Line #54 Film/VanHelsing


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/van-helsing.jpg]]
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3	''Van Helsing'' is a 2004 Supernatural ActionHorror-{{Adventure}} movie released by Creator/UniversalPictures and directed by Creator/StephenSommers, who did the first two films of ''Film/TheMummyTrilogy''. It stars Creator/HughJackman as the eponymous VampireHunter, loosely based on the character from Creator/BramStoker's ''Literature/{{Dracula}}''. In this incarnation, he works as an agent of the Knights of the Holy Order in the Vatican to hunt down monsters and other abominations. Aiding him is Friar Carl (Creator/DavidWenham), a slightly irreverent tinkerer and inventor that supplies him with the speciality equipment he needs to take down the creatures of the night.
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5	Van Helsing and Friar Carl are sent to Transylvania to help the last of the Valerious family, Anna (Creator/KateBeckinsale) and her brother Velkan (Will Kemp), destroy {{Dracula}} (Creator/RichardRoxburgh) -- because if they don't, several generations of the family will never get to heaven due to their family's oath.
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7	Once there, Van Helsing finds himself facing down [[MonsterMash Dracula and his brides, savage werewolves, and even Frankenstein's creation]] in the course of his mission -- and discovering a few secrets about his own past, with plenty of Franchise/UniversalHorror[=/=]Film/HammerHorror [[ShoutOut Shout-Outs]] along the way.
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9	There's also a short animated film, ''WesternAnimation/VanHelsingTheLondonAssignment'', which is a prequel to this film.
10	----
11	!!''Van Helsing'' provides examples of the following tropes:
12	[[foldercontrol]]
13	[[folder:Tropes A-L]]
14	* AbsurdlySharpClaws: Werewolf Gabriel leaves claw-marks on a stone statue during his brawl with Dracula.
15	* ActionGirl: Anna ''wants'' to be one, right from the get-go. She spends so much time trying to get into fights that at one point Van Helsing actually has to gas her into unconsciousness. Unfortunately, she's still a human fighting supernatural monsters. She's not a complete disappointment, though, given how she performs some impressive feats of agility and acrobatics throughout the film that make up for her [[OvershadowedByAwesome comparative weakness]].
16	* ActorAllusion:
17	** Creator/KateBeckinsale's character hunts [[Film/Underworld2003 vampires]]. This was originally what was preventing her from being cast; as she had just done ''Underworld'', Stephen Sommers feared she wouldn't want to do another vampire film. However, her agent convinced him to send her the script, and she immediately signed on.
18	** Creator/HughJackman [[Film/X2XMenUnited plays the role]] of a grim loner with no memory of who he was, while facing an enemy who knows him and his forgotten past and taunts him for it. He also [[spoiler:turns into a [[ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} werewolf]].]] More superficially he also bares his claws in a very similar way to Wolverine.
19	** Silvia Collocca (Verona) has often been compared to fellow Italian actress Monica Bellucci. It can't be a coincidence that Collocca is playing the same character Bellucci played in ''Film/BramStokersDracula''.
20	** Kevin J. O'Connor [[Film/TheMummy1999 plays another]] TheRenfield character by serving a horror movie villain out of greed. In another Steven Sommers film no less.
21	* AdaptationalBadass:
22	** One of the entire points to making the film was to reinvent the Van Helsing character into a younger, action hero-type. In the book, Abraham van Helsing was an OmnidisciplinaryScientist who spoke comically broken English. He was well built, but getting on in years, and did not perform any notable act of physical skill; he was purely TheSmartGuy.
23	** Dracula himself as well. He has the majority of powers he had in the original novel, but is also largely immune to all of the original's weaknesses. [[spoiler: The only thing that can kill him is a werewolf bite.]] This was also made a conscious choice regarding the design of his famed ability to turn into a bat, which takes things even further than the [[Film/BramStokersDracula 1992 film]] did. This Dracula's "bat" form is an eight foot tall demon-beast.
24	** Dracula's Brides. In this portrayal they're not only directly active in the plot, and serve as second-only to Dracula regarding their threat level but they also have strength and transformation abilities similar to Dracula himself. In the book, Van Helsing is able to kill them all at once while they're asleep during the day. Here, they are killed one by one across the entire movie after putting up a big fight.
25	* AdaptationalNameChange: The real-world Wallachian nobleman whom Dracula character was based on was Vlad III, also known as UsefulNotes/VladTheImpaler, Vlad Tepes or -- surpise, surprise -- Dracula, son of Vlad Dracul. However, in the movie, Dracula introduces himself as "Vladislaus Dragulia". Actually the historical Vlad III did sign his name that way. Spelling wasn't exactly standardized in that period. "Vlad" was his birth name and "Vladislaus" was more of a Latin adaptation of it for convenience instead of an equivalent, as "Vlad" and "Vladislav" were related but not equated in Romanian.
26	* AdaptationalNationality:
27	** Victor Frankenstein speaks with a British accent when he's Italian in the original book, and later moves to Germany. Notable because everyone else in the film has region-specific accents.
28	* AdaptationalOriginConnection: Here Dracula funded Victor Frankenstein's experiments for his own puposes.
29	* AffablyEvil: Dracula is surprisingly pleasant and polite for a bloodsucking hellbeast.
30	* AllThereInTheManual:
31	** The three actresses playing the Brides revealed some nifty extra information about their characters you don't get in the film at all such as Verona being the oldest and Dracula's favourite, Marishka is the middle bride and was a gypsy, and Aleera is the youngest and most jealous. Silvia Colloca said that Verona was "very confident and very wise, never loses her temper [...] she is very dangerous for that reason because she is not very predictable."
32	** Van Helsing's buzzsaw weapons are actually called 'Tojo blades', but you will only know this if you've played the video game.
33	* AlternativeForeignThemeSong: The Japanese version uses [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYo1A1QCT6I "Wild Romance"]] by Kyosuke Himuro.
34	* AnArmAndALeg: Van Helsing manages to lop off one of Hyde's arms with a bladed throwing disk.
35	* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: Oh, look, vampires are weak to werewolves. Looks like Van Helsing has a new way to make Dracula DeaderThanDead.
36	* AngelUnaware: The title character is implied to be this, due to repeatedly being referred to by Dracula as "Gabriel" and, at one point, the "left hand of God". Van Helsing also early on mentions to Carl that he remembers fighting ''Romans'' at Masada in 72 AD. The novelisation actually downright confirms this: Van Helsing is mentioned as having two large disfiguring scars between his shoulder blades, right where ''wings would be''. The scars would seem to imply they were forcibly ''torn out''.
37	* AnimatedAdaptation: ''The London Assignment''[[note]]Animated by both Creator/ProductionIG and Creator/SunwooEntertainment[[/note]], a prequel to the movie.
38	* ArmorPiercingQuestion:
39	** Anna manages to cut off Frankenstein's monster in mid-rant:
40	--->'''Anna:''' What do you want?\
41	'''Frankenstein's Monster:''' ...To ''exist''.
42	** The Monster himself gets one at the start of the story.
43	--->'''Frankenstein's Monster:''' ''(to the angry mob)'' ''WHY?''
44	* ArtisticLicenseReligion:
45	** Van Helsing must kill Dracula to prevent the Valerious family from "passing into Purgatory" and never reaching Heaven, when according to Catholic dogma, passing into Purgatory means eventually ending up in Heaven. The movie states that they would be ''stuck'' in Purgatory forever however, because of a special deal the original Valerious made.
