Mom's Got a Date With a Vampire
Encyclopedia
Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire is a 2000 Disney Channel Original Movie.
) and his best friend Duffy (Jake Epstein
) have some tickets for the Headless Horseman concert, and his sister Chelsea (Laura Vandervoort
) has a date with her dreamy boyfriend Peter. The only problem is, they are both grounded: Adam as punishment because he did not do his homework, instead making up a story using an article from the magazine The Weekly Secret, and Chelsea because she called Adam a dweeb, which their divorced mother, Lynette (Caroline Rhea
), happened to hear. Chelsea and Adam will do whatever it takes to get their mother out of the house, even if it includes a chance meeting with a very mysterious man. Everything seems to go according to plan, until their little brother Taylor (Myles Jeffrey
) realizes that this stranger might be a vampire.
His brother and sister do not believe Taylor, so he calls Malachi Van Helsing (Robert Carradine
), the vampire hunter. The night that their mother goes out with Dimitri (Charles Shaughnessy
), the vampire, Taylor follows them. Not wanting their mother to come home, they follow Taylor and find him outside the restaurant that Lynette and Dimitri are at. Adam and Taylor make the vampire do the spoon test (a fake test made up by Adam to get Taylor to stop calling Dimitri a vampire). Afterwards, Adam discovers that Taylor was right about Dimitri being a vampire when he looks in the mirror and notices Dimitri does not have a reflection. So, along with Chelsea, he sets out to stop Dimitri, who puts their mother in a trance and takes her to his mansion. Meanwhile, Malachi Van Helsing arrives and begins to hunt down Dimitri, only to discover that he was being followed by Taylor, who (after learning the spoon test was made up by Adam) had also set out to save his mother from Dimitri.
In the end, Taylor becomes Van Helsing's partner and they arrive to do battle with Dimitri, who has Lynette in a trance, but even together Taylor, Adam, Chelsea and Van Helsing are unable to defeat Dimitri. Dimitri goes to bite a powerless Adam, but he and Chelsea call out to Lynette, breaking her trance (as only true love for someone can break a vampire's trance). She throws Dimitri into his coffin. Van Helsing seals the coffin with silver-plated nails and explains that he plans to send it to a place where it's always sunny
. Shortly after Dimitri is sealed up, Van Helsing asks their mother out on a "date", after which Adam, Chelsea and Taylor, believing they have heard the word "date" enough for one night, try to convince her to stay single -- which is when Lynette confesses, "I date...just not vampires." Finally, they all decide to go back to the Hansen house for breakfast as the sun is finally rising.
Plot
The Hansen children are in a jam. Adam (Matt O'LearyMatt O'Leary
-Life and career:O'Leary was born in Chicago, Illinois. He has two older half-sisters and an older half-brother. O'Leary auditioned for the lead in Home Alone 3. He made his acting debut in the lead role of the 2000 made-for-television film Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire...
) and his best friend Duffy (Jake Epstein
Jake Epstein
Jacob Lee "Jake" Epstein is a Canadian actor and singer, perhaps best known for playing Craig Manning, a bipolar musician, on Degrassi: The Next Generation.-Personal life:...
) have some tickets for the Headless Horseman concert, and his sister Chelsea (Laura Vandervoort
Laura Vandervoort
Laura Dianne Vandervoort is a Canadian actress known for her roles as Kara Zor-El in the television series Smallville, Sadie Harrison in the television series Instant Star and Lisa in the television series V....
) has a date with her dreamy boyfriend Peter. The only problem is, they are both grounded: Adam as punishment because he did not do his homework, instead making up a story using an article from the magazine The Weekly Secret, and Chelsea because she called Adam a dweeb, which their divorced mother, Lynette (Caroline Rhea
Caroline Rhea
Caroline Gilchrist Rhea is a Canadian stand-up comedian and actress who was the original host of the reality television show The Biggest Loser on NBC until she was replaced by Alison Sweeney after the end of the third season...
), happened to hear. Chelsea and Adam will do whatever it takes to get their mother out of the house, even if it includes a chance meeting with a very mysterious man. Everything seems to go according to plan, until their little brother Taylor (Myles Jeffrey
Myles Jeffrey
Myles David Jeffrey is an American film, voice and television actor. His nicknames are Jaws, Smiles, Smiley Mylie, and MJ. He played Henry Paget on the U.S. TV show Early Edition.-Career:...
) realizes that this stranger might be a vampire.
His brother and sister do not believe Taylor, so he calls Malachi Van Helsing (Robert Carradine
Robert Carradine
Robert Reed Carradine is an American actor. The youngest of the Carradine family of actors, he made his first appearances on television western series such as Bonanza and his older brother David's Kung Fu. Carradine's first film role was in the 1972 film The Cowboys opposite Roscoe Lee Browne and...
