Dracula: A Love Tale (2025)

Edwin Tan

30 Mar 2026 — 2 min read

Score: 6 / 10
Category: Movie
Platform: Streaming

One-line verdict

A more human take on Dracula with a different tone, but weighed down by rushed setup and too many unexplained elements.

Why I watched this

I wasn’t really interested at first. There have been so many Dracula versions over the years, and I’ve already seen a few. Felt like another repeat.

Then I saw Christoph Waltz in it.

That alone was enough.

Story & Structure

The premise is familiar. A warrior tied to the Ottoman conflict becomes cursed and lives through time.

But this version shifts the focus.

Instead of being a horror villain, Dracula here is more of a tragic protagonist — driven by love, searching for his wife across lifetimes.

That’s the main difference.

And honestly, this didn’t feel like a horror movie to me. It leaned more towards dark comedy at times. Some scenes were unintentionally funny, or maybe intentionally — hard to tell.

The beginning felt rushed. The setup didn’t fully explain how Vlad became what he is. As the movie progresses, it improves slightly, but a lot of elements are introduced once and never properly explored again.

Gargoyles
Telekinetic abilities
How he creates vampires

All these come and go without proper explanation.

That’s where it loses me.

What worked

A more human, emotional version of Dracula.
Different tone compared to traditional vampire films.
Christoph Waltz — easily the standout.
Some dark humor actually lands.

Also, Matilda De Angelis stood out more than expected. Her character had presence and was surprisingly funny.

What didn’t

Weak explanation of Dracula’s powers and origin.
Several ideas introduced but not developed.
Early pacing feels rushed.
Some performances feel over-the-top, especially Caleb Landry Jones — not sure if that was intentional.

It feels like the movie had a lot of ideas but didn’t fully commit to explaining them.

What others think

Reception has been mixed. Some viewers appreciate the fresh, more emotional take on Dracula, while others criticize the lack of clarity and inconsistent tone.

That lines up with my experience.

Final thoughts

It’s different, I’ll give it that.

A more humane Dracula is interesting. But the storytelling isn’t tight enough to support it.

Too many unexplained elements.

So this lands at 6 / 10.

Fresh idea.
Messy execution.

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