46	** Also, a friar isn't a lower degree of monk who hasn't leveled up to taking vows (that's a novice). Monks are members of monastic orders who profess the three vows (poverty, chastity, and obedience) and live in a cloistered ascetic community (like the abbey that Van Helsing says Carl has never left). Friars are members of mendicant orders who profess the three vows and live in the community at large, moving around as necessary to do their work. Carl's right, he's not a monk; but his brown habit and tonsure clearly mark him as a Franciscan friar (Order of Friars Minor), which very definitely means a vow of chastity (though the way he says this to a woman implies he's just taken advantage of her ignorance).
47	* ArtisticLicensePhysics: The vanes of the decrepit windmill where the Creature takes Frankenstein's body spin steadily and fairly fast right up until it collapses, despite having only a few square feet of canvas left even ''before'' it burns away. This, on a night with little to no wind, judging by how the flames of the mill's destruction burn straight up.
48	* AttackAttackAttack: Anna has this trait and it's not helpful. Her idea of a sensible solution when confronted with a horde of vampires is to grab a mace that was mounted on the wall, brandish it, and start to throw herself into the horde. Fortunately, Van Helsing is there to drag her out of harm's way.
49	* ATeamFiring: Van Helsing might want to spend some time at a shooting range before his next assignment.
50	* AudibleSharpness: Van Helsing's [[spoiler:werewolf claws]] extend with a [[ActorAllusion Wolverine-like]] SNIKT.
51	* AutomaticCrossbows: Van Helsing wields a ''gas-powered'' automatic gatling-style crossbow.
52	* BackingIntoDanger: Upon realising there's a werewolf in the large armoury with her, Anna does this in true "horror movie idiot" fashion by walking through the middle of the room (leaving herself open to attack from all sides) while brandishing a pistol (which, being a ranged weapon, gives an even more compelling reason to look ahead and try and spot the monster from as far away as possible). She also commits the other stereotypical horror movie mistake of not looking up, despite knowing that [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolves are capable of a]] CeilingCling.
53	* BadassLongcoat: Dracula and Van Helsing have these which shows they are foils for one another.
54	* BarbieDollAnatomy: The vampires when in monster mode have no nipples and genitalia on their seemingly nude bodies. ''{{Justified\|Trope}}'' in that all the creatures that transform have their ''clothes'' transform too. The lone exceptions are the werewolves, who retain their pants when transforming, even as they rip off their upper clothing and ''[[BodyHorror skin]]''.[[note]][[spoiler: Van Helsing actually did turn back from werewolf to human fully nude in the finale, but it was found to be too distracting over Anna's death]], so he was given MagicPants.[[/note]]
55	* BatmanColdOpen: Van Helsing's fight with Mr. Hyde at the start of the film.
56	* BatPeople:
57	** Dracula and his brides have the ability to shapeshift into bat-like humanoids, which they do at several points in the film. Director Creator/StephenSommers [[WordOfGod stated in one behind-the-scenes interview]] that he explicitly wanted the vampires to shapeshift into something other than ordinary bats because "I'm not afraid of bats, but what if my bat had a 15-ft wingspan?".
58	** Count Dracula sires a brood of vampire infants, all stillborn and suspended from the vaulted ceiling in their amniotic sacs. Once the Count's EvilPlan succeeds in energizing his offspring with "filtered" lightning, they come to life, and fly on bat-like wings into the nearby town. There, they set upon the townsfolk like a swarm of ten-pound vampire bats.
59	* BeautyIsNeverTarnished:
60	** Any flesh wounds the vampires sustain heal pretty much instantly. Although this is averted when they die and shrivel up.
61	** Anna takes a fair share of blows and gets thrown around multiple times throughout the movie but doesn't suffer so much as a scratch... not even after [[spoiler:a lycanthropic Van Helsing fatally injures her]].
62	* BetweenMyLegs: The framing of Van Helsing in his first meeting with Anna. And that one moment during the following action scene when he is almost speaking with her special friend. Note that in the bloopers for the latter scene, Hugh Jackman is seen {{Corpsing}} and then stage-whispers for someone off-camera to bring him a cigarette.
63	* BigBad: Count Vladislaus Dragulia, AKA {{Dracula}}, the vampire Van Helsing has been sent to kill.
64	* BigWhy: After Dr. Frankenstein is murdered by Dracula, Frankenstein's monster proceeds to carry the dead body to the top of the windmill and bellows this out to the angry mob down below, questioning their anger at the man who created him.
65	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Dracula is dead and his plans are foiled, and Frankenstein's monster is free to roam the world. Anna, however, is accidentally killed by Van Helsing in the process of curing his lycanthropy, but with Dracula dead, [[TogetherInDeath she and her family are finally allowed to enter Heaven.]]]]
66	* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Dracula's brides: Marishka (Blonde), Verona (Brunette) and Aleera (Redhead). [[spoiler:They get killed in that order as well.]]
67	* BodyguardBabes: The Brides are Dracula's primary enforcers and are all beautiful.
68	* BodyHorror: The brides are full of this when they go monster, morphing their faces and unhinging their jaws. One particular scene in the climax had Aleera gets this when the acidic material get thrown in her face. Granted, being a vampire it doesn't kill her, but we see most of it burned before she regenerates.
69	* BookedFullOfMooks: Van Helsing and Carl plan to rescue Anna from Dracula as the latter attends a masquerade ball in Budapest. As Dracula dances with the captive Anna, however, he takes her to a big mirror that shows she's the only one with a reflection, meaning everyone else in the room is a vampire.
70	* BrickJoke: Early in the village fight, one of the brides grabs a cow while attacking Anna, and tosses the animal through the roof of a house. In the aftermath of the skirmish, Carl notices the (uninjured) cow looking down confusedly from a second-floor balcony.
71	* CannotKillTheirLovedOnes: [[Characters/VanHelsing Anna Valerious]] can readily kill vampires, Diwergi and even [[DarkIsNotEvil Frankenstein]], but she cannot kill [[spoiler:her brother Velkan after he's turned into a werewolf and permanently enslaved by Dracula]]. Even after she accepts that there's no saving [[spoiler:Velkan]], [[spoiler:she still briefly gets upset at Van Helsing for killing the werewolf]].
72	* CaptiveDate: Dracula takes Anna to his masquerade ball and forces her to dance with him while waiting for Van Helsing to arrive. No ropes used, but it's clear he's using some kind of mind control or muscle control.
73	* CarryingTheAntidote: There's a very good reason why Dracula carries the antidote for lycanthropy. He doesn't just [[KillAllHumans annihilate all the werewolves]] because he [[spoiler:needs someone far stronger than a normal human to channel the energies needed in his attempt to bring his horde of baby vampires to life]]. Before Frankenstein's Monster, he really did need at least one alive. Plus, they make useful servants who have to obey his every command. [[spoiler:After their first full moon at any rate.]]
74	* ChandelierSwing: The movie is extremely fond of having the heroes swinging from ''very long'' ropes and with enough momentum that they should have killed themselves several times.
75	* ChekhovsGun: The Light Bomb is introduced early and is useful much later.
76	* ChekhovsSkill:
77	** A rather immediate example. Anna shows that she's able to catch a syringe Carl throws up at her while she's swinging through the air. [[spoiler: She's later able to catch the silver stake he throws to her just in time to kill Aleera]].
78	** The Gravedigger is killed when Velkan mauls him out of nowhere, displaying no obvious injuries but showing that such a move is enough to kill a human instantly. [[spoiler: Van Helsing accidentally kills Anna the same way]].
79	* ChewingTheScenery:
80	** '''''"Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?"'''''
