How Van Helsing Went From Stoic Academic in ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ to Famed Action Hero in Movies
Dr. Emily Zarka of the PBS series Monstrum looked into the history of iconic vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, noting how his original stoic personality of doctor and scientist in the book became more of an action hero when portrayed on screen.
How did Van Helsing go from academic in Dracula to action hero icon? This episode explores his evolution from Victorian scholar to monster-hunting legend, unpacking his role in the novel, pop culture legacy, and why he remains the ultimate supernatural slayer.
Zarka also shared the history of monster hunters and how this historic supernatural profession eventually gave way in the 20th century to that of science, journalism, and curiosity.
By the 20th century, traditional monster hunters largely faded into obscurity, replaced by explorers, scholars, scientists, hobbyists, and journalists chasing down stories of cryptids and unidentified aerial phenomena which newspapers printed stories of regularly.
