Yesterday in my 31 Days of Vampire Movies feature, I brought you Dracula. Today, it seems only fitting that I bring you Renfield.
Dwight Frye played Renfield in the original Dracula, and he gave almost as memorable a performance as Bela Lugosi. His manic, unhinged energy was a diametric opposite to Lugosi’s cold, vicious performance, and set the standard for all evil henchmen hereafter.
Renfield, starring Nicholas Hoult, is a straight up horror comedy, and while it wallows in the sheer ridiculousness of its concept, its still a fun time. It doesn’t pretend to be anything other than it is, and the gore, while mostly CGI, is still entertaining. Interestingly enough, where Renfield nearly stole the show in the original 1931 Dracula, here, Dracula nearly steals it back. Nicholas Cage doesn’t go the full Nicholas Cage, but he’s let off the leash enough to be memorable and entertaining. You can tell he’s having a great time, and it’s infectious as he plays Dracula as more of a shitty boss than a true, terrifying creature of Hell. It’s relatable, in a way. We’ve all worked for a boss like this at some point, and felt him sucking the life out of us. Hoult plays Renfield as a relatable doormat who’s looking for his purpose in life and a way out of the sucking black void Dracula has trapped him in. Awkwafina makes a great foil to him. She’s brash and takes no bullshit from the crime syndicate ruling New Orleans in the movie’s subplot.
As I said, its a dumb, loud, fun movie, and if that’s what you’re looking for, you’re going to find it here. It’s not really scary, but it might be a little too gory for some. But still, if you don’t mind CGI blood being sprayed like a firehouse and nameless, faceless henchmen being ripped apart by a bug-eating weirdo, this right here is your movie.