An Unexpected Gothic Fantasy Just Became a Surprise Streaming Hit

For those of us who love Gothic horror and fantasy, we know what a rare treat it is when they achieve commercial success. The genre usually finds its offerings languishing in cult-classic territory, gathering a small but passionate fanbase that keeps it relevant in the cultural zeitgeist for decades to come. And while this gothic fantasy likely won’t ever hit true commercial success for multiple reasons, it does seem that it’s making its way to cult-classic status as it climbs from the grave and into the #8 spot on Prime Video’s Top 10 Most Watched list.

Dracula failed to land with critics, scoring 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, but seemed to impress casual viewers, earning a more impressive 82%. Starring Christoph Waltz, Caleb Landry Jones, and Zoë Bleu Sidel, Dracula centers on a man who becomes a monster after he forsakes his commitment to God in the wake of his beloved wife’s death. As he embraces cursed immortality to do everything he can to bring his dead love back to life, he encounters her reincarnation hundreds of years later; Dracula must now also contend with a relentless priest who is intent on putting him in the ground permanently.

Dracula Is Moody, Dark, and Romantic—All Aesthetics That Film Seems to Have Lost Recently

Though if you asked critics, they would say the film’s aesthetics and ethereal soundtrack are all it has going for it. Critic Owen Gleiberman sums up the majority of critics’ feelings well, saying, “Here we are again, caught up in the never-ending slow-drip flood of cinematic Dracula mythology, now with Luc Besson’s wan, derivative, dutifully time-period-hopping, different-but-not-really-new take on the vampire legend.” And it seems fair to say this version of Dracula is merely attempting to be an edgier take on Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which was released in 1992. “This Dracula is as elaborate and ambitious as it is sloppy,” said critic Jon Serba, in a backhanded sort of compliment.

Fans, though, had a gentler take on the movie, drawn in by its atmospheric cinematography and Caleb Landry Jones’s powerhouse performance as the titular Dracula, even as some called for Luc Besson to be banned from filmmaking. “I really enjoyed the take on this Dracula; I like how it was inspired by, but still just slightly different from, Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I rarely enjoy newer films but genuinely enjoyed the tone of the movie, and the acting was great, especially Caleb Jones as Dracula,” said one fan.

Despite the mismatched reviews between critics and audiences, a tale as old as time in and of itself, Dracula seems to have little stopping it from climbing the Prime Video Most Watched chart, giving it ample time to reach the Top 5.

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