracula 2000 is one of those films that doesn't appear to be anything else than another cheesy B-flick with a paper thin plot, bland characters and awful dialogue. And while granted it is a B-flick in tone, it has more depth than that.
First of all, it has some real acting talent working for it. Both Christopher Plummer as Van Helsing and Gerard Butler as Dracula are very good actors in their own right and it shows. Butler is not a perfect fit for the character of Dracula, but he is much better than you'd expect. The more minor actors are also refreshingly decent and do manage to keep the story afloat throughout the entire film.
The story is also good and smooth, if somewhat basic in principle, the special effects work surprisingly well and the soundtrack fits the style well. But what I really love about this film is the way it uses and re-purposes vampire lore. It uses all the usual clichés skillfully, but the best part is the new backstory they give Dracula. It's unlike anything I've seen, yet fits perfectly, neatly explaining most of the idiosyncrasies he has. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful, and I do hope it catches on.
And that's Dracula 2000. It's a good film with some hints of greatness, despite the goofy name. Well worth a watch for all vampire horror fans.
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Dracula 2000 is one of those films that doesn't appear to be anything else than another cheesy B-flick with a paper thin plot, bland characters and awful dialogue. And while granted it is a B-flick in tone, it has more depth than that.
First of all, it has some real acting talent working for it. Both Christopher Plummer as Van Helsing and Gerard Butler as Dracula are very good actors in their own right and it shows. Butler is not a perfect fit for the character of Dracula, but he is much better than you'd expect. The more minor actors are also refreshingly decent and do manage to keep the story afloat throughout the entire film.
The story is also good and smooth, if somewhat basic in principle, the special effects work surprisingly well and the soundtrack fits the style well. But what I really love about this film is the way it uses and re-purposes vampire lore. It uses all the usual clichés skillfully, but the best part is the new backstory they give Dracula. It's unlike anything I've seen, yet fits perfectly, neatly explaining most of the idiosyncrasies he has. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful, and I do hope it catches on.
And that's Dracula 2000. It's a good film with some hints of greatness, despite the goofy name. Well worth a watch for all vampire horror fans.