If you think you’ve seen every possible version of the Count, 2025 is honestly here to prove you wrong. It’s a weird year for horror. We aren’t just getting another generic guy in a cape biting necks in a foggy alleyway. Instead, the new Dracula movie 2025 landscape is basically split between a high-budget romantic fever dream from Luc Besson and a bizarre, meta-comedy from Romania.
Vampires are never really dead, are they?
People keep asking which "big" Dracula is coming out, and the answer is kinda complicated because there isn't just one. While Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu technically kicked off the hype at the tail end of 2024 (and is dominating the 4K and Blu-ray charts right now in early 2026), the actual "Dracula" title belongs to Luc Besson this year.
The Besson Twist: Dracula: A Love Tale
Luc Besson, the guy who gave us The Fifth Element, has decided to tackle the fanged legend with something called Dracula: A Love Tale. It’s a big, operatic swing. He’s cast Caleb Landry Jones as the Count. If you know Jones from Get Out or Nitram, you know he doesn't do "normal." He’s got this twitchy, ethereal energy that makes him perfect for a 15th-century prince who loses his mind after his wife dies.
The plot? It’s basically a massive callback to the 1992 Francis Ford Coppola version.
We start in 1480. Prince Vlad goes to war, his wife Elisabeta dies, and he decides to curse God. Classic. But then the movie jumps to Belle Époque Paris. That’s the Besson touch. Instead of the damp streets of Victorian London, we’re getting the lush, gold-leafed palaces of France. Matilda De Angelis plays Maria, the woman Dracula thinks is his reincarnated bride, and Christoph Waltz is a priest/vampire hunter assigned by the Vatican to shut the whole thing down.
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Honestly, the visuals are what people are talking about. There’s a scene in the trailer where a horde of nuns mobs Dracula in a nunnery. It looks wild.
Why the Release Dates are Confusing
Depending on where you live, you might have already missed it or be waiting for the "big" release.
- France: It hit theaters in late July 2025.
- UK/Europe: Most markets saw it in October or November 2025.
- US/International: A lot of theaters are actually billing it for February 6, 2026.
So, if you’re looking for the new Dracula movie 2025 on your local AMC app and seeing "Coming Soon," that’s why. The distribution is all over the place.
The "Other" Dracula You Didn't See Coming
While everyone was looking at Besson, a Romanian director named Radu Jude dropped a movie simply titled Dracula in October 2025. This isn't a horror movie. Well, not a traditional one. It’s a 170-minute experimental comedy.
Basically, it’s about a filmmaker who uses an AI chatbot to try and write a hit vampire movie. It’s meta. It’s weird. It features a "union-busting Dracula" breaking a strike in modern Transylvania. If you want something that actually feels like 2026, this is probably it. It’s limited release, so you’ll likely have to hunt it down on a specialized streaming service like MUBI or wait for a festival screening.
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What Happened to Chloe Zhao’s Dracula?
This is the one that most people get wrong. Back in 2021, news broke that Chloe Zhao (who did Nomadland and Eternals) was making a "Sci-Fi Western Dracula."
Is it out? No.
Is it coming in 2025? Also no.
As of right now, she’s still working on the script. There was a sepia-toned teaser image floating around Instagram recently that showed a vampire on a horse, but don't get your hopes up for a 2025 release. It’s still in development hell at Universal. They’re being careful with their monsters after the "Dark Universe" flopped years ago.
The Nosferatu Hangover
We have to talk about Robert Eggers. Even though his Nosferatu was a December 2024 release, it is effectively the shadow looming over every new Dracula movie 2025 conversation.
Bill Skarsgård’s performance as Count Orlok was so transformative that people are already calling it the definitive vampire performance of the decade. Universal released an Extended Cut in February 2025 which added about 15 minutes of footage, including a silhouetted shot of Orlok that was in the original trailers but cut from the theatrical version. If you haven't seen the 4K restoration, you're missing the best gothic horror of the last five years.
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Real Talk: Is It Worth the Watch?
Look, Besson’s movie is divisive.
Some critics are saying it’s a gorgeous masterpiece that captures the "ache" of immortality. Others think it’s a bit too much like a high-end perfume commercial. Caleb Landry Jones is definitely the highlight, though. He brings a level of melancholy that makes you actually feel bad for the guy, even when he's murdering people in 19th-century Paris.
If you’re a purist who wants the Bram Stoker book translated literally to the screen, you might be disappointed. This is very much "Besson’s Dracula," not "Stoker’s Dracula."
Next Steps for Horror Fans
- Check Local Listings: If you're in the US, look for the Luc Besson Dracula tickets starting in February 2026; if you're in Europe, it's likely already on VOD or Digital.
- Watch the Nosferatu Extended Cut: It’s currently the gold standard for vampire media and explains why the bar is so high for Besson.
- Track Radu Jude’s Film: If you like weird, intellectual cinema, keep an eye on indie streaming platforms for the Romanian Dracula meta-comedy.
- Keep an eye on 'The Bride!': Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Frankenstein movie (starring Christian Bale) is the next big Universal Monster reimagining, hitting theaters in March 2026.