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

Maybe there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for glossiness and bloat. And yet, it’s worth noting: his richly designed romantic vampire tale displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, it could be preferable compared with Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, including one shot that appears to show a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Clever but Weary Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn cleric fighting vampires – I can’t believe he hasn’t played such a part earlier – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 during the centennial 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 the voice of Gru by Steve Carell in the Despicable Me films. This character he seemed destined to play.

The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak

Here’s the premise: Dracula has been restlessly roaming the world in sorrow over four centuries since he became undead, a punishment for his irreligious grief following the loss of his wife, Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). the vampire has looked tirelessly for some woman who might be the rebirth of his deceased partner. As ill fortune would have it, the chosen woman is revealed as Mina (also Bleu, of course), the demure fiancee of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to Dracula’s fortress to discuss his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

Besson’s Direction and Comic Flair

Besson organizes Dracula’s flashback sequence of international journeys in various outrageous costumes skillfully, and he willingly includes giving us humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life post-Elisabeta’s demise, in addition to comical sequences that follow Dracula sprays himself in a certain perfume in historic Florence, that renders him compelling to the opposite sex. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula is available digitally from 1 December and on DVD and Blu-ray starting the twenty-second of December. It screens in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.