Review of “Renfield”: Nicolas Cage Delivers Bloody, Campy Fun

The vampire Dracula is one of the most iconic cinematic monsters ever. There have been countless variations since Nosferatu, the first motion picture, to the Hotel Transylvania series. It’s hardly surprising that we keep returning to a persona who is instantly recognizable because the appeal has never worn off. For those who are familiar with the original Bram Stoker novel, Renfield, Count Dracula’s “familiar” and devoted servant, serves as a crucial counterpoint. Who brings the victims for Dracula to devour and carries out his orders? Nicolas Hoult, known for his roles in the X-Men film series and Mad Max: Fury Road, plays the titular tortured employee in Universal’s newest horror comedy, Renfield. And Nicolas Cage himself is the ideal choice to portray the worst boss ever in a work of fiction.

The coupling of the two Nics is unquestionably amusing. Behind the scenes, we have writer Ryan Ridley (Rick & Morty) and director Chris McKay (The LEGO Batman Movie, The Tomorrow War), whose story is based on an idea by Robert Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead and Invincible. This outstanding creative team creates a unique, entertaining blend of bloody horror and humor that will stand out from anything viewers will see from a major studio this year. Indeed, Renfield has a lot going for it, including two fantastic movie actors, interesting directors, and a strong commitment to camp. The story, which is rife with tropes, is when this intriguing genre film begins to fall flat.

We open with Robert Montague Renfield recalling his glorious history with his “employer” at a co-dependent relationship support group in New Orleans (a homage to prolific author Anne Rice). The group is given as much information about their relationship—which dates back about 900 years—as possible. Included is a fantastic black-and-white tribute to Nicolas Cage’s legendary performance as Dracula and Bela Lugosi’s legendary portrayal of the vampire. Then, Renfield comes home to his ravenous master, who, with to Cage’s inherent charisma, is simultaneously humorous and scary as he approaches death.

Renfield, who is picking up dinner for the boss at a bar, encounters Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina), a traffic officer seeking information, by happenstance. Teddy Lobo (Ben Schwartz), a failing mobster from the neighborhood crime family, seeks vengeance on Rebecca after being locked up for the day. All of these paths eventually lead to Renfield simply doing his best to elude his master and build a new, free life for himself. For the first time in ages, everything seemed achievable with Rebecca’s assistance. While Renfield’s genre-bending element, which combines vintage horror camp with contemporary humor, works wonderfully well, other specific narrative clichés are much too archaic for today’s audiences.

For instance, Rebecca from Awkwafina is the only good cop in her district who isn’t collaborating with the Lobo gang. For some strange reason, Renfield heavily embraces the stereotype that not all police officers are terrible. Renfield and Rebecca even show signs of developing a romance, and the titular servant of Dracula calls the cop “heroic.” Compared to the rest of the gore, which is abundant, this is simply out of place and feels disjointed. Being Dracula’s familiar gives Renfield the power of greater strength, so at one point he rips someone’s arms off and throws them into the chest of another guy. That may represent the biggest departure from the legend of Dracula. Many body parts being severed; the visual and practical effects frequently appear artificial, but that is not the goal. Renfield transports you to, to put it mildly, a whole other level of camp.

Renfield has a good blend of action and comedy despite its high levels of kitsch. Most of the time, this juggling act succeeds because of the funny cast. Each person in Renfield’s support group brings their own brand of wit. Ben Schwartz and his attractive crime boss mother Ella are both obvious standouts (Shohreh Aghdashloo). Once more, the movie’s crime family plot isn’t the most thrilling aspect and appears old in comparison to the other contemporary features. Their strange mother-son relationship is entertaining because of the way they bounce off each other and the absurdity going on around them. They run upon Dracula as well, but instead of avoiding him, they embrace the lord of darkness. Dracula walks among them in this universe, and some people don’t even bat an eye.

The greatest treat for a horror fan is watching Nicolas Cage transcend the horrific for Dracula. With outrageous prosthetics and teeth, he undergoes a significant alteration during Renfield, yet Cage is an expert at shining through all the masks and makeup. Every time he appears on film, the character’s larger-than-life attitude exudes a strength we haven’t seen before. Even the most ardent vampire fans will find a lot to love in this new perspective. Yet Nicholas Hoult, who plays the story’s central character, is very essential to the success of Renfield.

Renfiled is not a good person, yet you can’t help but feel awful for him because he’s been stuck with Dracula all these years. Seeing at a pale-faced Hoult once more, it reminds me of his unjustly undervalued role as R in Warm Bodies. That is, until he speaks and discloses his ongoing violent relationship. In relation to this, the movie offers a surprisingly sincere remark on codependency. Throughout the course of the movie, at the support group sessions, Renfield’s eyes are opened, and he makes every effort to live a life free of servitude.

It’s difficult to imagine that this movie even received a pass at times. Even though not all of the jokes land, when they do, it’s off the charts. Chris McKay provides the same self-deprecating humor as The LEGO Batman Movie. All of the well-known vampire mythology has been amplified. Renfield offers a lot to admire visually as well, courtesy to director of photography Mitchell Amundsen. Excellent work is put into the practical effects, which are frequently used with Cage in particular. Renfield gets to slay waves of mobster, thus the action is also where the fun is. Renfield and Dracula engage in a fantastic fight that alone is worth the ticket to the theater.

In the end, Renfield is a helluva good time thanks to Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult, who inject new energy into the plot despite some significant setbacks. Perhaps this film, which is more memorable and original than the infamous flop of the Dark Universe, will finally herald in a new age for the Universal Monsters. Above all, Cage shows that he still has plenty to offer after his performance in recent movies like the critically praised comedy Pig and the cult classic The Unbearable Weight of Enormous Talent.

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