Hugh Jackman's 'The Mummy' Replacement Is Officially Back on Streaming
Michael John Petty is a Senior Author for Collider who spends his days writing, in fellowship with his local church, and enjoying each new day with his wonderful wife and precious daughters. At Collider, he writes features, reviews, recaps, interviews, and breaking news on select occasion. In addition to writing about stories, Michael has told a few of his own, from supernatural thrillers to historical fiction. His Western short story, The Devil's Left Hand, received the Spur Award for "Best Western Short Fiction" in 2025 from the Western Writers of America, of which he is a member. Michael currently resides in North Idaho with his growing family.
If you’re in the mood for a real monster mash now that October has rolled around, then it's the perfect time to head over to Peacock. Not only does the streaming platform offer some fun horror flicks and monster movies, but this fall it's also the streaming home of Stephen Sommers' action-packed homage to the Universal Classic Monsters. No, we're not talking about The Mummy — though that movie is also streaming on Peacock. We're talking about Van Helsing, the adventure film that nearly spawned a second Hugh Jackman-led action franchise in the early 2000s.
'Van Helsing' Is an Action-Adventure Riff on the Universal Classic Monsters
An action-adventure re-imagination of the iconic creatures who made waves on the big-screen back in the 1930s, Jackman plays Gabriel Van Helsing, a mysterious vigilante who has been hired by the Catholic Church to drive monsters out of Europe. We don't know much about Van Helsing — and, frankly, he doesn't know much about himself either — but his long, black trench coat, wide-brimmed hat, and mechanized crossbow tell us all we need to know. Van Helsing (not to be confused with the unrelated Syfy TV series of the same name) picks up with the titular monster killer being sent to Transylvania to take out Richard Roxburgh's inspired Count Dracula, who plans to expand his reach beyond his domain. As he chases after the vampiric count, Van Helsing encounters a Wolf Man (Will Kemp) and Frankenstein’s Monster (Shuler Hensley), along with other monstrous creatures, testing his loyalties and limits in the battle against evil. Working alongside Underworld star Kate Beckinsale (who plays Anna Valerious, a warrior princess in a long familial line that opposes Dracula), Jackman's Van Helsing is the type of action hero you'd want with you in a horror movie.
Even though his past is something of a mystery — a past that comes into play as the fate of Europe hangs in the balance — Van Helsing has the style and charisma that instantly attracts an audience. Indeed, Van Helsing may not be as well-crafted as Sommers' re-imagining of The Mummy, but it’s a stylish monster adventure that captures much of that same pulpy spirit that makes his previous Brendan Fraser outings so exciting. While some may be turned off by Van Helsing's transition from classic movie horror to a straight-up action-adventure, it fits this heavily stylized world quite well, and with breathtaking sets like the Transylvanian village and Dracula's Castle, this is a cinematic experience that one can appreciate just for the effort put into it. While famed critic Roger Ebert called the film "silly," he followed up that note in his 3-out-of-4-star review by also deeming it "spectacular and fun." It's certainly that.
'Van Helsing' Deserves More Love — and Possibly a Crossover With 'The Mummy'
Van Helsing's world itself is so wildly crafted and rich with complex monster mythology that it’s a darn shame that a sequel (or at least the Transylvania television series that was supposed to happen) never came to fruition. Long before Dark Universe crashed and burned, this monster-themed crossover flick could have been a way to connect Sommers' unique brand of monster remakes into a larger world. Could you have imagined a crossover where the nigh-immortal Van Helsing met up with the O'Connells to take out Imhotep or some other undead menace? But regardless of what might have been, Van Helsing is loads of fun for those looking for an action-adventure worthy of Halloweentime.
Beginning in October, Peacock is the place to find Van Helsing, right alongside The Mummy trilogy (which just left Tubi), The Scorpion King, and some of Sommers' other monster material. If you're looking for a brilliant Dracula-related movie or a stellar take on Frankenstein that does something unique with the traditional material, there's no better adventure to embark upon. If you're really feeling adventurous, you could always tip your hat to the anime prequel film, Van Helsing: The London Assignment, which details the vigilante's hunt for Mr. Hyde (Robbie Coltrane).
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