81	** Frankenstein's monster's ([[NoIndoorVoice very loud]]) ReasonYouSuckSpeech to the Lesser Vampires also counts.
82	* ChristianityIsCatholic: The Knights of the Holy Order supposedly encompass monster-hunters of all religions... but it's housed in the Vatican and run by Catholic priests. You do, however, see Buddhist monks, mullahs, and some other clergymen in the "base", so it’s likely that the Vatican is just Van Helsing’s most familiar home. As is common in Dracula fiction, little to no reference is made to Orthodox Christianity, the majority faith of Romania.
83	* CigaretteBurns: Mr. Hyde puts out his cigar on his ''tongue'' before ''eating'' the remains.
84	* CloseOnTitle
85	* CoatHatMask: Van Helsing sports these for his intro shot but quickly ditches the mask.
86	* CompositeCharacter:
87	** Igor has [[TheIgor the role]] of Fritz from [[Film/{{Frankenstein1931}} the original Frankenstein movie]], but the name (pronunciation, not spelling), accent, posture, and antagonistic role of Ygor from ''Film/SonOfFrankenstein''.
88	** Frankenstein's Monster retains much of his look from the Universal movies but the eloquent speech patterns and intelligence of the novel.
89	** Although [[Film/TheWolfMan1941 Lawrence Talbot]] is AdaptedOut, both Velkan Valerious and Van Helsing take elements of his role.
90	* {{Confessional}}: Van Helsing meets his superior in one of these.
91	* ContainerCling: Mr. Hyde traps Van Helsing under a church bell, then hears the sound of his buzzsaw weapons and lifts the bell to find a round hole in the floor. It turns out Van Helsing was actually still hiding in the bell, and slices off one of Hyde's arms.
92	* CoolHorse: Transylvanian Horses are said by Anna to be faster than even werewolves, and when we see them carrying Van Helsing's carriage they live up to that statement by tearing across the countryside and clearing a broken bridge in one leap.
93	* CoolVersusAwesome: [[spoiler:The final battle -- a werewolf vs. Dracula.]]
94	* CostumePorn: All three brides wear very elaborate dresses. Also, the masquerade ball has dozens of extras dressed outlandishly. Justified in that case, since it's said to be All Hallow's Eve.
95	* CrapsackWorld: Europe is full of monsters that kill with impunity and without detection. There is a holy order to protect them, but due to the fact that most monsters [[DyingAsYourself turn human upon death]], almost all of them are wanted criminals.
96	* CreepyMortician: The undertaker in the village who greets Van Helsing.
97	* CrossMeltingAura: Dracula can melt crosses that he touches.
98	* CurbStompCushion: [[spoiler:Werewolf!]]Van Helsing vs Dracula. The good count spends the majority of the battle begging for his life. Only a brief beatdown at the start, and [[spoiler: a fog temporarily de-powering Van Helsing]] near the end leave some tension on his side.
99	* CuteMonsterGirl:
100	** Averted. The Brides may be cute in their human forms but their vampire forms... not so much.
101	** The werewolves may count as a gender flipped version. They all have {{Heroic Build}}s, and become even more jacked when they transform. [[spoiler: Van Helsing's werewolf form makes puppy dog eyes at seeing Anna dead]].
102	* DaChief: After his mission to Paris, Van Helsing reports to Cardinal Jinette, who berates him for the collateral damage his methods cause while also reluctantly praising the results of his work.
103	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Van Helsing might be an angel, might be Dracula's protegé, might be Wolverine in an earlier incarnation. Dracula knows him, though. We just never find out how.
104	* DarkIsNotEvil: Van Helsing, Frankenstein's monster and even Anna dress in dark, gothic colors but are all heroic.
105	* DeaderThanDead: None of the vampires in the movie are coming back. [[spoiler:Not even Dracula.]]
106	* DeadlyDisc: Van Helsing uses serrated razor discs both as melee and thrown weapons. Notably, he cuts Mr. Hyde's arm with one, and pins Igor to a wall with another.
107	* DeadpanSnarker: Van Helsing and Dracula both get their share of moments.
108	* DealWithTheDevil: How Dracula became a vampire.
109	* DeathOfAChild: Implied at Dracula's summer home in Budapest, where at least one of the vampires is a little girl. And that's not even getting into Dracula's offspring exploding all over the place, but that probably falls more under WhatMeasureIsANonHuman.
110	* DecoyConvoy: While transporting Frankenstein's Monster to Rome, Van Helsing's carriage is attacked by Dracula's brides; Van Helsing escapes but the carriage falls into a ravine. One of the brides dives into the ravine and pries the door of the carriage, only to find a bomb lined with silver stakes that promptly blows up and impales her. Riding away from the ravine, Van Helsing spots the carriage that's actually transporting the monster, being driven by Anna.
111	* DecoyGetaway: Mr. Hyde traps Van Helsing underneath a church bell. He then hears the sound of Van Helsing's buzzsaw weapons cutting through the floor. He lifts the bell and sees that a hole has been cut in the floor, and it looks like Van Helsing has escaped through it. However, Van Helsing is actually performing a ContainerCling at the top of the bell, and slices Hyde's arm off.
112	* DeliberatelyMonochrome: The opening scenes, in an homage to old monster movies of the 1930s and 40s.
113	* DemonicVampires: Dracula's immortality is a result of him making a covenant with the devil.
114	* DepravedBisexual: Aleera is a vicious vampire married to Dracula, who also takes time to creep on Anna before trying to kill her.
115	* DesignatedGirlFight: Anna was destined to kill Dracula (or rather, her entire family was supposed to and she's just the last one left). She fights his brides instead. She does fight the first werewolf and merely ends up in danger because she was trying to get the one gun with silver bullets and was unlucky enough to be under the cage when it fell. She also shoots the second when it attacks her in the castle until she finds out it's Velkan.
116	* DestructiveSaviour: In his first scene, Van Helsing shatters Notre Dame's Rose Window while fighting Mr. Hyde, and is called out by Cardinal Jinette for his lack of subtlety.
117	--> "Not to split heresy, but it was Mr Hyde who did the shattering."
118	* DiedHappilyEverAfter: [[spoiler:Anna's spirit smiles as she ascends to Heaven, and it's made clear she's with her family again.]]
119	* DiesWideOpen: [[spoiler:Anna's eyes are still open after she is mauled to death by Van Helsing.]]
120	** The same goes for Mr Hyde's final victim.
121	* DigitalBikini: Van Helsing was originally supposed to be fully naked [[spoiler:when he discovers he accidentally killed Anna]]. Test audiences found it too distracting so a CGI loincloth was added to cover him up.
122	* DirtyOldMonk: Friar Carl, who isn't a monk.
123	* [[DisasterDodgingDog Disaster-Dodging Cow]]: During the fight with Dracula's brides, one of them picks up a whole cow and chucks it through a building with a comical "MOO!" When the fight ends, the cow emerges from the wreckage completely unharmed.
124	* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler:Igor falls from a great height not to be seen again.]]
125	* DontTouchItYouIdiot: "If there's one thing I've learned, it's never be the first to stick your hand into a viscous material." [[spoiler:And sure enough, he's right.]]
126	* {{Dracula}}: He serves as the antagonist of the film.
127	* EveryCarIsAPinto: ...Including horse-drawn carriages loaded with wooden stakes and explosive charges. That are on ''fire''. Justified as the carriage in question was meant to be a 19th century equivalent of a car bomb.
128	* TheDreaded: It is revealed that [[spoiler:Werewolves]] are this to Dracula because [[spoiler: they are the only creatures on earth that can kill him, which comes to play into the climax when Van Helsing becomes one and has Dracula cornered.]]
