Van Helsing [2004] (1 disc)

Random Trivia For This Title:

• According to Elena Anaya, on her first day she was told that somebody would give her a cue to say her lines. That somebody turned out to be none other than Hugh Jackman at 5:30 in the morning.
• The DVD sales was $65 million in the first week in North American, more than half the revenue from theater runs.
• Stephen Sommers wanted Kate Beckinsale for the role of Anna, but feared it was too similar in tone to the vampire/werewolf film Underworld which she was shooting at the time, and he didn't ask her. Eventually her agent got Sommers to send the script and Beckinsale immediately signed on. She was the last to be cast.
• Stephen Sommers deliberately chose to avoid the style of transformations from other werewolf films, where the character would usually grow hair as part of the change. Instead the decision was made to have the character rip his skin off to reveal the werewolf form underneath, going with the idea that the beast "comes from within".
• The movie has no opening credits. Something of an opening sequence preceeds the full credits at the end of the film. Though there is no actual title card, the title can be seen on a wanted poster as soon as the film turns to color.
• This is the first movie, other than the [Lord of the Rings] films, to use the MASSIVE software program developed for the [Lord of the Rings] trilogy.
• The place where Van Helsing and Anna fight Dracula's three wives is the same place where they filmed Frankenstein, Dracula and The Wolf Man. The place is call the Court of Miracles and this place is also found at the studio tour at Universal Studios Hollywood.
• Dracula's diminutive henchmen, the Dwerger, are actually dwarfs from Germanic folklore.
• The effect of the vampire brides' flying forms was pulled off by having the face and hair of the actresses made up as it would appear in the film and having them wear motion capture suits and film them against green screen. The appearance of the three brides is based on the brides in Dracula. Ironically, Silvia Colloca played the queen bride as Monica Bellucci did and the two have been compared often. Also, the fair haired vampire (Marishka) dies first in both movies.
• The role of Igor was written specifically for Stephen Sommers's friend and frequent collaborator Kevin J. O'Connor.
• During filming, Hugh Jackman accidentally broke an extra's hand.
• The second-to-last scene of X2 (Cyclops, Wolverine, and Professor X discussing Jean Grey) was filmed while Hugh Jackman had a day off from this movie.
• Before David Wenham was cast as Carl, Paul Hogan was reportedly considered for the role.
• Hugh Jackman had hair extensions added for filming.
• Kate Beckinsale has stated in interviews that she hated the corset she had to wear for the majority of the film and remarked that, when filming wrapped, she wanted "to burn it all".