Renfield – review

Director: Chris McKay

Release date: 2023

Contains spoilers

So, I’ve waited until the UK Blu-Ray release of Renfield before reviewing. I had previously given my First Impression of the film, after the cinema experience, and since then I have watched the film a couple times more and I have enjoyed it each and every time.

I also get that it is not everyone’s cup of tea. Being a comedy, it will either hit the mark or not – for me it hits the mark really well, and I recognise that Nicolas Cage (Vampire’s Kiss) is an actor not every one gets on with – though I certainly do. But, if you don’t like it then just move on, the vampire genre is big enough that it can contain films that we love and films we don’t and that’s the joy.

Cage in the '31 Dracula

The film itself, I think, does love the films it spins out from. After opening with Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) at a meeting for co-dependent people we cut to Dracula (Nicolas Cage) fighting against vampire hunters but then Renfield decides his story should go back to the beginning and we see the opening of Dracula (1931), with the film cutting Cage and Hoult into scenes from that film. There are scenes shown that never actually appeared in the original film and obviously the earlier film would not have ended in the same way in this universe.

extreme sunburn

Having explained that he is a familiar, we cut back to the attack on Dracula and his telepathic call to Renfield. Dracula becomes trapped in a magic circle and the hunters try to convince Renfield to allow them to rid the world of his evil, but Dracula is a manipulator and Renfield rescues him. Dracula kills the hunters (turning to smoke, entering the priest’s mouth and exploding him from the inside). However he is caught in sunlight and burns. This injury (which is part of Dracula’s pattern of behaviour – gain power, go on vampiric bender, become injured and have to heal; rinse and repeat) sees them move to New Orleans – Dracula’s lair becoming an abandoned hospital.

Dracula and Renfield

Renfield, trying to do at least a little good in the world, has joined a 12-step group for co-dependent people caught in toxic relationships and is targeting the members' tormentors as victims for Dracula. This is causing Dracula’s healing to be delayed – he is feeding on evil doers, where purity and innocence would heal him quicker. This plan by Renfield accidentally gets him embroiled in the machinations of the Lobo crime family and subsequently meeting the cop Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina), who is trying to take down the family and is probably the only straight cop in the Department. Ultimately Dracula meets the criminals and decides they will provide him with an army for his new plan – world domination.

Awkwafina as Rebecca Quincy

The film is a comedy but it is also filled with some fast action sequences that are laced with plenty of gore. Renfield becomes superpowered when he eats bugs – we see him rip the arms off an enemy in a fight, use them as bludgeoning weapons and eventually spear two enemies with the arms. There is a lot of blood. There is definitely a chemistry between Hoult and Awkwafina, which works well, but ultimately it is Hoult and Cage’s performances and interactions that are centrepieces within the film.

Dracula and Renfield

Hoult clearly channels Dwight Frye at times, inserting Frye’s distinctive laugh from Dracula in a couple of times and makes for an incredibly personable Renfield. Cage pulls several influences in. Lugosi is obvious but he carries his bearing Like Lee and mimics Max Schreck at times (when he is caught in sunlight his pose is pure Schreck). I’ve mentioned the slow healing as he needs innocents but his blood is still capable of healing a ripped open stomach (demonstrated on Renfield) and, we discover, bringing the dead back to life.

an invitation

I did like Renfield finding Dracula in his apartment and realising that his welcome mat held the invitation Dracula needed. The narcissist and co-dependent toxic relationship was a central part of the film and should you not be a fan of this film then beware, as I can see this film becoming a core text on the Renfield/Dracula relationship in academic writing. I genuinely have not got bored of this film and have enjoyed each viewing (a little more each time, if I am honest). I will give this 8 out of 10 – I understand if you disagree but, for me, it deserves no less.

The imdb page is here.

On DVD @ Amazon US

On DVD @ Amazon UK