From Badge to Bloodlines: What Darkness Awaits Titus Welliver in His Gothic Horror Debut?

After years of playing the sharp, steady detective in Bosch, Titus Welliver is stepping into very different shoes — or perhaps boots — in Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story. Following the sudden end of Bosch: Legacy, Welliver takes on the role of Abraham Van Helsing in a quiet, unsettling reimagining of vampire lore, directed by Natasha Kermani and based on a short story by Joe Hill. The film arrives in cinemas on 11 July.

Set in 1915, the story follows Van Helsing as he raises his two sons (played by Brady Hepner and Judah Mackey) in isolation. The atmosphere is tense — strict routines, hidden fear, and a growing sense that something isn’t quite right. "There’s some kind of malevolence that exists in the house," Welliver says. But is it real, or is Van Helsing himself slipping into paranoia? That’s part of what drew the actor in.

While the title might suggest a traditional horror film, Welliver sees it differently.

"It’s not really horror in the usual sense," he explains. "It’s more like an art film with gothic elements — a slower, more thoughtful kind of tension."

Director Kermani avoids gore and jump scares in favour of something quieter and more disturbing.

Whether Van Helsing is a man holding back the darkness or slowly becoming part of it, Abraham’s Boys doesn’t offer easy answers. Instead, it leans into uncertainty — quiet, strange, and all the more compelling for it.