129	* EvilGloating:
130	** Dracula... oh, so very much.
131	** Aleera engages in this as well. [[spoiler:And it gets her killed. In the words of Anna: "If you're going to kill someone, kill them. Don't stand there talking about it."]]
132	* EvilRedhead: Aleera is the longest lasting of all of Dracula's brides.
133	* ExactWords: Van Helsing states that the proposed trade - "the monster for the princess" - must occur somewhere public, with lot's of people, leading Aleera to state the upcoming ball should do nicely. And indeed it is nice [[spoiler:for Dracula; barring Anna herself, ''all'' the party-goers are vampires]].
134	* ExpositionOfImmortality: Van Helsing remembering fighting the Romans in 73 A.D and also Dracula introducing himself as born 1422, murdered 1462. The film's set in 1888.
135	* {{Expy}}: The Dwergi (Dracula's servants) bear more than a passing resemblance to the Little People of Literature/TheSagaOfDarrenShan.
136	* FacelessGoons: Dracula's Dwergi, short demented German dwarves that wear gas masks - and for a good reason. Once Van Helsing smashes one Dwergi's mask against the wall, this individual is shown to have milky white eyes and piranha-like teeth. Not a pretty sight.
137	* FamilyThemeNaming: If you can legitimately consider a VampiresHarem who made lots of monster babies a family; Dracula and his three vampire brides all have three-syllable names ending with the letter 'a'.
138	* {{Fanservice}}: You've got Creator/HughJackman, and shirtless, suffering Velkan for the ladies, and Anna (Kate Beckinsale) and the Brides for the men. And, of course, the MonsterMash premise is probably meant as fanservice of a non-sexual sort.
139	* FantasticCatholicism: The Holy Order of Knights in Rome sponsored under the Catholic Church are responsible for keeping the world from falling into chaos by exterminating monsters, devils, and supernatural forces. Bonus points with the fact that members of the orders include adherents of many faiths such as mullahs, Buddhist monks, and Jewish rabbis.
140	* FightOffTheKryptonite: Dracula vs. Crucifix. It's a tie, really. He screams, ''[[CrossMeltingAura it melts]]''.
141	* FindTheCure: It's rumored that Dracula possesses a cure of lycanthropy. [[spoiler:After Van Helsing is infected with lycanthropy himself, Anna and Carl must find the cure in Dracula's castle and administer it to him before the curse can take him over permanently]].
142	* {{Fingore}}: Van Helsing tells Anna to cut off one of Igor's fingers if he should fail to comply. She clearly has slightly more [[GroinAttack esoteric targets]] in mind...
143	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
144	** Van Helsing knocks Anna unconscious with a spray to stop her from going on a suicide mission, and ends up catching her in his arms in a certain way. [[spoiler: He holds her the same way when she dies at the end]].
145	** When Dracula is dancing with Anna, he stops in front of the mirror: as per the myths, he has no reflection...and neither do any of the other hundreds of party-goers in view of the mirror. Sure enough, every last one of them is a vampire too.
146	* FrankensteinsMonster: A very steampunk incarnation is an ally of Van Helsing.
147	* FreezeFrameBonus: Just minutes into the movie, as Dracula talks with Dr. Frankenstein, there's a moment where the camera focuses on Dracula and lightning flashes. For just one or two frames, Dracula's true form is shown in detail almost two hours before the big reveal of what he really looks like at the climax.
148	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: If you're not distracted by Van Helsing scooping up Anna to rescue her from the all-vampire masked ball, you'll see Dracula throw the fire-eater clear across the room, miffed at the guy for (thanks to Carl) accidentally setting him on fire.
149	* FurAgainstFang: Apparently the only thing in the known universe that can kill Dracula is a werewolf.
150	* GadgeteerGenius: Friar Carl is assigned to Van Helsing as his go-to gadget maker and dispensery.
151	* GhostButler: Averted - Van Helsing makes a point to knock every single door in Dracula's castle off its hinges to prevent this.
152	* TheGoldenRule: Subverted, it's another rule that Igor lives by.
153	-->'''Dracula:''' Remember, Igor. Do unto others...\
154	'''Igor:''' ...[[DoUntoOthersBeforeTheyDoUntoUs Before they do unto me, master]].
155	* GrapplingHookPistol: Van Helsing used this to escape Frankenstein's castle, as well as offensively to impale Mr. Hyde in the chest.
156	* GrowingMusclesSequence:
157	** The werewolf transformations.
158	** It is inverted early on with [[spoiler:Mr. Hyde transforming back to Dr. Jekyll in the opening.]]
159	* GunsAkimbo: Van Helsing pulls both his pistols just as Hyde throws him across the belltower: firing them in unison at the monster.
160	* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] during Anna and Velkan Valerious' first fight in the film (against a werewolf); Anna uses a sword, while Velkan uses a revolver loaded with [[SilverBullet silver bullets]]. Also, Van Helsing himself has more of a penchant for ranged weapons ([[spoiler:except when he's a werewolf]]) such as his buzz-saw chakrams that he can throw at a distance, his Batman-style grappling hook, his AutomaticCrossbow, a blowgun, and traditional firearms.
161	* HammyVillainSeriousHero: Though he's quite the DeadpanSnarker, Van Helsing is pretty quiet and reserved around people he doesn't know or trust, and it's really only around Carl, a friar who's also a close friend and ally to Van Helsing, that Van Helsing shows a much more jovial and light-hearted side to him. By contrast, [[BigBad Dracula]] prefers to spend every possible second he can [[LargeHam making dramatic speeches and chewing the scenery]] and almost revels in it, no matter who his audience might be.
162	* HappyHarlequinHat: Friar Carl wears one of these as part of his jester costume for the masquerade ball where he and the title character meet Dracula. He twitches his head to make the bells ring in the graveyard where they stash the Frankenstein monster, out of anxiety, for laughs, or both.
163	* HauntedCastle: Dracula's castle is this big time.
164	* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Van Helsing worries that this is what he's turning into. And then, [[spoiler:he's bitten by a werewolf]] causing this to become a LiteralTrope. Frankenstein's creation's words to him upon realizing this don't help.
165	* HereditaryCurse: The Valerious family is bound by a curse that keeps them from entering into Heaven until Dracula is killed. This is the result of a vow taken by a distant ancestor.
166	* HeroWithBadPublicity: Van Helsing is stated early on to be the most wanted man in Europe, due to his DestructiveSaviour tendencies and the fact that many of the creatures he takes out [[ThisWasHisTrueForm revert to human upon death]].
167	* HilariousOuttakes: Included on the home release, with plenty of goofs, broken props, random improvisations, and a montage of Hugh Jackman tripping and falling (after claiming he never falls).
168	* HistoricalInJoke: During Van Helsing's briefing about Dracula, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vlad_Tepes_002.jpg this famous portrait of the real Vlad Dracula]] is reproduced with the face of actor Creator/RichardRoxburgh.
169	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The Transylvanian village that has the unfortunate location to be closest to Dracula's castle has a really creepy gravedigger that is eventually killed by Velkan in his werewolf form. Upon dying, he rolls into the grave he was digging.
170	* HolyHandGrenade: Frial Carl introduces a bomb that is able to unleash a force of concentrated sunlight, and he puts it to good use when they need to kill all of Dracula's vampires chasing them through the palace in Budapest.
171	* HolyWater: Van Helsing dips his automatic crossbow drum into the holy water at a church to make the bolts more effective when firing at vampires.
