Dracula in Space – review

Director: Gregory William Randolph Jr.

Release date: 2026

Contains spoilers

Putting Dracula in space is not a new idea. We had, of course, Dracula 3000 before this film… but is putting Dracula in space a good idea? Honestly, going by this, no… but that has much to do with the cheapness of the props and sets/locations. Honestly, I guess if the story/script were better I might have been more forgiving of the DIY aesthetic but they weren’t, and so…

After hearing the voice of Dracula (Marcus Massey) intone that the blood is the life, we see a woman (name tag, Stoker (Jessie Vinning)) running through a corridor, green lighting offering an eerie glow. She passes a window, stars outside, and my suspension of belief faltered… that looks like a late 20th/early 21st Century house window… on a spaceship?!? To be fair, it is likely this was a colony/military outpost and not a spaceship but still we are clearly in a building which is trying to pass as futuristic. Dracula gets her and bites…

the Demeter

Captain Harker (Charlotte Reidie) is on the bridge of the Demeter. Her crew consists of Eli (Dominik Krajny), ships doctor Seward (Ashley O'Brien), security officer Morris (Paul Leon), IT person Juno (Kamahri May) and android Sol (Felipe Chavez). A note on names… we have a mix consisting of those from Stoker and new. Comment is made about the names later, by Dracula himself, with a view to synchronicity. Even more coincidental is Juno turns out to be a dead ringer for a specifically remembered victim of Dracula.

he's behind you

Anyway, they spot a derelict craft in space an are sent to investigate. The craft has a burned-out android, the same model as Sol, with the name badge Renfield and so download its memory (and core personality it seems) and find a pod that Harker elects to leave until reminded that it is a breach of space law. They take it aboard (without attempting to open it there). Of course, the pod is Dracula’s coffin and they now have him onboard. He is in a state of energy but can become matter – and must do so in order to feed. The first to be got is Eli, he then possesses another crew member and seems to be after Juno (due to her appearance). Renfield’s memories literally become the ghost in the machine.

a memory of sunlight

The lore is a bit sparse. Dracula is from earth (or Sol Prime) and his remains were transported within tons of soil sent to the colony. He can be destroyed by sunlight (or UV light specifically). He can eye mojo, seems to be able to enter VR scenarios, and can possess others. He is close to being fully solid again. The crew have not heard of Dracula (the records have his name and scant detail about a killer in 19th century England). Either Stoker’s book did not exist in this world or has been forgotten.

Seward in med bay

The biggest issue is with the poor sets/props. The sick bay, for instance, is a room with lots of bookcases and books – would they bother with paper volumes in space (in such number), would they have loads of book cases in a spaceship’s sick bay, would it be so dark in a lighting sense… or is this all a room they want you to imagine being on a spaceship despite your best instincts. The bridge is featureless, with a couple of gaming chairs, a joystick, a directional mic… like the room has been constructed with thrift find props. Later a navigational array is the button end of a cassette player. A clip of earth had a car in shot that was not of the future. It doesn’t help the viewers buy in. The orange jumpsuit uniforms have patches that say “astronaut”.

Marcus Massey as Dracula

The acting seems languid from most and the dialogue is pretty darn stereotyped and not as clever as it tries to be. Nevertheless, this is better than Dracula 3000. 3.5 out of 10.

The imdb page is here.