Radu Jude’s Dracula, the Romanian provocateur’s satirical spin on the world’s most famous vampire, is officially sinking its teeth into VOD and digital platforms with a firm early-2026 online rollout. The film, which reimagines Dracula through the lens of a creatively blocked filmmaker collaborating with an AI chatbot, will be available to rent or purchase at home just weeks after its late-2025 theatrical bow in the U.S.
What is Radu Jude’s Dracula About?
Set between contemporary urban Transylvania and the Romanian countryside, Dracula follows a frustrated filmmaker who, desperate to turn his latest project into a hit, enlists an A.I. chatbot to help shape the movie. What begins as a search for commercial success morphs into a wild collage of vignettes that twist and riff on the Dracula mythos in absurd, confrontational, and darkly comic ways.
Rather than a traditional horror adaptation, the film unfolds as a sprawling, satirical horror comedy that uses genre tropes to interrogate labor, media, and the commodification of folklore. Across its episodes—featuring everything from a union‑busting Dracula breaking a strike to an adaptation of the first Romanian vampire novella—Jude crafts a boundary-pushing epic packed with thwarted romance, surreal imagery, and plenty of blood.
Where to Watch Radu Jude’s Dracula Online?
Following its U.S. theatrical release on October 29, 2025, via indie distributor 1–2 Special, Dracula is set for a digital VOD and transactional release on January 2, 2026. On that date, viewers can expect the film to arrive on major digital storefronts—such as typical VOD hubs where new genre titles land—available to rent or buy at standard new‑release pricing.
While a full list of participating platforms has not yet been exhaustively detailed, the film’s confirmed VOD rollout signals a coordinated push to broaden its audience beyond the festival and art‑house crowd. For fans of Radu Jude’s politically charged cinema and contemporary horror‑comedy hybrids, this digital launch will mark the first chance to legally watch Dracula at home after its limited big‑screen run.
When and Where Will Radu Jude’s Dracula Stream?
As of now, a specific subscription streaming platform (such as Netflix, Max, or Hulu) has not been officially announced for Dracula. The confirmed plan focuses on its January 2, 2026 digital release, ensuring early access via VOD and other transactional services before any eventual subscription deal is revealed.
If recent patterns for acclaimed international genre and festival titles hold, Dracula will likely follow a familiar path: theatrical run, then digital rental and purchase, followed by a later debut on a curated or mainstream streaming service. Viewers eager to see it at the earliest legal opportunity should circle the early‑January 2026 VOD date, keeping an eye on streaming calendars and platform announcements for news of its later subscription home.
Festival Run & Critical Reception
Dracula first sank its fangs into audiences at the Locarno Film Festival, where it world premiered as part of the lineup spotlighting formally adventurous and politically sharp international cinema. The film’s mix of horror, satire, and meta‑filmmaking has positioned it as one of the more audacious genre entries on the festival circuit, drawing curiosity from both arthouse devotees and horror fans.
Early critical word has emphasized Jude’s characteristic willingness to push boundaries, with attention drawn to the movie’s outrageous set‑pieces, AI‑era satire, and sprawling ensemble cast that includes Adonis Tanța, Oana Maria Zaharia, Gabriel Spahiu, Ilinca Manolache, and more. As its theatrical and digital life unfolds, Dracula is poised to generate strong discourse around its depiction of labor struggles, national myths, and the collision between old monsters and new technologies.
Why Watch Radu Jude’s Dracula?
For viewers interested in contemporary Romanian cinema, politically charged satire, and reinventions of classic horror icons, Dracula offers a uniquely unruly and intellectually spiky experience. Its structure—built around AI‑assisted filmmaking and a cascade of wild vignettes—turns the Dracula legend into a prism for examining everything from union‑busting capitalism to the way stories are packaged in the algorithm age.
Fans of Radu Jude’s previous work, as well as admirers of bold genre experiments, will find a film that gleefully tests the limits of horror‑comedy while remaining rooted in concrete social realities. With its imminent digital release giving wider audiences access, Dracula is well positioned to become an essential text in the evolving canon of AI‑era cinema and radical reimaginings of classic monsters.
