Directed by Chris McKay and written by Robert Kirkman, Renfield is a modern monster tale that follows the story of Dracula’s loyal servant R.M. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), the tortured aide to history’s most narcissistic boss, Dracula (Nicolas “Fucking” Cage). Renfield is forced to procure his master’s prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased. But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is ready to see if there’s a life outside the shadow of The Prince of Darkness. If only he can figure out how to end his codependency.
Everyone knows that I have always been a Nicolas Cage fan so the second I heard that he was cast in this film as Dracula with Nicolas Hoult opposite him I was immediately on board no matter what. And after seeing the trailers I was even more on board as it seemed like a really fun time with a very interesting premise.
Now there have been many adaptations of Bram Stoker’s Dracula over the years but this film is unique as it chooses to tell the story of Dracula through the perspective of his well-known assistant R.M. Renfield. We have had stories told through the perspectives of the heroes and villains but never has there been a film, to my knowledge, through the perspective of the villain’s lackey. This concept paired with two wildly talented individuals, absurd amounts of gore, tongue-in-cheek humor, themes of toxic relationships, and Robert Kirkman’s comic book style of storytelling and you get this absolute bloody blast of a horror comedy.
It delivered exactly what I wanted to see as well as had its own batch of surprises. It’s an adrenaline-fueled film that does go a bit all over the place, and while for some it may not be their bag, for me I was completely invested in it from start to end. I may end up being one of the few who really loved this one compared to others, and if that’s the case then so be it cause I’m not afraid to admit how much I enjoyed it even for how manic it can be.
The performances are solid across the board, having the focus on a small but potent cast that packs a punch for this crazy ride. Nicholas Hoult brings a lot of fun and heart as Renfield, making the titular character a very investing lead that you feel very sorry for due to what he has to put up with. Renfield is portrayed as a victim of toxic codependency, with Dracula being the taker who gaslights and manipulates Renfield into feeling worthless unless he is needed.
But then you get to see Renfield on this wild journey that has him finally take a stand, needing to be his own person, taking control of his own life, and wanting to be a hero instead of the villain’s lackey. As goofy and absurdly violent as this journey is it ends up being very satisfying, mostly because of Hoult’s performance.
Awkwafina also delivers a great but surprisingly more straight performance than I was expecting. She does deliver some of the comedic energy she is known but she does play a mostly serious character that has her own demons to fight, which inspires Renfield to fight his own. Her character’s background is something we have seen before in other films but she still manages to be a character that you do love just as much as Renfield and find yourself rooting for.
I love that we were given two inspiring arcs from two characters that play to the themes of the film and are investing because of the way they are written and acted by their respective cast members. Both of them bring heart to this insane film.
But of course, there is the man, the myth, the legend Nicolas Cage, who absolutely steals the damn show as the villainous Dracula. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Nicolas Cage go full-on Cage with a role and that’s exactly what he does here, making the role of the most iconic vampire in media completely his own and totally chewing the scenery every time he’s on screen.
You could tell he was having an absolute blast with this role, embracing a bit of Bela Lugosi in his performance but with his own personal twist. Most of the time I’ve seen Dracula get portrayed as a sympathetic tragic character in certain adaptations, but that isn’t the case with Cage’s Dracula. He knows he’s evil and he relishes in it, not caring about how many people he murders en mass, whether they are innocent or not. He’s also extremely cruel towards Renfield, using him as a means to keep on living, and therefore manages to dig his claws deep within him psychologically, making for a compelling villain.
He may have predictable hilarious moments but he still shows himself to be an absolutely terrifying monster with some of the malicious actions he commits, including this one particularly shocking scene that he uses as a means to punish Renfield.
Cage is on his own enjoyably crazy level in this film, though I have to say another performance did manage to match his in terms of chaotic energy, and that was Ben Schwartz as Ted Lobo, a hyper-violent mob enforcer. This guy could have easily been a nuisance of a supporting character but he ended up being an absolute joy, really adding more to the outrageous nature of this film.
The film’s story serves as somewhat of a sequel to the events of the 1931 Dracula film which I thought was a pretty fun idea, especially since it’s all told from Renfield’s perspective. And much like the titular character’s life, the story is an adrenaline-fueled ride that once it starts it doesn’t stop, delivering bloody over-the-top entertainment and solid horror comedy vibes.
Even though this is Chris McKay’s film you can tell this is Robert Kirkman’s kind of story, featuring a lot of comic book elements, inventive hyper-violence, and certain themes that are approached in a satirical manner, similar to some of his previous works like Invincible.
The main theme this chaotic film takes on is toxic relationships and I found it to be handled really well even when it’s being done in an exaggerated fashion. As someone who has been in a toxic relationship in the past, I loved the filmmakers’ take on this theme and how it plays a major part in Renfield’s journey, so much that it feels investing and even inspiring to a certain extent. It may all be done in an over-the-top manner but it’s never done in poor taste at all from my perspective, which I do appreciate.
There’s also a great message about standing up to power and authority even when it seems hopeless that’s also handled really well even in the most insane of circumstances.
And speaking of insane let’s talk about the action and gore of this film. While it did take me a bit to get into it due to some jarring editing in the beginning, I found myself to be completely all in with the absurd violence, stunts, and outrageous gore that is delivered fantastically. I was absolutely laughing my ass off at how inventive and fun most of the kills are, feeling very comic book style. In fact, I was surprised to learn most of the action and stunts are delivered by Chris Brewster, who many would know as the man who gave us the iconic Daredevil hallway fight scene. So take that scene and dial it up hugely with incredible practical gore effects, Robert Kirkman’s dark humor as well as a bigger budget, and you get some bloody fun sequences that will either shock you or make you bust a gut.
The editing in some places can be a bit jarring as I mentioned but I was still able to follow everything that was happening in most of the action scenes and absolutely enjoyed it. The cinematography is also really damn good for most of this film, showing both beautiful and haunting shots with really gritty sets featuring stylish lighting.
The effects are amazing, mostly in the practical department. CGI is used here and there and it does look good despite being on a significantly lower budget compared to big blockbusters. One thing that did stand out was some of the practical make-up involved, specifically with Dracula. Dracula actually spends the first portion of the film not fully regenerated and is shown to be so deteriorated to the point where you even see his muscle tissue exposed. As he drinks blood and eats more bodies he slowly begins to evolve back into his proper form but it’s all done through practical effects and not digitally. That is some serious dedication right there and I have to give props to all of the crew members involved for committing to these kinds of effects (especially the gore effects for action scenes) that I know take hours to create and set up.
Marco Beltrami gives a solid score for the film, injecting music that fits the horror comedy tone of the film as a whole and amplifies a lot of big scenes that occur.
Renfield may not be for everyone but I do strongly encourage people to give this one a shot as I feel it really does deliver the bloody fun it promises, while also having some very well-handled themes that I feel will reach some people as it did for me. Also, no one should miss the opportunity to see Nicolas Cage as Dracula on the big screen because he’s worth the ticket price alone. I’m going to give Renfield an A = 95.
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