Matthew Van Helsing (Plummer), the alleged descendant of the famed 19th century Dutch medical doctor, Abraham Van Helsing, owns an antique shop in early 21st century London. One night with Van Helsing upstairs, his secretary, Solina (Jennifer Esposito), allows a group of thieves, led by her boyfriend, Marcus (Omar Epps), into the shop. The thieves infiltrate the shop's underground high-security vault and find a sealed silver coffin protected by a deadly defense system. Based on the level of security surrounding the coffin, Solina and Marcus decide that the coffin’s contents must be valuable, so they escape with it and flee to New Orleans, Louisiana. When Van Helsing discovers that the coffin has been stolen, he boards a plane to America, telling his apprentice, Simon Sheppard (Jonny Lee Miller), to remain in London. Simon does not follow his mentor’s orders and travels to Louisiana as well.
Aboard the plane, one of the thieves manages to open the coffin, revealing the dormant body of Count Dracula (Butler). Dracula awakens and attacks the thieves, causing the plane to crash in the Louisiana swamps. Dracula survives the crash and travels to New Orleans where college students Mary Heller (Waddell) and Lucy Westerman (Fitzpatrick) are living. Mary is estranged from her family and has recently been plagued by dreams of a strange, terrifying man.
Van Helsing and Simon arrive in New Orleans and destroy the newly turned vampires left in Dracula’s wake. After the battle, Van Helsing reveals to Simon that he is in fact the original Abraham Van Helsing who defeated Dracula in 1897. Because he was unable to destroy Dracula permanently, Van Helsing hid Dracula's body and prolonged his own life with regular injections of Dracula's blood until, one day, he could discover a way to kill Dracula for good. Simon is intrigued by Dracula's hatred of all things Christian and wonders why Dracula is also particularly vulnerable to silver.
Van Helsing also tells Simon about his daughter, Mary, who was taken from England by her mother after the truth about his identity came to light. Since Mary was conceived after Van Helsing began his injections, she shares blood and a telepathic link with Dracula. Van Helsing knows that Dracula senses Mary's existence and is in New Orleans to find her.
Van Helsing and Simon try to reach Mary before Dracula does, but fail to do so before Dracula turns Lucy into a vampire. Dracula and his three new brides, Solina, Lucy, and Valerie, corner Van Helsing and kill him. Simon and Mary escape, only to be captured by Dracula shortly thereafter.
Dracula takes Mary to a rooftop and reveals his secret: He is none other than Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus for a bribe of thirty pieces of silver. As he went to hang himself, the rope snapped and as punishment he was cursed and had to live for two thousand years as a vampire. The three brides appear with Simon, and Dracula tells Mary to bite him. She fakes the bite and together Mary and Simon kill the three brides. Angered, Dracula tried to throw her from the rooftop. Mary wraps some cable from a large crucifix around Dracula's neck and they both fall from the roof. Dracula hangs as he attempted to do two thousand years before, but this time the rope does not break, and he burns in the first sunlight.
Español
Drácula, por fin liberado tras cien años de confinamiento, se encuentra en un siglo XXI dominado por el caos y la tentación, de narco-tiendas de discos Virgin y night-clubs subterráneos, donde él encaja a la perfección. Su primer destino es los Estados Unidos, un lugar perfecto para sus carismáticas seducciones de bellas jóvenes y su incesante búsqueda del poder. Pero existe otra razón para haber ido allí. En algún lugar de Nueva Orleans hay una joven a la que Drácula debe encontrar. La única persona de la Tierra con quien puede compartir verdaderamente su oscuro legado. Producida por Wes Craven… version vampirica de scream (actores jovenes, chistes fáciles…) aunque con origen distinto de drácula.
Italiano
Il film è ambientato a metà ottocento, nella Londra contemporanea e a New Orleans (US), e si fa notare per la rivisitazione del personaggio Dracula. Invece del suo più famoso riscontro storico ritrovato dalla tradizione nel conte Vlad di Valacchia questa volta sarà Giuda Iscariota ad essere il noto vampiro, molto toccante la "dichiarazione" di Vlad relativa al fatto che Dio avesse avuto "bisogno" di lui, per salvare il genere umano, e che sapeva cosa sarebbe accaduto, alludendo al famoso bacio del tradimento; dal protagonista sembra trapelare un sentimento a metà tra una tristezza infinita per il suo crudele destino, solitario, e la rabbia per essere stato il prescelto per portare quel pesante fardello: essere stato il traditore del figlio di Dio.
Français
Au XIXe siècle, à Londres, après des années de poursuite, Abraham Van Helsing parvient enfin à capturer le comte Dracula. Il s'empresse d'enfermer le corps maudit dans les soubassements de l'abbaye de Carfax. Celui-ci y reposera durant plus d'un siècle. En l'an 2000, l'abbaye de Carfax a laissé place à un important immeuble à bureaux, propriété de Matthew Van Helsing, l'un des descendants d'Abraham. En dépit d'une mystérieuse maladie, il veille à la protection du précieux bien qui sommeille sous les fondations. Il est secondé par Simon Sheppard, collectionneur d'armes antiques et spécialiste dans la chasse aux vampires. Les problèmes surviennent lorsqu'un groupe de voleurs experts en haute technologie parvient à s'introduire dans la chambre forte et tente d'ouvrir une crypte extrêmement bien protégée, celle de Dracula. Ces derniers manquent leur coup et le redoutable comte saisit l'occasion pour s'évader. Pendant ce temps, quelque part à la Nouvelle-Orléans, Mary Van Helsing mène une vie paisible de commerçante avec sa meilleure amie Lucy, préférant ne pas se mêler des affaires de son père. L'arrivée de Simon dans sa boutique vient mettre un terme à cette tranquille existence. Dracula rôderait dans les parages, et Simon se doit de le tuer avant que Marcus et son gang de cambrioleurs ne mettent la main dessus. Pour ce faire, il a besoin de l'aide de Mary.