172	* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: What's wrong, Dr. Frankenstein -- you actually thought that Dracula had altruistic intentions for your creations? To be fair though, the novelization of the film points out that while he's not quite as foolish as to believe Dracula is altogether altruistic, he has no idea whatsoever that Dracula is a vampire. This lack of knowledge comes back to bite him in the ass once the creature is successfully brought to life.
173	* HorrifyingTheHorror: Once Dracula realises that Van Helsing (a veteran HunterOfMonsters who wants him dead) is transforming into the only creature on earth that can kill him (a '''werewolf''').
174	* HotGypsyWoman: Anna, the Romani princess, who runs around in [[OfCorsetsSexy sexy corsets]] despite being a fighter. Marishka was apparently of Romani origin too before she was turned, and she has the belly dancer costume.
175	* HowDidYouKnowIDidnt: Inverted. After Anna stops Van Helsing from shooting her now werewolf brother Velkan, allowing him to escape, Van Helsing shouts, "He's not your brother anymore!" She asks if he knew before or after she stopped him — thinking he would not have shot if he didn't realize it — and he answers that he knew before she stopped him.
176	* HowlOfSorrow: [[spoiler:Van Helsing]] does this in his werewolf form after [[spoiler:having the cure injected into his body and Carl confirms that Anna is dead]]. It morphs into a BigNo as he transforms back into a human.
177	* TheIgor: Pretty much required here.
178	* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Dracula has absolutely no problem molesting Anna while the audience waits for Van Helsing to make his [[BigDamnHeroes big damn entrance]].
179	* ImmuneToJumpScares: Mr. Hyde tries to scare Van Helsing by welcoming him with a jump scare from the ceiling. Despite being a ruthless murderer, he praises his pursuer's tranquility and remarks with intrigue he'll be "[[ImAHumanitarian hard to digest]]".
180	* IncomingHam: Dracula bursts onto the scene proclaiming '''SUCCESS!!!!!'''
181	* InconsistentSpelling: Dracula once gives his full name to Van Helsing using an archaic spelling and pronunciation, "Dragulia" in the English subtitles. It's left unexplained further but presumably "Dracula" is a Latinized form and it's justified by Dracula being centuries old. In reality the name Dracula had several alternate spellings/pronunciations along this line and the modern Romanian form is "Drăculea".
182	* InelegantBlubbering: [[spoiler: Van Helsing is weeping shamelessly when he transforms back from werewolf form, crying over Anna's body]].
183	* ItsGoingDown: Unusually, the windmill is toast at the ''beginning''.
184	* ItsWhatIDo: The entire reason Igor gives for why he likes torturing things. He even names the trope word for word.
185	* JustBetweenYouAndMe: Aleera has a big mouth.
186	* KissingCousins: Dracula offers Anna to become his new bride while he has her in his clutches. She's his descendant, 400 years removed. Of course, it's Dracula, so...
187	* KnightInSourArmor:
188	** Van Helsing gives off this attitude early on, [[HeroWithBadPublicity complaining about his negative public image]] and nearly walking out on the Cardinal out of disgust for the Knights of the Holy Order's unwillingness to go public and clear things up.
189	** Frankenstein's creature is this. While he's a strong believer that HumansAreTheRealMonsters, he does everything he can to make sure Dracula don't get his claws on him in order to save mankind from Dracula's evil. When he gets busted, he allies with the party in order to stop Dracula from finishing his plan.
190	* LargeHam:
191	** Dracula is contractually required to be like this.
192	** Frankenstein's monster is no slouch either.
193	** Neither are the vampire brides.
194	** Velkan hams it up the best he can in the few scenes where [[spoiler:he's human.]]
195	* LastOfHerKind: After Velkan is lost while hunting werewolves, Anna is the last of the Valerious. Verona even states this word-for-word. [[spoiler:She eventually dies by the end of the film, too, rendering the family extinct.]]
196	* LastSecondVillainRecovery: Early in the film, Van Helsing dukes it out with Mr Hyde at Notre Dame Cathedral and appears to achieve a victory by shooting his opponent through the chest with his GrapplingHookPistol. With Van Helsing down at street level and the target up on the roof, it looks as if Hyde is going to be dragged to his death, and he appears to be teetering dangerously on the edge of the tower as the monster hunter reels him in... only for Hyde to grab the cable and remark "[[PreAssKickingOneLiner my turn]]!" Suddenly, Van Helsing finds himself wrenched into the air as his opponent yanks the grappling hook across the rooftops, and the only thing that saves his life is the fact that Hyde fails to look where he's going over the course of this tug-of-war, [[RailingKill tripping over the tower railing and plunging to his death]].
197	* LecherousLicking: A LesbianVampire licks Anna's face with her very long tongue.
198	* LesbianVampire: The Brides of Dracula display some notable lesbian tendencies, especially Brides Verona and Aleera. Marishka might have shown some too, if she'd lasted longer. Aleera is bisexual and seems very interested in Anna.
199	* LightIsNotGood: All three of Dracula's brides dress in flowing pastel dresses but they turn into batlike harpies to signify just how badass they are.
200	* ListOfTransgressions: Van Helsing gives one to Mr. Hyde before their skirmish, [[CardCarryingVillain though Hyde has been keeping track himself.]]
201	-->'''Van Helsing:''' Dr. Jekyll, you are wanted by the Knights of the Holy Order-\
202	'''Mr. Hyde:''' [[SplitPersonalityTakeover It's Mr. Hyde, now!]]\
203	'''Van Helsing:''' -for the murder of twelve men, six women, four chil-\
204	'''Mr. Hyde:''' [[WouldHurtAChild Four children]], three dogs, and a ''rather'' nasty massacre of poultry!
205	* LogoJoke: The Creator/{{Universal}} logo is black and white, and in a MatchCut becomes a [[TorchesAndPitchforks torch]].
206	* LoverNotAFighter: Friar Carl, who justifies his Rescue Nookie with a random townswoman because he's not a monk and therefore [[BlatantLies not bound by any vows of celibacy]].
207	* LuckBasedSearchTechnique: Carl discovers a secret painting with a vital clue as to how to stop Dracula by pure luck - accidentally bumping into a candlestick that triggers it.
208	* LukeIAmYourFather: Subverted. Carl reveals that Dracula was actually the son of Anna's ancestor, only for Anna to remark that everyone knows that.
209	[[/folder]]
210
211	[[folder:Tropes M-Z]]
212	* MadeOfExplodium: To be fair, the carriage was rigged to go boom.
213	* MadeOfIron: Van Helsing and Anna. Comes in handy when you're being thrown through buildings, but it makes little sense for Anna since she's by all standards a normal human while Van Helsing is implied to be a literal angel who has lost both his wings but seems to be as powerful as a human (or possibly superhuman).
214	* MagicCountdown: That clock is striking twelve for at least three minutes...
215	* MagicPants: Standard issue on all werewolves. (In the DVD commentary they note that originally Creator/HughJackman was naked but test audiences found it too distracting so they added CGI pants.)
216	* MasqueradeBall: Dracula holds Anna captive at a very large and elaborate one.
217	* MassiveMultiplayerCrossover: Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, werewolves, Mr. Hyde, Van Helsing all appear in this film.
218	* MissingReflection: The mirrors lining the ballroom show Anna's reflection but not Dracula's or the other couple of hundred vampires in the room. Those paying close attention can see this OhCrap moment coming.
219	* ModularFranchise: This movie tried to ride on the success of Sommers' remake of ''Film/{{The Mummy\|1999}}''.
220	* MonsterMash: Vampires vs. werewolf and hunter and Frankenstein's Monster.
