After a mid-year run in European cinemas last summer, Luc Besson’s Dracula has finally made its way to North American shores. Featuring a stellar cast for this new retelling, Dracula stars Christoph Waltz as our Van Helsing-inspired Priest (it was only a matter of time before he picked up a wooden stake amiright?), Zoe Bleu Sidel as one of more interesting Minas in recent memory, and Matilda de Angelis- a triple threat character whose effectively a chimera of Lucy, a Dracula Bride, AND a Renfield. Of course, topping the bill is Caleb Landry Jones (Nitram, Antiviral) as the titular monster, bringing a new energy to the role that’s decadent, debonair, and uh- dead. Dead but delicious.
The reason to see any new Dracula movie is purely for the performances. Especially if the movie is adapting the classic Bram Stroker story. We all know that a Jonathan Harker type is going to be held prisoner by/seduced/murdered by a centuries-old vampire after he discovers that Harker’s beloved Mina is the spitting image of his own lost love. We all expect a kooky Van Helsing type to lead the charge against the unstoppable vampire (probably ending with a repentant death as the sun rises in the east). And if we’re lucky, we’ll get some cool vampire bride action, maybe an unhinged Renfield, and some spooky vampire hijinks thrown in for fun.
“The reason to see any new Dracula is the performances […Caleb Landry Jones is] a suave and surprisingly silly Dracula “
We have been telling the same story from nearly over 100 years now (Happy 124th Birthday, Nosferatu) but we keep coming back for more thanks to the allure of the performers that have solidified this character in the pantheon of horror movie monsters. Max Schreck, Bela Lugosi, Gary Oldman, Christopher Lee [Hold For Applause]- These are only a few of the names that have made the character their own and kept his spirit alive across oceans of time. In 2024 Bill Skarsgård gave us his spin on The Count in Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, and our newest fighter to enter the ring is Caleb Landry Jones.
Dracula movies are practically their own genre of cinema, each one defined by its differences. Luc Besson’s Dracula stays pretty close to the source material, with a couple of fun tweaks here and there. Some of the highlights include: An extended battle sequence with 1000 severed heads on spikes…The most vivacious “Lucy” performance ever thanks to Matilda de Angelis…Mischievous gargoyle henchman…Day walkin’ bloodsuckers…Love Potions…Genuine, unquestionable reincarnation of Elisabeta in Zoe Bleu Sidel’s Mina, and a suave (but surprisingly silly) Dracula thanks to Jones. Like all the best vampires, he’s dead and loving it.
Besson brings whimsical fantasy to the look and feel of this new Dracula, like a fresh coat of paint in the stuffy halls of its own gothic manors. If you’re eternally obsessed with the charismatic power of Stoker’s tortured love story, you’ll find plenty love in this new adaptation. Yeah, it’s the same story you’ve seen 100 times before, but it’s a stacked cast of brilliant performers and still manages to twist the knife in a tragic finale that we should all be numb to by now. And if you need something unique or original in a new Dracula flick, Besson’s Dracula takes enough risk with those overworked story beats (not to mention some pretty remarkable cinematograph and makeup) to breathe new life into these dusty old bones.
Luc Besson’s Dracula, starring Caleb Landry Jones (Antiviral) as The Count hits North American cinemas Feb 6 thanks to Game Theory Films and Vertical. Let us know what you thought of this new adaptation (and how it compares to your favourites) over in the Nightmare on Film Street Discord. Social Media is A Cesspool. Come Hang Where The Cool Creeps Are.
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