Luc Besson’s Unique Dracula Romance Is a Surprise Streaming Hit for Paramount+

October 21, 2026, 5:27pm

In the month of October, it’s really not really much of a surprise that horror movies and television series are popular options, especially on streaming. Genuinely, it’s the best time of year to be a horror fan overall, thanks to Halloween and spooky season opening things up for monster movie marathons, chilling new series, and epic binge watches of beloved favorites. But even in a season where horror is expected to be popular, there are still some surprises to be had and that includes Luc Besson’s new Dracula adaptation that’s proving to be a big hit for Paramount+.

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Originally released theatrically in France last summer and then in North America earlier this year, Dracula: A Love Tale is another adaptation of Bram Stoker’s iconic classic novel Dracula but still manages to be a completely unique take. While the story most fans know is there — Count Dracula becomes fixated on Jonathan Harker’s fiancée Mina, chaos and horror ensue — Dracula: A Love Tale takes a very different approach. We get more of Dracula’s life story, especially his deep love of his wife Elisabeta, the tragedy that takes her from him and changes his life forever. There’s nothing else quite like it and while it wasn’t a box office hit, streaming has given this tragic romance it’s time to shine. The film is currently sitting at #3 on Moviefone’s Paramount+ chart — a position it’s held for more than a week at this point.

Dracula: A Love Tale Humanizes the Classic Vampire

I’m not going to try to tell you that Dracula: A Love Tale isn’t an unusual movie. Besson has a very distinctive style and approach to stories, something that we’ve seen extensively thanks to films like The Fifth Element and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Part of that stems from his unique understanding of stories and that is certainly the case with this latest film. Besson has notably said that Stoker’s original novel featured a love story between Dracula and Mina and a story about Dracula searching for her over the centuries. Neither of these elements are actually in the book, but they’ve also sort of always floated around the Dracula mythos to an extent (it is a concept that is most directly introduced in 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula from Francis Ford Coppola). Besson’s film makes them the sharp focus, however, and the result is less a vampire horror story and more a tragic romance.

That shift completely changes the story. This Dracula, played by Caleb Landry Jones is softer, less monstrous somehow. You hurt with him as he loses his faith in God and you understand what can only be described as his villain turn. There’s also a bit of unexpected and strange humor in the film. Yes, Dracula: A Love Tale takes on a comedy element at various points. The result is a very weird but strangely fascinating and satisfying version of the well-worn story. But don’t get me wrong: this is still a Dracula story so there’s plenty of gore, too.

Ultimately, Dracula: A Love Tale is an unexpected, deeply human version of one of literature’s most beloved stories that not only leans into romance in a fresh way but also upends expectations with sprinkles of comedy mixed in with the blood and death. While it shares some heavy similarities with Coppola’s Dracula, it is still very much its own unique creation — and for that reason, it’s proving to be a hit for Paramount+.

Have you streamed Dracula: A Love Tale yet? Let us know what you think of this take on the horror classic in the comments.