Dhruv Trivedi
‘Van Helsing’ is a fantasy horror television series famous for its post-apocalyptic vampire-slaying action. Hosted by the science fiction channel SYFY, the show first premiered in July 2016 and went on to spawn five seasons. Inspired by the graphic novel ‘Helsing,’ the series sees Kelly Overton step into the shoes of the titular character, who is a descendant of the original Van Helsing.
Waking up in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by vampires, Overton’s Van Helsing embarks on an epic and gruesome adventure through a truly terrifying and bleak world. The ominous setting of the show is one of its highlights, and if you’re curious about where they found the backdrops for ‘Van Helsing,’ we’ve got a treat for you!
Van Helsing Filming Locations
‘Van Helsing,’ which is based in a post-apocalyptic America, was shot majorly in Canada on location and in the studio. Production for the opening season of the series kicked off in February 2016 and lasted for approximately four months. The following three seasons were also produced successively in 2017, 2018, and 2019, with filming kicking off in February and wrapping up in May or June of the same year.
The fifth and final season of the series was filmed on location in Slovakia for the first two months of 2020, after which production had to be stopped in March due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Filming was then resumed in Canada in June 2020 and subsequently wrapped up in September. ‘Van Helsing’ is incidentally one of the first shows to resume filming in the Great White North after the 2020 lockdown. Let’s take a closer look at where exactly the show was filmed.
Vancouver, British Columbia
‘Van Helsing’ is co-produced by Nomadic Pictures, which is based in Calgary, Alberta. However, filming for the series took place in the city of Vancouver in British Columbia for tax reasons, according to Nomadic Pictures Co-Chairman Michael Frislev. Much of the series was therefore shot in and around Vancouver.
The ‘Van Helsing’ production team set up a studio inside the former Canada Post building in downtown Vancouver where much of the filming took place. The building is located on 349 West Georgia Street, Vancouver.
Kamloops, British Columbia
From season 4 onwards, filming for ‘Van Helsing’ also took place in and around the city of Kamloops in south-central British Columbia. According to one of the show’s writers, Jackie May, the open desert-like landscape and many canyons in the area so inspired the production team that season 4 had a part specifically written to be filmed in the Kamloops area.
Filming also took place at the historic Tranquille Farm Fresh located at 4600 Tranquille Rd, Kamloops. The formation of these historic farms goes back almost 100 years, during which time they were intermittently abandoned. The old buildings, as well as the rest of the sprawling 469-acre property, were used for filming some especially intense scenes for the series.
The Shuswap Road near the Lafarge cement plant at 9750 Shuswap Rd, Kamloops, features in some scenes of the show. Multiple outdoor scenes were also shot in the dramatic canyons of the Dallas neighborhood of Kamloops.
Bratislava, Slovakia
Filming for the first three episodes of ‘Van Helsing’ season 5 took place in and around Bratislava in Slovakia during January and February 2020. Slovakia has in recent years become a popular filming destination due to its dramatic scenes and architecture. With ‘Van Helsing’ season 5 being the show’s final season, the “universe” of the show was expanded, for which Slovakia provided the perfect backdrop. Incidentally, the Netflix show ‘Dracula’ was also filmed partly in Slovakia.
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