Image by Everett Collection
Published Feb 8, 2026, 12:40 PM EST
Shawn S. Lealos is an entertainment writer who is a voting member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. He has written for Screen Rant, CBR, ComicBook, The Direct, The Sportster, Chud, 411mania, Renegade Cinema, Yahoo Movies, and many more.
Shawn has a bachelor's degree in professional writing and a minor in film studies from the University of Oklahoma. He also has won numerous awards, including several Columbia Gold Circle Awards and an SPJ honor.
He also wrote Dollar Deal: The Story of the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers, the first official book about the Dollar Baby film program. Shawn is also currently writing his first fiction novel under a pen name, based in the fantasy genre.
To learn more, visit his website at shawnlealos.net.
The last two years have seen the arrival of a new horror movie icon, thanks to two remakes of very popular classic horror films. Over the last decade, filmmakers have tried their hands at remaking classic horror films, from Frankenstein and The Invisible Man to The Mummy, The Wolf-Man, and even Nosferatu.
However, one of the most successful came in 2025 with Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, and this year saw the release of Luc Besson's Dracula: A Love Tale. What these two movies have in common is one specific actor. It seems that Oscar-winning actor Christoph Waltz has been picking up some big horror roles in recent years.
Christoph Waltz Stars In Luc Besson's New Dracula Movie
Christoph Waltz's latest movie role came in Luc Besson's Dracula: A Love Tale, which debuted theatrically in France in 2025 and finally arrived in North America on February 6, 2026. Besson, who previously directed movies like Leon: The Professional and The Fifth Element, gave Dracula a more gothic romance retelling.
The story shares much in common with many past movies based on Bram Stoker's novel, with the main story still being Dracula setting his eyes on his real estate agent's wife, who he believes is the reincarnation of his lost love, Elisabeta. However, this film lies more heavily into the lost love and romantic interests of Dracula.
As for Christoph Waltz, he takes on the role of the Priest in Dracula: A Love Tale. As expected, the Priest here is Abraham Van Helsing, a character who was played in past Dracula movies by names like Anthony Hopkins, Hugh Jackman, Christopher Plummer, and Peter Cushing.
This was a very important role, and Luc Besson changed things to have Van Helsing and Dracula share a different relationship. This was especially necessary since Van Helsing is a Priest and not an actual vampire killer, and he realizes Dracula has a reason for his obsession with Mina Harker.
Dracula received mixed reviews from critics, but those who praised the movie, it was the cast who received credit, with Caleb Landry Jones delivering a radically different portrayal of Dracula from Gary Oldman, while Christoph Waltz was called "perfect" in his role as the Priest, Van Helsing.
Christoph Waltz Starred In Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein Last Year
It should come as no surprise that Christoph Waltz would be perfect in a horror movie like Dracula: A Love Tale. This is because Waltz remains one of the top actors working around the world today, with two Oscars to his name in Quentin Tarantino movies, Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained.
Waltz also already proved his mastery of horror in 2025 with a different movie, as he was a supporting character in the cast of Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein. That was a very different role from his performance as the Priest, Van Helsing, in Dracula: A Love Tale.
That is because he was more of a villain in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein than a hero of any sort. Waltz played Henrich Harlander, Elizabeth's (Mia Goth) uncle, who offers to finance Dr. Frankenstein's experiments on creating life. However, he had ulterior motives, as he wanted eternal life himself.
It was a very different Henrich than the one in Mary Shelley's novel, where he was a friend of Dr. Frankenstein, who was killed by the Creature. In the movie, it was his anger and frustration with Dr. Frankenstein that led to his downfall. Waltz portrayed the man as desperate and broken, and helped him stand out in a fantastic film. .
While Oscar Isaac received praise for his performance as Dr. Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi was perfect as the Creature in every possible way, Christoph Waltz never let either man overshadow him, delivering a solid performance in his own right.
Waltz was a big reason the Frankenstein cast received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. He was also a big part of a movie that earned nine different Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Jacob Elordi.
What Could Waltz Do Next In Horror?
Christoph Waltz has done a lot in genre work over the years, and horror fans would be remiss not to notice that he is delivering some great performances in classic horror remakes over the last year. There are so many opportunities for someone of Waltz's age to add to any remake of a classic horror film.
Waltz looks like he could fit in perfectly with any kind of Mummy movie, and with Brendan Fraser returning to the Mummy franchise, Waltz could be a great addition to that franchise. There is also a new Wolf-Man remake coming out this year, and while Waltz is not involved in that, it seems to be a great franchise for him as well.
Looking at Waltz's career, he has proven that he can do just about anything. He played Blofeld in the James Bond franchise. He was brilliant in the highly underrated sci-fi dystopian movie Alita: Battle Angel. He even took on a supporting role in the 2016 revival of the Tarzan franchise, proving a perfect casting choice there as well.
With respected filmmakers as varied as Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein), Luc Besson (Dracula: A Love Tale), and Robert Eggers (Werwulf), there is a good chance that respected actors like Christoph Waltz could get even more chances to show why he is the best new icon in the horror movie genre today.
English (US) ·