Frankenstein and Van Helsing can be interpreted in a similar light. Both stories go hand-in-hand with the themes of selfishness and lessons that are a result of the master’s fate within each story. With that in mind, the created monsters feel the same way and are both perceived as a monster of some sort by using Mary Shelley’s ideas in her novel Frankenstein.
In the movie, Van Helsing, which was viewed in theaters in 2004, Gabriel Van Helsing, the main character, is considered to be the “Vampire Slayer.” Unfortunately for him, a curse was placed upon him that caused him not to remember his past. While searching for it, he is led to a land called Transylvania where there are dark creatures that were created and controlled by Count Dracula. The latter is known to be an evil vampire that cannot be killed by anyone because of his insurmountable strength. Van Helsing wants to kill the Count for good because of the curse that he had placed on many people. Van Helsing believes that he cannot do it alone and needs someone to help him vanquish Count Dracula for good.
Another main character is Anna Valerious. She also is a vampire hunter. She is part of the royal family who once lived in Transylvania until Count Dracula transformed them all into creatures. Anna wanted to help Van Helsing destroy the evil monster so that she could bring her family back to life. Count Dracula tried to interfere with their plan by sending the Wolf Man and Frankenstein’s Monster after them. He wanted them destroyed. Van Helsing and Valerious came to realize that it will take more than just weapons to kill off the vampire.
The scenes described in the previous page, show similarity to the novel Frankenstein because, like the creature, there are monsters throughout the movie. In the novel, there was little to no compassion towards the monster. This is shown throughout the movie of Van Helsing especially towards the Wolf Man who did not choose the life he was given by the Count Dracula. Everyone believes that he is a monster by choice and should be destroyed just like Frankenstein. In the movie, the Wolf Man is Anna Valerious’ brother. When he sees her in the middle of the night, he transforms into a wolf. They were once very close until this misfortune was bestowed upon him. He did not want Valerious to know about his transformation because he did not want her to be scared of him. The Wolf Man did not choose the life of horror where he transforms into a hideous wolf during every full moon and hurts others. He did not want people to look at him when he was a wolf and be judged by his appearance. He also did not want to be remembered as the dangerous Wolf Man that he was when he transformed back to a human being. He did want people to think of him as a bad person. He wanted to keep his second, darker, life hidden from everyone.
Just like the Wolf Man, the monster in Frankenstein did not want to be judged as a monster because he did not choose that life. The creature was given that life by Dr. Frankenstein who wanted to create a life no one else could. Both Frankenstein and Count Dracula were selfish because they were only trying to satisfy themselves by hurting others without even thinking of the consequences.
Count Dracula and Frankenstein were both creating something they thought would help enrich their own lives. Count Dracula put a curse on the Wolf Man so that the Wolf Man could harm those that were trying to hurt Count Dracula. Count Dracula used him as a shield so that he did not have to deal with the killing of innocent people himself. He did not care about the Wolf Man’s feelings or how his transformation would affect his life. The Wolf Man did not believe that having a double life would be fulfilling. He did not want the world to remember him as the Wolf Man. Count Dracula did not bother with what the Wolf Man thought as long as he was hurting or murdering the innocent in the night. Van Helsing and Valerious did end up killing Count Dracula which shows that you cannot trust anyone to fight your own battles.
Frankenstein, on the other hand, man-made the creature to show that he could create something from nothing. He did not think the creature would harm anyone. He did not believe that his reasoning for producing him would be a problem. However, the creature wanted a wife and a family. Frankenstein did not think it would be safe to have monsters lurking around. Frankenstein soon realized that his idea of creating a monster as a scientific project was ill fated. It was not before long that Frankenstein realized his success was a tragedy.
The novel Frankenstein and the movie Van Helsing have similar themes through the reasoning of why they were created and how they were treated, and the emotional effect this had on them. The creator of Van Helsing is compelling in bringing Mary Shelley’s ideas to life again. This reflects the ethical dilemma that has been lurking for many years. With that in mind, Mary Shelley’s ideas and knowledge is here to flourish for generations to come.
