The Dracula 2000 episode of WTF Occurred to This Horror Film? was Written by Emilie Black, Narrated by Adam Walton, Edited by Victoria Verduzco, Produced by Andrew Hatfield and John Fallon, and Govt Produced by Berge Garabedian.
Horror within the yr 2000 was one thing. Yeah, that’s it, it was one thing. A number of it occurred, a few of it was nice, a few of it was good, and a few of it, not a lot. Truly, if the web crowd is to be believed, the early 2000s, particularly the yr 2000 have been abysmal for horror. We did get a number of memorable movies launched in 2000 like the primary Ultimate Vacation spot movie, Cherry Falls, Ginger Snaps, The Cell, and American Psycho. Nonetheless, the scales had some severe dangerous on the opposite aspect to steadiness all of it out. Movies like E-book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, Hellraiser: Inferno, Christina’s Home, and Dracula 2000 (watch it HERE) got here and made horror followers remorse their alternative of going to see them or renting them. The Gerard Butler starrer Dracula 2000 is the place we will probably be digging right now.
Dracula 2000 was launched on December twenty second, 2000, in North America the place it was a fairly typical factor to have a horror film launched proper across the Holidays yearly. Form of a counter-programming factor to all of the household pleasant, vacation themed films popping out in theaters, direct to video, and on tv. Yearly, horror followers waited for these, fortunately making them a part of their conventional vacation outings. Dracula 2000 was launched in theaters that December to a convincing “thud” from critics. As of this writing, the movie has a fabulously excessive 17% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and 39&% from audiences. After all, a few of these rankings have adjusted with more moderen critiques and rankings, however total, that 17% is fairly consultant of the way it was obtained again in 2000.
The movies story was a modernization of the traditional Dracula novel however transferring it to the yr 2000 and to New Orleans. There’s undoubtedly among the traditional Dracula in there, principally among the character names, who they signify, and Dracula himself, but it surely’s a extra generic than anything kind of adaptation. Using New Orleans screams of wanting to connect with the Anne Rice world of vampires with out going to her work and its value to adapt. Dracula right here is delivered to the US by means of an antiques vendor and some thieves. As soon as in New Orleans, he magically finds each Lucy and Mina, or as she’s renamed right here Mary because the movie additionally mixes Christianity themes all through with Mary who works at Virgin report retailer and the usage of a Christ on the Cross in a number of scenes. There’s quite a bit right here and the movie does appear to know what to do with, effectively, a few of it. Did we are saying that Mary is a Van Helsing? Oh yeah, she’s a Van Helsing and a illustration of the Virgin Mary. There’s lots of imagery, lots of metaphors, and in the event you assume you may miss it, the movie hits you within the head with it.
So, who’s chargeable for this mess of a script? Nicely, if IMDB is to be believed, the movie is credited to writers Joel Soisson and Patrick Lussier with a serving to hand from Bram Stoker, in fact, as his characters are the premise for the entire thing. A bit extra digging brings up a number of extra names together with Scott Derrickson who was introduced in as a script physician however whose script was tossed in favor of one other rewrite by Ehren Kruger. If all these names are acquainted, it’s as a result of they need to be. Joel Soisson has written a complete lot of sequels in his profession together with The Prophecy 3: The Ascent, Highlander: Endgame, Mimic 2, Youngsters of the Corn: Genesis, Piranha 3DD, and some extra. He additionally has a number of non-sequel horror films and random movies on his resume. Patrick Lussier, for his half, is a reputation that now brings a bit extra confidence to audiences, however he’s principally often known as an editor and a director. As he additionally directed Dracula 2000, it is sensible to try his directing credit. Dracula 2000 was solely his second characteristic movie with The Prophecy 3: The Ascent as his first. Following Dracula 2000, he directed each sequels to the movie, then White Noise 2: The Gentle, My Bloody Valentine remake, Drive Indignant, Trick, and extra. So, it could be acceptable to imagine that this might be a enjoyable movie as he has been concerned with some enjoyable movies since then. His work is a bit uneven, however there’s some good in there, so his identify will not be a dying sentence for a movie. The truth that the movie has seemingly a number of rewrites leads one to consider that maybe there have been too many cooks within the kitchen right here. And that kitchen was run by Harvey Weinstein, sure him, who simply needed the movie due to its title. The beforehand named writers concerned right here have been Scott Derrickson whose model was scrapped, however who is aware of if any of it was saved. His work included again then a brief movie known as Love within the Ruins and two options: City Legends: Ultimate Lower and Hellraiser: Inferno, so um, not precisely the very best of the very best. Nonetheless, the person has since written The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister, Physician Unusual, and The Black Cellphone amongst others, so clearly there’s expertise there. Ehren Kruger had Arlington Highway and Scream 3, amongst others, behind him at the moment, so he had some good credit too. Since then, he’s written the US Ring movies, The Skeleton Key, The Brothers Grimm, Blood and Chocolate, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Darkish of the Moon, and Age of Extinction, the more moderen Dumbo movie, and Prime Gun: Maverick. He’s been far and wide with some good, some nice, and a few actually dangerous. So discovering this on his resume as a credited author doesn’t precisely shock anybody.
