Sometimes a movie can be fun, a lot of fun, but once you put some years between viewings, it starts to lose a bit of the magic it once had. The Patrick Lussier directed Dracula 2000 happens to be one of those films. While it is fun, it just doesn’t stand the test of time very well. Thirteen years ago it was flashy, hip, sexy, and scary. Today…not so much.
Tons of digital effects were overused and even back during its release were sort of shiny and undefined. The cast is good, really good for a random Dimension Films’ horror title — Gerard Butler, Jonny Lee Miller, Jennifer Esposito, Omar Epps, Danny Masterson, and Christopher Plummer! I mean, come on… it’s outstanding! The film itself delivers a few genuine ‘wow’ moments, but falls flat as a whole.
Dracula 2000 has a pretty interesting way of bringing Dracula and Van Helsing to modern times, but refuses to get gritty and let any real horror on screen. The film is clean looking and it has that “so hip and we know it vibe,” which disappoints me, personally. I have fun with this movie, but just not as much fun as I remembered.
Good old practical effects will always have a soft spot in my heart; CGI gets outdated so fast and never really fools anyone, but the gore in the original Day of the Dead has looked great since 1985 and will still make people cringe in 2085. That’s staying power… Dracula 2000 just doesn’t have it.
If you want to take a trip down memory lane and remember what was happening to our beloved genre in 2000, this is a pretty good example. Wes Craven’s name being attached to it certainly helped then, but by the time the end credits roll, you will be painfully aware that he did not write or direct this movie.
This film gets my nostalgic 1 vampire fang out of 5.
