Demons

31 December 2008, 11:03

On the surface Luke Rutherford (Christian Cooke) is every bit your average teenager, but with the arrival of his dead father’s best friend Rupert Galvin (Philip Glenister), Luke’s life is about to be flipped upside down.  Galvin is a straight-talking, hardline American who has come to tell Luke his secret destiny: he’s the real-life great-great grandson of Abraham Van Helsing, the vampire hunter in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Luke is set to inherit the family mantle as a warrior against the supernatural entities behind every myth and legend from vampires to werewolves.

But Luke isn’t the only one to have recently discovered his true identity. Someone or rather something in the half-life has too and he could easily become the very last Van Helsing if he doesn’t get up to speed – and fast.

Gladiolas Thrip (Mackenzie Crook), a powerful freak with a whistling ivory nose and a serious vendetta against Luke is hot on his tail. After coming face-to-face with a monkey bearing more teeth than a piranha, a bunch of hoodies who are more hyena than human and a tall, terrifying stranger who regurgitates his meals, the young Van Helsing realises resistance against his destiny is futile, and offers to join Galvin.

In Galvin’s view there’s only one thing to be done with these nefarious entities: “Grade ‘em and smite ‘em”. His mission is clear – he’s going to turn Luke into the ubersmiter and together they’ll keep the entities down in the half-life where they belong.

The smiting duo is assisted in their endeavours by Mina Harker (Zoe Tapper), a beautiful, blind concert pianist with mysterious powers. And caught up in the action is Ruby (Holliday Grainger), Luke’s best mate, who’s keen to get in on the smiting game despite nearly losing her life before she’s even begun.

Last updated: 31 December 2008, 14:08