October 13, 2000 – The Disney Channel Original Movie Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire Premieres
“Just cause you read something in the Weekly Secret, doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
On October 13, 2000, the Disney Channel Original Movie Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire premiered. The story was written by Lindsay Naythons and Robert Keats, and was directed by Steve Boyum. It starred Caroline Rhea as Lynette Hansen, Matthew O’Leary as Adam Hansen, Robert Carradine as Malachi Van Helsing, Laura Vandervoort as Chelsea Hansen, Myles Jeffrey as Taylor Hansen, and Charles Shaughnessy as Dimitri.
The movie begins with a carriage rolling up to a castle, with a vampire exiting with his bride. A man tries to take the bride away, but she is seemingly entranced by the vampire. It is then seen that the scene is from a movie, and siblings Adam and Chelsea Hansen are quibbling over the volume, while younger sibling Taylor hides behind the couch. Adam is obsessed with vampires, with his room covered in magazine clippings and other paraphernalia. His parents are divorced, and his mother Lynette is rather upset to find that not only is her ex-husband getting remarried, her kids already knew. At school, Adam’s friend Duffy reminds him of the upcoming Harvest Festival, where they are going to see their favorite band, The Headless Horsemen. Unfortunately, Adam gets in trouble when he not hasn’t done his homework, but uses a story from a tabloid and presents it to the class. He heads home to find himself grounded the same night of the concert. As Chelsea teases her brother, Lynette grounds her as well.
Adam and Chelsea look through the personals for a date for Lynette
That night, the two decide to band together to get their mom out of the house on a date and get themselves ungrounded. They scour the personals and find whom they believe is the perfect date and contact him, trying to keep the meeting a surprise from Lynette. What they don’t know, however, is that they’ve set Lynette up with a vampire. They trick Lynette into going to the grocery store, where Chelsea and Adam search the store for their mystery man. Meanwhile Taylor notices that they are being followed by a strange man in a trenchcoat. Lynette bumps his cart into a handsome stranger’s in the store, and the two seem to hit it off. The stranger, named Dimitri, sets up a date with Lynette, while the trenchcoated man heads outside to take a phone call. While Adam, Chelsea, and Lynette are thrilled, Taylor sees Dimitri turn into a bat, and realizes that Dimitri is a vampire. The next day, Taylor asks Adam about vampires, and admits that Dimitri is a vampire, which Adam doesn’t believe.
That night, Dimitri arrives for the date, but Lynette is very nervous about not having dated since her divorce. Alex and Chelsea manage to lift her spirits, and she heads out on her romantic date, though still anxious. Adam and Chelsea get ready to head out for their own plans, while Taylor calls for Malachi Van Helsing, a vampire hunter. Meanwhile, Malachi Van Helsing is on his own hunt for a vampire, who turns out to be Dimitri. Adam and Chelsea hear Taylor leave, and chase after him before Taylor ruins Lynette’s date. They manage to catch him, but Taylor is adamant about catching Dimitri before he turns Lynette into a minion. The kids make a deal that Adam will prove Dimitri is not a vampire, then Taylor will go home and stay quiet. Adam and Taylor confront Dimitri, with Adam trying to prove that Dimitri is not a vampire. Dimitri comes up with a fake test, and he passes, placating Taylor. Unfortunately, the victory is short lived, as Adam realizes that Dimitri has no reflection.
Adam and Chelsea follow their mom through town to save her from Dimitri
Adam and Chelsea drop Taylor off, when Adam admits the truth to Chelsea, and asks for her help. Chelsea begrudgingly goes with him to save Lynette. Meanwhile, Van Helsing finds Taylor’s house and Taylor welcomes him in, warning him about his siblings pursuing the vampire. Van Helsing then heads out to catch Dimitri. Lynette and Dimitri then head to a club, with Adam and Chelsea in close pursuit. Adam sneaks into the club and tries to break the pair up, but with little success. As Van Helsing is en route, he is startled to find Taylor has stowed away, and has no choice but to let Taylor come along. After all of Adam’s attempts are thwarted, they try and follow after Dimitri, but they lose him. They decide that they should head to the Harvest Festival, with help from Adam’s friend Duffy. When Chelsea finds that Adam traded her for a concert ticket, Chelsea is furious and storms off. Adam apologizes, and the two continue their search for Lynette.
Adam and Chelsea scour the fairgrounds, while Dimitri attempts to make Lynette his permanently. Lynette, however, feels that the two don’t click. When Lynette tries to continue their fun at the fair, Dimitri decides to put Lynette under his spell. Adam manages to stop him, but Dimitri threatens him to the point where Adam gives up. Dimitri takes off with Lynette, while Chelsea is left to boost Adam’s confidence. Chelsea and Adam find Dimitri’s coffin in an old abandoned manor on the outskirts of town, and manage to throw it in the lake before Dimitri finds them. Adam taunts Dimitri, and offers to trade the coffin for Lynette. Unfortunately, Dimitri grabs Chelsea, and Adam has no choice but to trade the coffin for his sister. As Adam faces Dimitri, Van Helsing appears to take on the vampire. Adam and Chelsea try to take Lynette to safety, but she is under his spell. Taylor then appears to help save his mother, and Dimitri is forced to attack Adam and Chelsea. When Adam and Chelsea call out for their mother, Lynette manages to snap out of her trance. With the help of Van Helsing, Dimitri is sealed into his coffin, and the group goes out for breakfast.
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