Filmmaker Sommers Raises Stakes With 'Van Helsing'

If you thought it was going to be a "wrap" for Stephen Sommers after the blockbuster successes of "The Mummy" in 1999 and its sequel "The Mummy Returns" in 2001, you obviously made a monstrous mistake.

Quite simply, there are far too many monster movie icons that were begging to be unearthed from the Universal Studios vault. So not only did Sommers revive Dracula, Frankenstein's monster and the Wolf Man, he brought them together in rip-roaring monster extravaganza in "Van Helsing," a film that gives more prominence to the famed vampire hunter from Bram Stoker's "Dracula" novel and subsequent movie versions that featured the character.

The film, which earned nearly $300 million worldwide during its theatrical run over the summer, makes its debut on DVD (Universal Studios Home Video) this week. And much like he did with his "Mummy" movies, Sommers re-imagined the classic characters and unraveled a whole new world of possibilities.

To begin with, Sommers enlisted a dashing Hugh Jackman to play his title character, a much younger and decidedly more complex Van Helsing first portrayed by Edward Van Sloan in Bela Lugosi's "Dracula."

In the film, Van Helsing works for a secret society made up of all religions, with the sole purpose of ridding the world of evil. Aided by a weapons-savvy friar (David Wenham), his latest assignment takes him Transylvania, where he will face Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh) and help Princess Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale) rid of family of a 400-year-old curse in the process.

But there's much more in store in Transylvania than Van Helsing expects. Anna's brother, Prince Velkan (Will Kemp) has been bitten by a werewolf, and Dracula and his bloodthirsty brides (Josie Maran, Silvia Colloca and Elena Anaya) want Frankenstein's monster (Shuler Hensley) for a plan that will help infest the world with their own.

While Sommers has given a different spin, creatively, to the classic monster movie genre, he doesn't abandon its sensibilities. The film has many iconic references to the classics of yesteryear, beginning with a spectacular black and white homage complete with angry villagers and a burning windmill.

"I loved the cinematography and the atmosphere of the old productions -- as a kid they just swept me away," Sommers told me in a new @ The Movies interview last week. "I thought, wow, we have to do that again. From the first draft of the script, I knew that the opening sequence would be in black and white and the studio thought that was cool."

But opening the film in black and white wasn't the only Universal monster idea Sommers had in mind. In the first draft of the script that didn't quite pan out -- he was also going to bring back to life the Gillman from "The Creature From the Black Lagoon."

"He was in a moat that protected Castle Dracula," Sommers recalled with a laugh. "But after reading the first draft, I thought, 'You know, I'm kind of pushing it here. The thing about Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man is that they're all from the same time period, and they're all from Eastern Europe. But with the Creature, it was one bridge too far."

One bridge that wasn't too far was the one that extended to Europe and other markets overseas, where "Van Helsing" as well as Sommers' "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns" were welcomed with open arms. In fact, Sommers says the success of his monster movies beyond North America continues to take him by surprise.

"When the first 'Mummy' became such a huge hit overseas, I thought, 'Where did that come from?' I was hoping it would do well in this country, but I had no idea that it would be popular from India to Brazil," Sommers said.

But it was his last global stop for "Van Helsing" where Sommers was landed the knockout punch.

"I was in Japan five weeks ago, which was the last country 'Van Helsing' opened in. It's the land of 'Godzilla' and man do they love their monsters," Sommers observed. "Watching the movie with them was like pure joy. I thought that fun. At least with these kinds of movies, they're much less cynical in Japan."

While Sommers got to enjoy another monstrous movie smash with "Van Helsing," the taste of success this time around was bittersweet. You can tell why when the end credits begin to role, starting with "Written and directed by Stephen Sommers, in memory of my Dad." He told me he used to drag his father in front of the television to watch the classic monster movies as a young boy in Minnesota.

"He died very suddenly four days before I finished shooting the movie, which was about a year ago last June," Sommers explained. "He and my mom came out to the set with about six days left of shooting. He came to all of my sets. So (putting his name in the credits) was the fitting thing to do. He was great guy."

Making A Monstrous DVD
Sommers well knows that nowadays, the movie doesn't end when the final credits role. With the smashing success of his films comes the great expectations of the DVD release, and "Van Helsing" doesn't disappoint.

In addition to commentary tracks with Sommers, Roxburgh, Kemp and Hensley, the disc has many interactive features, including a in-depth tour of Castle Dracula and a special "You Are in the Movie!" segment, where miniature cameras on the set give viewers an actor's perspective during the shooting of some of the scenes in the film.

"When the first 'Mummy' movie came out, DVDs were still relatively new so we weren't very involved in the production of it," Sommers recalled. "But with 'The Mummy Returns' we were very involved and with 'Van Helsing,' we were incredibly involved. It's hard enough that you're movies get reviewed to begin with, but now you're extras get reviewed. We had a documentary crew on the set every day and they stayed with us throughout post-production. I swear the guys who put together the DVD had 100 hours of stuff."

Even though the "Van Helsing" DVD is brand new, Sommers hasn't wasted any time jumping on a new project. He is currently gearing up for work on another classic character in "Flash Gordon," which is in its initial production phases.

"We're producing 'Flash Gordon' and I may write it, but I don't know just yet if I'll direct it," Sommers said. "I'm still tired from the last four special effects movies that I've done. But we'll definitely be making it."

And, Sommers said, like his monster movies, his "Flash Gordon" will be a re-imagined vision of a classic character.

"It can't be like the 1980 movie," Sommers deadpanned. "I just want to have a lot of fun with it. I like the old comic strips, which are so fun and colorful. He's such an iconic hero. I thought, 'Wouldn't it be fun to re-invent him?'"

As for his monster movies, Sommers says he's done -- well, at least for the time being.

"Right now, I've done my monster movies," Sommers concluded. "But who knows? Never say 'Never.'"