221	* MonumentalDamage: The Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral suffers quite a bit from Van Helsing's confrontation with Jekyll/Hyde. Most notably, the [[http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/content/uploads/2007/05/ND-Paris_6598-759x1024.jpg rose window]] gets smashed.
222	* MoreDakka:
223	-->'''Carl:''' Here, take this.\
224	[he hands Van Helsing a bag, then begins to fill it]\
225	'''Carl:''' Rings of garlic... holy water... silver stake... crucifix...\
226	[they pass two monks test-firing a Gatling gun]\
227	'''Van Helsing:''' [[GatlingGood Why can't I have one of those?]]
228	* MotivationalKiss: When Van Helsing and Anna split up before the climactic battle, he to face down Dracula [[spoiler:using his werewolf power to defeat the vampire]] and she to retrieve the werewolf cure serum.
229	* MrExposition: Carl. Lampshaded in the scene where he is explaining Dracula's backstory and he gets annoyed when Anna and Van Helsing fill parts of it in.
230	* MrFanservice: Every single male character in this movie except Frankenstein's Monster. Velkan and Van Helsing get shirtless scenes, and Dracula is the more seductive variant of this trope.
231	* MsFanservice: Like her male counterpart, any female presences, especially Anna and the Brides.
232	* MythologyGag:
233	** The film opens in black and white, like the classic Franchise/UniversalHorror films.
234	** Dr. Frankenstein lets out his famous line of "It's Alive!''
235	** Frankenstein and his creation are trapped in a burning mill, cornered by an angry mob as in the original ''Film/Frankenstein1931''.
236	** The werewolf poem from ''Film/TheWolfMan1941'' appears with the altered wording from ''Film/FrankensteinMeetsTheWolfMan''
237	** The Frankenstein Monster retains his fear of fire.
238	** Guess how Universal killed off Dracula in ''Film/AbbottAndCostelloMeetFrankenstein''.
239	** Dracula asks Igor why he tortures the chained up werewolf. Igor says "ItsWhatIDo", a CallBack to [[Film/{{Frankenstein1931}} how he tormented the monster]].
240	* NamedByTheAdaptation: The three brides have no names in ''Literature/{{Dracula}}''. Here they are named Aleera, Verona, and Marishka.
241	* NeverASelfMadeWoman: Anna Valerious' standing is defined primarily by that of her father and brothers.
242	* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: An [[spoiler:Angel Werewolf]] Vampire-Hunter in a Badass Longcoat whose sidekick is a Sexually Active Swearing Friar Who Designs Turn-of-the-Century Anti-Vampire Hand Grenades. Booyah.
243	* NoIndoorVoice: '''''FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER!!!'''''
244	* NoOntologicalInertia: When Hyde's arm is cut off, it turns into Jekyll's arm. (Helsing has a reputation as a serial killer because so many of the monsters he kills turn into human corpses.) And killing Dracula causes anything created by him to die.
245	* OceanAwe: Raised her whole life in the mountain-barricaded Transylvania, Anna longs to see the sea, saying that it must have been very beautiful. [[spoiler:She never manages to see it while alive. However, Van Helsing decides to bury her near one.]]
246	* OfCorsetsSexy: Anna Valerious manages to look sexy and still fight in a tight corset.
247	* OffscreenTeleportation: Vampires are fond of this. Dracula does it while talking to Victor Frankenstein in the prologue--surprising Victor enough that he legitimately does a double-take back to where Dracula was before when he suddenly appears in front of him--and Aleera too while cornering Anna.
248	* OhCrap: Many examples, but the most standout one is at the end when Dracula realises that [[spoiler:Werewolf]] Van Helsing isn't [[spoiler: Obeying him as only a werewolf can kill Dracula]].
249	* OneWingedAngel:
250	** Dracula and his brides can all turn into harpy-like humanoid bat creature. Dracula's demonic form is only fully revealed for the final battle. It's the same as his brides, only darker and with less-human features.
251	** [[spoiler:Van Helsing's werewolf form seems to be ''much'' larger and more brutal looking than the previous two werewolves seen in the film. He's also a literal angel who has lost both his wings but seems to be as powerful as a human (or possibly superhuman) can ''get'' in this film's universe.]]
252	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Anna notes to Van Helsing that Dracula's Brides attacked her village in daylight, which is something they've never done before. [[spoiler: Because Dracula is desperate to finish off her family line before they can discover his weakness]].
253	* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Kate Beckinsale's ambiguously Eastern European accent can't seem to hold up for more than a few minutes at a time. Strangely, the Australian Hugh Jackman's English accent has some American pronunciations seep through at times as well, and his native Australian surfaces at least once in the early "Q branch" scene when he pronounces Dracula's name in it.
254	* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Somewhat -- they can shift from monster to human forms and can reproduce. As Van Helsing states, since they're undead their offspring are stillborn. Thus the need for energy filtered through a supernatural source (i.e: werewolves or Frankenstein's Monster) to bring them to life. Dracula himself seems to operate under different rules, as he himself can't be killed via a stake through the heart [[spoiler:unlike his brides]], because he has no heart. Crosses also burst into flame around him, and he can transform into an even bigger bat-like demon. [[spoiler:His only weakness is the bite of a werewolf.]]
255	* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: When they transform, they rip the skin of their former human selves off as if it were clothes, and can be controlled by a vampire if their willpower isn't strong enough.
256	** Might be considered a case of ShownTheirWork, as old lore about werewolves states that they kept their fur on the inside of their skin.
257	* OvershadowedByAwesome: Anna Valerious just can't keep up with Van Helsing and is constantly in over her head against vampires and werewolves. She does come into her own in the third act, successfully swinging from one tower to another using just a cable, and catching a [[spoiler: werewolf cure]] in mid-air, then [[spoiler: killing Aleera by also catching something being thrown in mid-air]].
258	* PimpedOutDress: Anna at the Masquerade Ball. Deleted scenes show Aleera gets one too.
259	* PivotalWakeup: Dracula can enter and exit his costume on a hinge. He can effectively walk up wall like this, too.
260	* PortalPicture: [[spoiler: The map in Castle Valerious turns out to be the door to Dracula's lair. It doesn't activate until you say "In the name of God, open this door".]]
261	* PoorCommunicationKills: Anna fails to inform Van Helsing of Dracula's immunity to various traditional anti-vampire weapons before they go into the castle, making the arsenal he's carrying useless.
262	* PrehensileTail: Dracula's babies have them.
263	* ProtagonistTitle: Van Helsing is the name of the movie and the main character.
264	* PunctuatedForEmphasis: Dracula to Dr. Frankenstein:
265	-->'''Dracula:''' Now that it is, as you yourself have said... A ''triumph''. Of ''science''. '''OVER''' '''''GOD''!!!!!'''...
266	* PullYourselfDownTheSpear: In the distant prologue, Dr. Victor impales Dracula with a sword, but Dracula just pulls himself down the sword to get closer to Victor and bite him.
267	* PurgatoryAndLimbo: The priest/bishop at the beginning states that if Dracula isn't vanquished by Anna Valerious, her whole family will stay in Purgatory forever.
268	* RainOfArrows: Van Helsing is capable of this with this Gatling crossbow.
269	* RasputinianDeath: Dracula has been on the receiving end of one of these for over four centuries, Anna even references [[ShoutOut the namesake]] inadvertently when discussing how her family's tried and failed to end the vampire king over their family's long, convoluted history.
