MOVIE REVIEW – If you love horror comedies, don’t miss Renfield, the story of the legendary Count Dracula’s faithful sidekick. The film is directed by Chris McKay and written by Ryan Ridley from an idea by Robert Kirkman. Nicolas Cage stars as the bloodthirsty Count and Nicholas Hoult as Renfield, the title character, who tries to escape his master’s influence in a modern-day adventure.

The character of Dracula, created by Bram Stoker, has seen countless adaptations on the silver screen, but perhaps fewer are familiar with Renfield, the Count’s obsessed retainer and servant. Renfield puts this minor character center stage, and shows how an ordinary man becomes a vampire puppet in a humorous and satirical way. The film does not take itself seriously, but rather approaches the classic horror theme with playfulness and irony.

Renfield: Blood is not always an obligation

The protagonist of the film is R.M. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), who has been in the service of Dracula (Nicolas Cage) for decades. Renfield spends his days in a mental institution, where he regularly talks to his master, to whom he gives him various orders. Renfield blindly obeys him, oblivious to the horrors he causes. But one day his life changes when he escapes from the institution and travels to New Orleans. There he meets Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina), a traffic cop, and falls in love with her. Renfield realizes that there are other options in life besides serving Dracula, and decides to finally confront him.

Renfield is no ordinary hero: he is a broken and humiliated man who has suffered under Dracula’s influence for years. The story shows how he went from an innocent lawyer to a vampire’s slave, and the traumas he suffered in the process. Our hero is not proud of what he has done, but he cannot resist Dracula’s will. The film does not condemn him, but rather shows understanding and compassion for him. Renfield is a character with whom we can easily identify, as we all want to get rid of our past and start a new life.

However, Renfield’s new life will not be smooth: Dracula will not leave him alone and will do everything in his power to take total control of him again. The film is full of thrilling and funny adventures as Renfield learns about the wonders and dangers of the modern world. The plot pokes fun at vampire myth and pop culture. For example, Renfield is surprised by how popular vampires are in movies and books. The film treats the horror theme with a lot of humour and irony.

Renfield is not just an entertaining film: it’s also a story about finding yourself and your happiness. For Renfield, that means Quincy, who loves him just the way he is. Quincy is a strong and brave woman who is not afraid to stand up for herself and others. She is the one who inspires Renfield to have self-confidence and self-respect. The film’s romantic storyline also plays an important role in helping Renfield to realise that blood is not always an obligation, but that true love is more important.

Dracula: The Vampire Count in a new suit

It’s not the first time Nicolas Cage has played a vampire on screen (see Vampires Kiss or Willy’s Wonderland), but this time he’s not your typical bloodsucker. In Renfield, Dracula is an arrogant and arrogant character who has no respect for anyone or anything. Cage relishes the role and infuses his character with plenty of humour and exaggeration – and of course his usual over-the-top snark, which you may or may not like.

Dracula not only terrorises Renfield, but also tries to bring others under his influence. During the course of the film, he confronts a mafia boss (Shohreh Aghdashloo) who at first refuses to be intimidated. Dracula, however, does not give up his power easily and does everything in his power to take back Renfield and rule the city.

Cage is not only brilliant as the Count, but he is also involved in the film as a producer. The veteran actor had long wanted to play Dracula and was very impressed with the script. According to Cage, the film puts Dracula in a new light and doesn’t try to imitate his predecessors and he also said that he got on very well with Nicholas Hoult, with whom he improvised a lot during the shoot. The two actors got on very well and Hoult was the perfect choice for Renfield because Cage also said he was a very talented and funny actor.

The Dracula of the film is not a traditional vampire: he is a modern and extravagant character who loves luxury and pleasure. The film makes a lot of fun of Dracula’s looks and behaviour. For example, Dracula often wears strange clothes and accessories, such as sunglasses or a hat.

Renfield and friends: blood family is not always the best

Renfield doesn’t fight Dracula alone, but gets help from Quincy and a colleague, Chris Marcos (Adrian Martinez). He also meets a support group who have also been victims of vampires. The film shows how Renfield finds new friends and family in these people who accept him for who he is. The message of the film is that blood is not always binding and that it is more important who we share our lives with.

For Renfield, Quincy is the greatest support, and he gradually gets to know him. Quincy is a strong and brave woman who is not afraid to stand up for herself and others. She is the one who inspires Renfield to have self-confidence and self-respect. With Quincy, Renfield learns what it truly means to love and be loved. She ignores the fact that Renfield was a vampire’s servant and sees the human side of him.

Renfield also has an important relationship with the psychology group, whose members are all “victims of an abusive, narcissistic, codependent relationship”. Renfield himself is one of them – but with Dracula – but the other members of the group are also struggling with this psychological problem, which is in vogue today – in a humorous way, of course. The members of the group are like a second family to Renfield and the whole thing reminded me somehow of the Fight Club.

This horror-comedy is not afraid of blood

Renfield operates not only with humour and romance, but also with horror elements. The director spared no expense on gory scenes and funny vampire clichés. The director, Chris McKay, also previously worked on Night of the Animators, another horror spoof. McKay has a good feel for the genre and is able to balance scares and laughs. The music also adds to the atmosphere, scored by Marco Beltrami.

One of the weak points of Renfield is the bloody action sequences, which seem to be B-grade and can feel a bit forced. Although the film tries to make up for its shortcomings with creative ideas, the overly gory and unconvincing action sequences sometimes take away from the focus of the story. However, the actors and humour are mostly able to compensate for this problem, so viewers can still enjoy the more interesting moments of the film.

Renfield is therefore an entertaining and lush horror-comedy that tells the story of Count Dracula’s servant. It combines humour and gore in a great way, and Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult give excellent performances in the lead roles. Chris McKay’s film is recommended for anyone who loves vampire themes and horror comedies.

-BadSector-