Dracula Review – The French Director’s Passionate Reimagining of the Classic Horror Story is Outlandish but Watchable

It’s possible there is no great enthusiasm for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. Still, it has to be said: his richly designed vampire romance boasts bold vision and flair – and with its B-movie charm, it could be preferable to it to Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, like a particular moment that seems to depict a land border between France and Romania.

Christoph Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn vampire-hunting priest – 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. The same goes for the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent similar to Carell’s Gru character of the Despicable Me series. It’s a role he seemed destined to play.

The Story: A Saga of Heartbreak

The story is this: Dracula has wandered endlessly the globe in sorrow for hundreds of years since he became undead, a penalty for his faithless sorrow over the death of his wife, Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). The count has looked tirelessly for a female who might be the reincarnation of his lost love. By cruel fate, the lucky lady proves to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the reserved future wife of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to negotiate his real estate holdings and whose miniature portrait of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Direction and Comic Flair

Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of worldwide travels sporting extravagant attire confidently, and he doesn’t shy away from giving us some comedy moments in the style of Mel Brooks – such as the count’s repeated and futile attempts to kill himself after Elisabeta’s death, as well as comical sequences that occur when Dracula douses himself with a specific fragrance in historic Florence, which makes him compelling to the opposite sex. Outlandish but entertaining.

Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and in disc format from December 22nd. It plays in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.