), the vampire hunter. The night that their mother goes out with Dimitri (Charles Shaughnessy
Charles Shaughnessy
Charles George Patrick Shaughnessy, 5th Baron Shaughnessy , simply known as Charles Shaughnessy, is a British peer, and television, theatre and film actor. He is known for his roles on American television, as Shane Donovan on the soap opera Days of our Lives and as Maxwell Sheffield on the sitcom...
), the vampire, Taylor follows them. Not wanting their mother to come home, they follow Taylor and find him outside the restaurant that Lynette and Dimitri are at. Adam and Taylor make the vampire do the spoon test (a fake test made up by Adam to get Taylor to stop calling Dimitri a vampire). Afterwards, Adam discovers that Taylor was right about Dimitri being a vampire when he looks in the mirror and notices Dimitri does not have a reflection. So, along with Chelsea, he sets out to stop Dimitri, who puts their mother in a trance and takes her to his mansion. Meanwhile, Malachi Van Helsing arrives and begins to hunt down Dimitri, only to discover that he was being followed by Taylor, who (after learning the spoon test was made up by Adam) had also set out to save his mother from Dimitri.
In the end, Taylor becomes Van Helsing's partner and they arrive to do battle with Dimitri, who has Lynette in a trance, but even together Taylor, Adam, Chelsea and Van Helsing are unable to defeat Dimitri. Dimitri goes to bite a powerless Adam, but he and Chelsea call out to Lynette, breaking her trance (as only true love for someone can break a vampire's trance). She throws Dimitri into his coffin. Van Helsing seals the coffin with silver-plated nails and explains that he plans to send it to a place where it's always sunny
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Shortly after Dimitri is sealed up, Van Helsing asks their mother out on a "date", after which Adam, Chelsea and Taylor, believing they have heard the word "date" enough for one night, try to convince her to stay single -- which is when Lynette confesses, "I date...just not vampires." Finally, they all decide to go back to the Hansen house for breakfast as the sun is finally rising.
Controversy
After the premiere on Zoog Disney in 2000, Disney received many complaints about a shot in which Dimitri licks his lips while looking at the family dog, presumably because he was interested in feasting on it. The shot was removed from subsequent airings, and as of 2010 is not available on any DVD or VHS release. Despite the movie's Halloween theme, Disney opted not to show it in October 2010; it had been shown until this time.Cast
- Matt O'LearyMatt O'Leary-Life and career:O'Leary was born in Chicago, Illinois. He has two older half-sisters and an older half-brother. O'Leary auditioned for the lead in Home Alone 3. He made his acting debut in the lead role of the 2000 made-for-television film Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire...
as Adam Hansen. The main character. - Laura VandervoortLaura VandervoortLaura Dianne Vandervoort is a Canadian actress known for her roles as Kara Zor-El in the television series Smallville, Sadie Harrison in the television series Instant Star and Lisa in the television series V....
as Chelsea Hansen. The second main character. - Myles JeffreyMyles JeffreyMyles David Jeffrey is an American film, voice and television actor. His nicknames are Jaws, Smiles, Smiley Mylie, and MJ. He played Henry Paget on the U.S. TV show Early Edition.-Career:...
as Taylor Hansen. The third main character. - Caroline RheaCaroline RheaCaroline Gilchrist Rhea is a Canadian stand-up comedian and actress who was the original host of the reality television show The Biggest Loser on NBC until she was replaced by Alison Sweeney after the end of the third season...
as Lynette Hansen. The fourth main character and the mother of Adam, Chelsea and Taylor. - Charles ShaughnessyCharles ShaughnessyCharles George Patrick Shaughnessy, 5th Baron Shaughnessy , simply known as Charles Shaughnessy, is a British peer, and television, theatre and film actor. He is known for his roles on American television, as Shane Donovan on the soap opera Days of our Lives and as Maxwell Sheffield on the sitcom...
as Dimitri Denatos. The main antagonist of the film. - Robert CarradineRobert CarradineRobert Reed Carradine is an American actor. The youngest of the Carradine family of actors, he made his first appearances on television western series such as Bonanza and his older brother David's Kung Fu. Carradine's first film role was in the 1972 film The Cowboys opposite Roscoe Lee Browne and...
as Malachi Van Helsing. The vampire hunter. - Jake EpsteinJake EpsteinJacob Lee "Jake" Epstein is a Canadian actor and singer, perhaps best known for playing Craig Manning, a bipolar musician, on Degrassi: The Next Generation.-Personal life:...
as Duffy. Adam's best friend. - J. Adam BrownJ. Adam BrownJames Adam Brown is a Canadian actor.J. Adam is a recent graduate of Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario. He is the director of the acclaimed short film Spoliation, a cerebral film exploring the meaning of life [in production], and the concept of legacy and immortality.Perhaps J...
as Boomer. A boy who likes Chelsea.