Now, for a reputation that’s arduous to keep away from and had just about nothing to do with the movie past approving of it: Wes Craven! Sure, this was a Wes Craven Presents. Thoughts Ripper, Wishmaster, and Don’t Look Down all got here earlier than earlier than Dracula 2000 and They in addition to the Dracula 2000 sequels have appeared since then. Whereas a few of these have been drastically fulfilling, the standard right here is uneven, a bit like with the Fangoria Presents movie line across the similar time. It was a well-liked factor to have an even bigger identify current a movie on the poster, within the advertising, and far and wide even when this identify had nothing to do with a movie. It appears to be much less finished today, but it surely was large within the late Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s.
Now, let’s check out the forged which consists of uh, what, why, who, and the way??? Yeah, the forged again then was attention-grabbing, now trying again it’s much more attention-grabbing and in a complete new manner. Let’s begin with our titular dude, the bloodsucker on the head of this complete mess: Gerard Butler. For Butler, that is credited as his first US main function and it’s effectively, not his greatest. Since then, he’s instructed the story of Star Wars, and fought dragons, in Reign of Hearth, bought misplaced in time in Timeline, each of which many appear to have forgotten, then he sang his coronary heart out in an adaptation of the Phantom of the Opera that was, effectively, one thing. He then adopted all of that with a bunch of romantic comedies and motion movies. The person has a diversified resume and has one thing for everybody. His Dracula was maybe not fairly it although. Granted, some beloved it, however trying again, it was merely a steppingstone to a greater bunch of movies. Taking part in Mary Van Helsing is Justine Waddell who had finished principally tv earlier than this and has been in 7 movies and one tv present since then, disappearing from screens in 2011. Taking part in her greatest pal Lucy is singer Vitamin C, the how/why of the bunch but in addition somebody most individuals received’t acknowledge except they have been in highschool and graduated proper across the time her music “Commencement (Associates Perpetually)” got here out. Her presence was head-scratching at greatest whereas her appearing was surprisingly not the worst of the bunch. Then we get the thieves performed by Jonny Lee Miller who wants no introduction at this level, Jennifer Esposito, Omar Epps, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Danny Masterson, a gaggle of very on level forged members for 2000, most of them nonetheless fairly busy appearing on tv and in movies. The one that can not be forgotten right here is Christopher Plummer who was probably the most important “how on this planet did they get him to comply with this?” of the entire movie. He did get the Abraham Van Helsing half, so there’s that, however nonetheless, no quantity of Mr. Plummer’s good work may save this film and he solely will get a number of scenes, so he’s gone in a flash.
Additionally, again then, having Harvey Weinstein as a producer who had concepts and appeared fingers on for this one was not thought of a foul factor, nevertheless, his popularity now will not be good. His identify hooked up most undoubtedly doesn’t assist the movie acquire some new audiences via the previous few years like another early 2000s movies have.
All of that pedigree, good or dangerous, appeared to not affect the movie all that a lot. Sure, there are some good concepts right here and there, among the performances are greater than first rate, however total, the movie is horrible. Its the form of movie that’s greatest suited to a foul film evening, perhaps even one with correct 2000s themed meals and drinks, and some different movies from that yr. It’s not a fantastic movie and effectively, it confirmed within the numbers.
The movie value, in keeping with some on-line sources, $54 million whereas different sources have it at $28 million. Because the movie is taken into account a flop and the price range as soon as together with all advertising was almost certainly on the aspect of $54 million, that first determine and probably the most reported one makes extra sense. The movie was thought of a flop on the time and nonetheless is. Its worldwide field workplace totaled $47.1 million, a bit underneath the price range at $54 million. But, the movie nonetheless bought 2 sequels, Dracula II: Ascension in 2003 and Dracula III: Legacy in 2005. Each of these could possibly be a complete different video, however the curiosity in them is proscribed at greatest at this level. As for Dracula 2000, a number of issues doubtless influenced its field workplace similar to its launch date, its trailer, and the way badly it was reviewed. Additionally, the competitors the weekend it was launched, and the next weeks needs to be considered. On December twenty second, 2000, the competitors was attention-grabbing, it had a little bit of all the things from Oscar-bait movies to romantic comedies to horror to cartoons. It was an attention-grabbing week to go see a film or two that’s for positive. The highest ten movies have been Solid Away, What Girl Need, The Household Man, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Miss Congeniality, The Emperor’s New Groove, Dracula 2000, Vertical Restrict, Dude, The place’s My Automotive, and Crouching Tiger. Hidden Dragon, which let’s be sincere, was a very sturdy prime ten. The truth that Dracula 2000 got here in at quantity seven is fairly good contemplating it was popping out towards Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Nic Cage, Jim Carrey, Sandra Bullock, and Michelle Yeoh. That prime 10 would in all probability nearly all be nonetheless within the prime ten if these movies have been launched for the primary time this yr, so it was not a foul group to be with. On week 2 of launch, Dracula 2000 fell to quantity 8, maintained it the subsequent week, after which fell to quantity 16 on its 4th week of launch, mainly falling away fully after that. The movie was not seemingly an enormous flop on the field workplace, but it surely was not fairly sufficient to recoup its value.
Dracula 2000 is a really 2000 movie certainly, with the style, the music, the forged, and look the yr 2000. There’s something charming about it today despite the fact that it’s not precisely a superb movie and it has some enjoyable parts like seeing a really younger Gerard Butler and Jonny Lee Miller in motion. The movie will not be a whole loss, but it surely’s removed from a traditional.
A few the earlier episodes of WTF Occurred to This Horror Film? may be seen beneath. To see extra, head over to our JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe whilst you’re there!