Love at First Like

The story unfolds in the late 1970s, a period marked by disco nights, urban decay, and dramatic power outages in New York. The city’s vibrant yet rough-around-the-edges atmosphere shapes Dracula’s adaptation to modern life and the quirky tone of the comedy-horror. This era provides a satirical backdrop for ancient legends colliding with contemporary urban culture.

Dracula is exiled from a Romanian castle and lands in New York City, with Harlem’s black church backdrop hinting at the city’s distinctive flavor. The urban landscape—neon-lit clubs, night hotels, and bustling streets—serves as the playground for vampiric mischief and modern indulgence. An airport mix-up propels the Count toward Jamaica at the film’s chase, placing him at the center of a chaotic metropolitan cycle of nightlife and danger.

💘 Romance

Dracula’s pursuit of Cindy Sondheim fuels the plot, blending centuries of longing with 1970s glamour. The romance sits amid nightlife, danger, and humor, testing whether love can tame an immortal predator. Cindy’s choice to become Dracula’s bride exposes vulnerability beneath a fashion-model facade. The theme explores desire, power, and identity in a modern, far-from-traditional romance.

🧭 Power & Identity

Dracula’s expulsion by a communist regime and his attempt to reinvent himself in New York highlight tensions between exile, authority, and reinvention. The Count’s outsider status in a bustling metropolis amplifies satire, danger, and the humor of bureaucratic and social obstacles. The film uses these dynamics to examine how identity shifts when ancient legend collides with late-70s urban life.

🦇 Urban Supernatural

Supernatural forces intrude on a nightlife-driven cityscape, turning hotels, airports, and clubs into stages for vampiric mischief. The narrative blends horror spoofs with romantic comedy, creating a quirky tone that leverages the contrast between old-world menace and neon-lit, disco-era energy. The urban setting makes the Count feel both out-of-time and perfectly at home in a city that never sleeps.