Imagine waking up after being in a coma-like state for 3 years to find the world overrun by vampires? Well, that is exactly what happens to Vanessa Van Helsing in Syfy’s new thrilling series Van Helsing.
The story takes place in 2019, 3 years after a catastrophic volcano eruption triggered “The Rising”, ending the world as we know it. Vampires have risen to power and taken over. Just when everyone thinks hope is lost, a mysterious woman wakes up and discovers that she is not only immune to a vampires bite, but she can also turn vampires back into humans. This is the hope the humans need, could she be their salvation?
The show’s debut episodes are packed with action, thrills, and mystery. Vanessa Van Helsing (Kelly Overton) begins kicking ass the second her eyes open, and she shows no signs of slowing down. Driven by the desire to find her daughter, Van Helsing follows Vanessa as she adjusts to this new world and struggles to trust those around her.
The first hour-long episode sets the show up for the season and gives audiences a good idea of what to expect (lots of violence, gore, dark humor, and plenty of ass-kicking), and gets audiences excited for more. The writing is good, but the story does feel a little rushed. The vampires look as expected, very pale with dried blood on their faces and a crazed look in their eye. The thing that stood out to me most in this premiere episode is the acting. Kelly Overton kicks major ass and isn’t afraid to get physical, and her acting is just as good as her vampire killing skills. At the end of the first episode I was left with a lot of questions, fortunately many of them were answered in the second episode.
The second hour-long episode gives audiences a glimpse of what it was like before “The Rising” and how some characters get to be where they are. It also dives more into the story of the vampires, not just the humans fighting for their lives. The writing for this episode is better than the previous one, it tells a better story and feels less rushed. There was even one scene that made me teary-eyed, the writing and acting in that scene is incredible! Both Kelly Overton and Rukiya Bernard blew me away with their emotional performances in the episode.
Overall, the premiere episodes were very engaging and kept me wanting more. Definitely check out showrunner Neil LaBute’s take on the classic “Dracula” story, starring Kelly Overton, Jonathan Scarfe, Christopher Heyerdahl, David Cubbit, Rukiya Bernard, and more!
Don’t forget to catch the premiere Friday Sept 23 at 10 pm on Syfy!