Dracula Review – The French Director’s Love-Struck Reimagining of the Classic Horror Story is Ridiculous but Entertaining

Perhaps interest is limited for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for stylish excess. And yet, one must admit: his richly designed vampire romance boasts bold vision and flair – and amid its theatrical camp, I might just favor to it to Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, like a particular moment that seems to depict a geographic divide between France and Romania.

Christoph Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – it’s surprising he never took on such a part earlier – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. So does the evil Count Dracula, played by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect similar to Carell’s Gru character from the Despicable Me comedies. This character that he too was born to take on.

The Plot: A Tale of Love and Loss

Here’s the premise: the vampire lord has been restlessly roaming the world in anguish for 400 years since he became undead, a punishment due to his blasphemous mourning following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). the vampire has looked tirelessly for some woman who might be the reincarnation of his deceased partner. By cruel fate, the fortunate female proves to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the modest betrothed of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to discuss his property portfolio and whose miniature portrait of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Comic Flair

Besson arranges Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys in various outrageous costumes confidently, and he is not above providing humorous scenes reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as farcical scenes that occur when Dracula douses himself in a certain perfume in historic Florence, that renders him irresistible to women. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula can be streamed online starting December 1st and on DVD and Blu-ray from 22 December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.