270	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
271	** Frankenstein's Monster gives a rather loud one to Dracula's undead minions after being captured by them:
272	--->'''Monster: [[NoIndoorVoice YOU WRETCHED UNDEAD!!! I SHALL HAVE MY REVENGE!!! "THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, I SHALL FEAR NO EVIL"!!! YOU ARE NOTHING BUT]] ''[[NoIndoorVoice DAMNED BONES]]'', [[NoIndoorVoice AND]] ''[[NoIndoorVoice DAMNED SOULS]]'', [[NoIndoorVoice AND WILL BURN IN THE FLAMES OF]] ''[[NoIndoorVoice HEEEEEEELL!!!!!]]'''''
273	** He gives a rather [[TranquilFury calmer, more measured, and more damning]] one to Van Helsing not long before, when he thinks Van Helsing is going to turn him over to Dracula.
274	--->'''Monster:''' So, you will become that which you have hunted so passionately. May others be as passionate in their hunting of you.
275	* RelatedInTheAdaptation: Inverted. The three vampire women in ''Dracula'' were implied to be his relatives, and all implied to be sisters, only being referred to as 'Brides' in pop culture. They're all his wives here.
276	* ReluctantMonster: Frankenstein's monster just wants to be left alone and live.
277	* RescueSex: Friar Carl saves a random townswoman from falling to her doom by making a diving catch. She's very grateful... and quite happy that he's [[BlatantLies not bound by vows of chastity]]. We don't see either of them again for some time...
278	* RidiculouslyAliveUndead: PlayedWith in Dracula's case: his vampire brides are able to give birth, but the children are dead on arrival and need to be brought to life [[spoiler: using electricity run through Frankenstein's Monster]].
279	* ARottenTimeToRevert: Late in the film, Van Helsing is bitten by a werewolf and eventually realizes that his new form might be the only thing that can kill [[BigBad Dracula]] - if he can do so [[RaceAgainstTheClock before midnight of his first full moon]], after which he'll be under Dracula's control. During the final battle, Van Helsing has the upper hand over the vampire's [[OneWingedAngel gigantic bat form]]... right up until a cloud covers the moon just as Van Helsing is about to land the final blow, causing him to revert to human form. Consequently, he's forced to make a hasty exit before Dracula can recover and spends the rest of the battle on the backfoot as his opponent advances on him.
280	* RoyalWe: The young Queen Victoria uses this in the animated prequel.
281	* RuleOfCool: The plot seems to run entirely on it.
282	* ScarilyCompetentTracker: Van Helsing is this as a hunter. He notes several aspects of Frankenstein's Monster just from a set of footprints. He can even tell that he has copper teeth [[spoiler:but that's because he saw the Monster hiding in the shadows right behind Anna.]]
283	* SceneryPorn: Evil, foreboding CGI castles are pretty. Hell, the whole setting is pretty well shot. If nothing else, the filmmakers get the spooky feeling right.
284	* ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers: [[AngelUnaware Whatever Van Helsing is]], he has no respect for any rules except his own.
285	-->'''Van Helsing:''' The laws of men mean little to me.
286	* SealedEvilInACan: Dracula was given wings by the devil to circumvent this.
287	* ShadowDiscretionShot: In the prologue, right after Dr. Frankenstein tries and fails to kill Dracula, the scene changes to Igor watching as a shadow of the vampire killing the scientist is shown.
288	* ShirtlessScene: It's an action movie starring Creator/HughJackman, 'nuff said. That being said, Will Kemp strips off his shirt once he turns into a werewolf, and doesn't put it back on.
289	* ShoutOut:
290	** The Ballroom scene owns dibs to ''Film/TheFearlessVampireKillers''.
291	** Anna paraphrases a line from ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'', giving a villain a reminder [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim of the importance of not monologuing.]]
292	** The scene that introduces Friar Carl bears a more than passing resemblance to the inevitable scene in the ''Film/JamesBond'' film where Bond visits Q to load up on cool toys.
293	** Also inverted. The scene where [[spoiler:Van Helsing cradles Anna's lifeless body and cries out after killing her accidentally]] is very reminiscent to ''Film/XMenTheLastStand'' where Wolverine (also played by Hugh Jackman) clutches Jean Grey's body after she begs him to kill her.
294	** The film is basically ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}: The Movie''. Van Helsing himself feels like a CaptainErsatz of various Belmonts (with some Cornell from ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania 64}}'' as he transforms into a werewolf), the Valerious line of monster hunters could very well be named Belmont, there's a boss fight with a werewolf and a more challenging one with some female vampires, there are some platform sections with falling bridges and chain swinging, the castle design is similar, and as is already mentioned, Dracula has a bat-like second form. The tie-in video game also alludes to "An ancient clan of vampire hunters known as the [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} Belmonts]]."
295	** Van Helsing's outfit is reminiscent of ''Literature/VampireHunterD'' and ''Film/SolomonKane''.
296	** Mr. Hyde's depiction as an [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]]-sized brute is taken from the comic series ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'', which got [[Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen a movie version]] a year before this. In the [[Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde original novel]], Mr. Hyde was ''smaller'' than Dr. Jekyll (explained in the comic).
297	** Near the end of the movie, Aleera's lower jaw splits open in a manner very reminiscent of the Reapers from ''Film/BladeII''.
298	* ShovelStrike: Top Hat (the gravedigger) attempts to attack Van Helsing with his shovel as he has his back turned on him. Van Helsing catches the shovel, Top Hat gives a half-hearted apology and is then killed by a werewolf.
299	* SkyFace: At the end, Anna's face appears in the sky, along with her brother's and hints of other people (presumably their ancestors, those "nine generations of the Valerious" the cardinal mentioned early in the film). This is a visual cue that the Valerious family souls have all been saved from Purgatory.
300	* StabTheScorpion: When Van Helsing arrives in the village and tries to tell Anna he has come to help her, she asks him to prove it. He responds by suddenly points his crossbow at her. As she ducks, he pulls the trigger and fires at the incoming vampire brides.
301	* StandardFemaleGrabArea: Anna is repeatedly grabbed by the Vampire brides by the arm, or held by Dracula effortlessly and doesn't try to fight back [[JustifiedTrope because they're far stronger than any human and resisting would be pointless]].
302	* StarterVillain: Mr. Hyde is the first monster Van Helsing faces onscreen, giving the viewers an idea of how he operates and the mishaps that tend to occur once he does defeat evil.
303	* {{Steampunk}}: The design of the Frankenstein Monster in particular; but a good deal of equipment seen being used in the movie is very impressive-looking for the time period.
304	* {{Stripperiffic}}: Anna runs around fighting vampires and werewolves wearing a corset, peasant blouse and high-heeled boots. Averted with the brides, whose fancy gowns transform along with them.
305	* SuperpoweredEvilSide: Mr. Hyde is a big, muscular brute compared to Dr. Jekyll.
306	* TalkToTheFist: How Anna gets vampires to [[ShutUpHannibal shut the hell up already]].
307	-->'''Anna:''' If you're going to kill someone, kill them -- don't stand there talking about it!
308	* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Averted. Constantly taunting your helpless enemies leaves them an opening to attack you. Just ask [[spoiler: Aleera]].
309	* ThisCannotBe: Dracula says this as [[spoiler:Van Helsing changes into a werewolf.]]
310	* ThisWasHisTrueForm: This is why Van Helsing is considered a murderer by the {{Muggles}}. When he defeats the monstrous Mr. Hyde, for example, Hyde changes back to the measly Dr. Jekyll as he falls to his doom, and the French authorities don't see this transformation...
