Renfield

 

Renfield

2023

Director- Chris McKay

Cast- Nicholas Hoult, Awkwafina, Nicolas Cage, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Ben Schwartz, Adrian Martinez, Brandon Scott Jones, Jenna Kanell,

            This film follows, as the name implies, the exploits of Dracula’s long-suffering minion, Renfield. But make no mistake, this is not a serious horror movie. Its tongue is planted firmly in its cheek from beginning to end.

            Without spoiling anything, the plot can be summed up thusly; Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), while carrying out his master’s orders, runs afoul of a mafia family. That same family is being hounded by a cop (Awkwafina) who wants justice and revenge for the death of her father. She and Renfield have to work together to deal with their mutual problem in spectacularly gory fashion.

            Long time fans of Dracula films will appreciate several tips of the hat to the genre such as Renfiled referencing how often his master dies and then has to be brought back. I particularly liked a few scenes from the original 1931 Dracula with Nic Cage’s face digitally replacing Bela Lugosi. But don’t worry. These scenes are done purely for laughs and aren’t meant to be a serious attempt at replacing Lugosi.

            The gore is so bloody that it crosses beyond horrifying and slips into slapstick. It’s an entertaining combination of horror, comedy, action and satire. The highlight though is Nic Cage. You really get the impression that the director let him off his leash and Cage really chews up the scenery. He plays Dracula as an exaggerated super villain with great comic effect.

            If you are expecting a serious film, or an in-depth examination of Dracula’s famous supporting character, this isn’t the film you’re looking for. But if you want 90 minutes of solid entertainment, that’s also a bit of a love letter to the genre, then check Renfield out.