Dracula: A Love Tale (2026)
Directed by: Luc Besson
Premise: Inspired by Bram Stoker’s novel. A fifteenth century prince (Caleb Landry Jones) becomes a vampire following the death of his wife (Zoë Bleu). He finds her reincarnation in nineteenth century Paris.
What Works: There are literally hundreds of adaptations of Dracula. This version makes some changes and innovations that refresh the material while remaining relevant to the original story. Dracula: A Love Tale has a lot of humor, most of it intentional. The style recalls the Hammer pictures of the 1960s and there is a campy quality to this film that keeps it light. Caleb Landry Jones demonstrates some wit that makes Dracula charming. The film’s unique pitch is best seen in Christoph Waltz’s performance as a priest who takes the place of Van Helsing. Waltz gets the pitch of the movie with his wry dialogue delivery.
What Doesn’t: Not all the humor of Dracula is necessarily intentional. Matilda De Angelis plays a vampire and she turns up the camp so high that she comes across like she’s in Dracula: Dead and Loving It. Luc Besson’s Dracula owes a lot to Francis Ford Coppola’s version. In fact, Besson’s film is practically a remake of Coppola’s 1992 Dracula picture. The opening is the same with the fifteenth century historical figure Vlad the Impaler engaged in a medieval battle, losing his wife, and renouncing the church. Several set pieces and makeup designs are blatant ripoffs of the 1992 movie. The imitation is not flattering. Coppola’s film dripped with style and atmosphere. Besson’s version often looks flat and uninteresting. This Dracula is not frightening at all. There are no scares or sense of horror. 2026’s Dracula also copies the love story of Coppola’s movie but the 1992 film had an aching passion. The 2026 film is emotionally stunted in part because of the bland cinematic style but also because the moviemakers defang Dracula. Vampires are sexy because they’re dangerous. This version of Dracula is barely a villain. He has no menace and he’s just kind of mopey. The love story has no suspense. There is no seduction or temptation. Dracula meets the reincarnation of his wife and she gives in to his advances almost immediately. The innovations of this version don’t add much; Dracula has developed a perfume that makes him irresistible but nothing comes of it. The filmmakers try to redeem Dracula in the end but since he’s not allowed to be truly villainous the ending accomplishes nothing.
Bottom Line: Dracula: A Love Tale isn’t just derivative. It’s an act of plagiarism that does everything worse. There is a possibility this film could become a cult title but it’s not good.
Episode: #1086 (February 8, 2026)