Dracula Review – Besson’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Classic Horror Story is Outlandish but Entertaining
Maybe audiences aren’t clamoring for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for stylish excess. Still, it has to be said: his opulently crafted romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and with its B-movie charm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that seems to depict a geographic divide between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened man of the church pursuing the undead – I can’t believe he hasn’t played such a part earlier – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. Likewise present is the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect evoking Steve Carell’s Gru from the Despicable Me comedies. This character suits him perfectly.
The Narrative: A Saga of Heartbreak
The story is this: the count has been restlessly roaming the earth in sorrow for 400 years following his rise as one of the undead, a punishment for his irreligious grief after the passing of his beloved Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has sought relentlessly for a lady who could be the return of his deceased partner. By cruel fate, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (again played by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who just traveled to Dracula’s fortress to review his land assets and the small picture of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
Besson’s Direction and Humorous Style
Besson arranges Dracula’s second-act backstory of worldwide travels in various outrageous costumes skillfully, and he doesn’t shy away from giving us funny bits in the style of Mel Brooks – like the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life after Elisabeta’s death, in addition to farcical scenes that occur when Dracula douses himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.
Dracula can be streamed online starting December 1st and for physical purchase from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
