Director and stars talk Gothic reimagining of 'Dracula'

Paul Milliken talks to stars of 'Dracula'

The king of the undead is back in an all-new film version of "Dracula" and Good Day Atlanta's Paul Milliken talks to the stars of the new film. 

In the nearly 130 years since Bram Stoker published his Gothic masterpiece "Dracula," the tale of the bloodthirsty count hasn’t lost any of its bite.

Case in point, the latest film adaption, which opens in theaters Friday (Feb. 6) and stars Caleb Landry Jones, Zoë Bleu, and Christoph Waltz.

Two-time Academy Award winner Waltz (Best Supporting Actor for "Inglourious Basterds" and "Django Unchained") says he wasn’t lured in by a vampire’s gaze; rather, it was that of director Luc Besson.

"He operates a camera," says Waltz of the director. "So, you have a constant exchange with the director. Whereas almost all of them vanish behind a monitor during the take, he is still sitting right in front of you."

Besson’s "Dracula" is a true feast for the eyes, featuring more than 2,000 period costumes designed by Corinne Bruand.

"I’m really well-versed in historic garments, that’s kind of my passion," says co-star Bleu. "So, for me, being able to go through all these timelines in this film was such a treat, because I got to see all the amazing costumes our amazing team put together." 

"You’re looking at that helmet, you’re going…" says Landry Jones, before gasping in excitement. "You know, the 12-year-old in you is jumping for joy!"

Director Besson hopes audiences are breathless, too — not out of horror, but from the romance inherent in Stoker’s original novel.

"It was more a love story for me than anything else," says the director. "A man will wait 400 years because he wants to see his wife again. And yeah, on the one side, you have the blood and the vampire and everybody runs that way. But I was much more attracted to [the romance]."