311	* TheThreeFacesOfEve: Dracula's brides - Verona is the Wife (she appears as the leader and her actress confirms that she is the Queen Bride). Marishka is the Child - we don't see too much of her but she is very playful and not as bright as the other two. Aleera is the Seductress - she has the most LesYay with Anna.
312	* TinMan: Dracula is a villainous version of this.
313	* TogetherInDeath: [[spoiler:After burning Anna's body Van Helsing sees a vision of her spirit joining her father and brother in Heaven now that the curse on the family is broken.]]
314	* TooDumbToLive:
315	** Anna and her brother Velkan tend to LeeroyJenkins when they attack things, such as werewolves, despite knowing that if they die their entire family won't be allowed into Heaven. Presumably the Knights realized this, which is why they sent Van Helsing in the first place.
316	** The Villagers don't fare much better. They give a flimsy justification that the vampires only attack because they're feeding (taking "only" one or two people a month), and if they were to fight back and kill the vampires, the remaining ones would only come back and slaughter them in revenge. Still, you'd think they'd try to deter them... it'd be very easy to do if they were all armed with ''bows'' instead of hatchets and pitchforks. Or more logically, if they resettled their village far away from Frankenstein's castle!
317	** Aleera constantly keeps showing off her power and playing with Anna rather then killing her outright. By the time she finally decides to, Carl throws Anna a stake who wastes no time in driving it into her heart while [[LampshadeHanging citing how dumb Aleera]] [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim was for wasting her opportunities.]]
318	--> '''Anna''': If you're going to kill someone, kill them! Don't stand there talking about it.
319	** Likewise, Aleera's sister Marishka wastes her time toying with Van Helsing, giving him enough time to dip his crossbow into the village church’s holy water font and take her out.
320	** Van Helsing has [[spoiler:transformed into a werewolf,]] and is literally in the midst of [[spoiler:crushing Dracula's neck]] when a cloud passes in front of the moon, undoing the [[spoiler:werewolf transformation]] and rendering Van Helsing unable to harm Dracula. Does Dracula sieze this opportunity to kill the only being capable of killing him, or even simply fly away and escape? No: instead he stands around monologuing until the cloud has drifted past, resulting in Van Helsing [[spoiler:transforming again and tearing Dracula's throat out in a single bite.]]
321	* TorsoWithAView: Mr. Hyde shows off a hole clean through his right arm while talking about his and Van Helsing's previous skirmish in London.
322	* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: In the case of the movie poster. The movie takes great pains to only hint at what Dracula looks like in his OneWingedAngel form until the end fight, but it is right there, in the top right corner of the poster.
323	* TransformationDiscretionShot: Prior to the climax, Dracula's infrequent transformations into a giant bat-creature are seen only in shadow, with the creature itself only being glimpsed as a silhouette or from a distance. It's not until the final battle that he goes full-blown OneWingedAngel in full view of the camera.
324	* TransformationSequence: Several; the vampires shapeshift from human to bat-creature forms, while other humans become werewolves.
325	* TruerToTheText: The character of Frankenstein's Monster is surprisingly close to the original novel rather than the Universal or Hammer Horror versions; he's highly intelligent, eloquent and spiritual.
326	** Dr. Frankenstein has his orginal name of Victor instead of Henry.
327	* {{Uberwald}}: The film's setting, and a cold one at that.
328	* UnwittingPawn: Dr. Victor Frankenstein is this to Dracula.
329	* VampireDance: The dance hall where Drac is holding a fancy dress party is lined with mirrors, making it obvious to Anna that she's basically the only one there with a pulse.
330	* VampireHunter: Well, Van Helsing, who else?
331	* VampireMonarch: All the vampires and werewolves answer to Dracula, who presumably was the first vampire. [[spoiler:Van Helsing]] manages to subvert this, however.
332	* VampireRefugee: [[spoiler:Van Helsing]] gets turned into a werewolf, and is prophesied to kill Dracula in this form. Meanwhile, Carl and Anna race to get the antidote to him before the last stroke of midnight, at which time he'll be a permanent werewolf.
333	* VampireWerewolfLoveTriangle: [[spoiler:Van Helsing]] is in the process of becoming a werewolf when Dracula kidnaps his love interest and tries to seduce her.
334	* VanHelsingHateCrimes: Played with. Van Helsing can see that Frankenstein's monster is not really evil. The Knights of the Holy Order haven't met him, however, so they don't and have sent orders for Van Helsing to kill him as soon as possible because he isn't human and because destroying him would cut off Dracula's plot.
335	* VariableTerminalVelocity: The vampire brides manage to fly down faster than a horse carriage falling down a chasm.
336	* VeinOVision: As Aleera has Anna at her mercy, we briefly see her from Aleera's point of view, which shows her as a walking bunch of veins.
337	* VikingFuneral: [[spoiler:Anna's pyre.]]
338	* VisualPun: A woman, alone at night, needs some sort of defense to protect herself. What does she grab? Mace. Well, a mace, but you get the idea.
339	* WeirdMoon: The moon is full for ''weeks'' in Transylvania and apparently waxes and wanes like crazy. After [[spoiler:Van Helsing is bitten]], Carl tells him that the next full moon is in three days. Repeat: there was a werewolf attack the night prior (meaning that there must have been the full moon), and ''three days later'', it would be full again. There is a travel montage to get somewhere, but not one to get back. While the moon is still weird, this sort of gives an excuse for the "three days later" bit.
340	* WhamLine:
341	** In the climax, there's Dracula asking Van Helsing "Did I mention that it was [[spoiler:you who murdered me?" Making Helsing the one responsible for partially kickstarting the curse which the Valerious family has been fighting for generations.]]
342	** Subverted with:
343	--->'''Carl:''' Dracula was actually the son of your ancestor, the son of Valerious the Elder.\
344	'''Anna:''' Everybody knows that.
345	* WhamShot: At the masked ball, Dracula dances with Anna amidst a huge crowd of Budapest party-goers. He lowers her into a dip in front of a full-length mirror, which reveals that Dracula casts no reflection... and aside from Anna, ''neither does anyone else.'' The audience's OhCrap is mirrored by Anna in-universe.
346	* WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve: [[spoiler:Van Helsing]] must be cured by the last strike of midnight -- fortunately, in [[{{Uberwald}} Transylvania]] the clocks can take ''ten minutes'' to strike midnight. Maybe that has something to do with [[WeirdMoon the moon]]. A particularly noteworthy example, as [[spoiler:Dracula can only be killed]] after the ''first'' stroke of midnight.
347	* WheresMyGun: Prince Velcan loses his pistol early in his attempt to kill the werewolf Dracula unleashed off screen to hunt him and his sister down. When his trap is sprung, and the villagers start shooting the captured werewolf, he begins to scream at them to find ''his'' gun. Justified as his gun is loaded with Silver Bullets, and is therefore, the only thing that can kill a werewolf. He eventually does find it, and manages to kill the werewolf in question, however he gets knocked off a cliff for his efforts, and later becomes one.
348	%%* WhoYouGonnaCall: [[HilariousOuttakes Van Halen]]!
349	* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Dracula is mopey early on about having eternal life.
350	* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Aleera keeps playing with Anna in the climax. Anna calls her out on her stupidity... after she stakes her, of course.
351	* TheWorfEffect: Anna by Aleera, repeatedly throughout the movie. She gets even.
352	* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Discussed when Victor Frankenstein discovers the extent of Dracula's evil, then played straight soon after when Dracula rips out his throat.
353	-->'''Victor''': Dear God! I would kill myself before helping with such an endeavor!\
354	'''Dracula''': Feel free. I don't actually need you anymore, Victor.
355	[[/folder]]

Context Film / VanHelsing