Dr Van Helsing was Introduced in Bram Stoker's Classic Novel Dracula, and has Continued to Evolve

Dr Van Helsing was first concieved in 1897, making him the original and most enduring horror movie hero.  Over time the portrayals of the vampire-basher have changed quite a bit, so here we take a look at "The Many Faces of Dr Van Helsing".

Written by The Horror Czar, Don Sumner
January 21, 2007





Hero:  Dr. Van Helsing
Villain:  Count Dracula
Movies:  Dozens and Dozens
Actor:  John Gottowt, Edward Van Sloan, Peter Cushing, Laurence Olivier, Anthony Hopkins, Hugh Jackman and many others





Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel titled Dracula is credited by many as the source of modern vampire lore both in print and on film. Through the years the story of Count Dracula has been told many times and from many different points of view, but through it all Dracula himself is usually the star of the show. There is another character from the classic story, however, that has also captured the imaginations of moviegoers – Dr Van Helsing.

From the beginnings of Stoker’s vampire tale, it is the good Dr Van Helsing that knows the truth about the blood-sucking undead. He knows how to recognize those victimized by a vampire and has specific knowledge as to how a vampire can be laid to rest for good.
Edward Van Sloan, Dracula (1931)

The early renderings of Dr Van Helsing portray him as a somewhat bookish scholar, using knowledge as his primary weapon. John Gottowt’s Van Helsing in the 1922
classic Nosferatu spends his time teaching students about carnivorous plants and their relation to vampires, and Edward Van Sloan from the Universal version of Dracula (1931) confronts The Count in a very Columbo-like fashion trying to uncover the truth in a investigative yet civilized way.

In later years Dr Van Helsing becomes much more direct in his vampire-fighting ways. Peter Cushing envokes the power of God and uses a cross and religious symbolism for protection and to attack vampires in the Hammer Films series starting in 1958. Laurence Olivier as Dr Van Helsing in Dracula (1979) can often be found lurking through graveyards actively searching for the sleeping undead with a wooden stake in his hand.

Over time the film versions of Dr Van Helsing have become increasingly daring and violent, and the doctor was transformed from an intellectual to a bit of a vampire-slaying cowboy. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) portrays Van Helsing as less of a scholar and more of a vampire butt-kicker. Anthony Hopkins plays Dr Van Helsing as an intellectual man of God with a definite sadistic mean streak when it comes to the undead.

A recent evolution of Dr Van Helsing in the 2004 film Van Helsing is a drastic departure from the previous versions of the famous vampire slayer. No longer the intellectual, Hugh Jackman plays the doctor as an action hero complete with high-tech weapons and sarcastic quips.

Dr Van Helsing has become as much of a legend as Count Dracula himself, and is an important part of vampire lore. Who knows enough about vampires to assist those being assaulted? Who can trick a vampire into revealing his identity? Who can slice off the head or drive a stake into the heart of an unsuspecting vampire without an ounce of remorse? Dr Van Helsing, vampire-slayer extraordinaire, that’s who.  


Anthony Hopkins as a more violent Van Helsing

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