This version of Dracula delivers an ethereal Beauty and the Beast story that challenges even Bram Stoker the author of the horror novel. While most depictions of his novel do have a basic love story attached, this one explodes with a tale of war, divination, vengeance and diabolical emotion. And the two hour production really fly’s by if you let yourself get captivated.
It’s the 15th century where Prince Vlad (Caleb Landry Jones) and his wife Elisabeta (Zoe Bleu Sidel) are entranced with the love of each other. The prince however has become preoccupied with a warring neighbor that would love to take over his monarchy. The battle in the forest is about to begin so Vlad heads his army into the face of the enemy. But, things don’t go completely as planned and in a return battle of his fortress Elisabeta gets killed. Fraught with pain and anger he damns his god and turns to the evil side becoming a prince of darkness. Now with powers of a vampire he searches for his one true love thru the ages while forsaking his dominion.
A leader in bringing action and a lot of mayhem to the screen Director Luc Besson (Lucy, The fifth Element, Leon: The Professional) keeps “his edge of your seat” production moving along at a fast pace. Nicely done, his fan base and general horror lovers should like the chills and thrills as well as some intermittent blood feastings. The cast helps Caleb Landry Jones along with Christoph Waltz playing a priest. The religious man has been tracking down Dracula through his trail of the biter’s victims. His role ties the last hour’s script together with additional characters that can lead to finding Dracula’s undead wife.
The film is a must see for those that like the most famous vampire and there shouldn’t be any disappoint here. Dracula has been rated R by the MPAA for violence, some gore and sexuality. The gore gets very nasty and the sexual scenes just as memorable. The film plays out in English.
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Caleb Landry Jones, Christoph Waltz, Zoë Bleu Sidel
Directed by: Luc Besson
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
MPAA Rating: R for violence, some gore and sexuality
Running Time: 2 hrs. 9 min.
Opening Date: February 6, 2026
Distributed by: Vertical Releasing
Released in: Theaters
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
