There's an allure and excitement that comes with vampire films mostly because of the action, adventure, and those vampiric supernatural stunts that are common with this genre. It's been a while since I watched a vampire film and was happy to see this one. What's more, it features Nicolas Cage as Count Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as his familiar. What are the odds of two Nicholas acting together?
Renfield (2023) begins with an opening scene where Renfield sits at a self-help meeting listening to a lady recount her ordeal at the hands of a domineering partner. In a voiceover, he talks about how he is a victim of an overbearing, narcissistic Count. The scene changes to Transylvania in the 20th century where hunters who are members of a church attempt to kill Dracula by trapping him in a protective circle.
Source: YouTube
Dracula appeals to Renfield to free him, reminding him of ways he could live and enjoy the powers of the vampire lord. Renfield breaks the circle and Dracula kills the priest. One of the hunters breaks the window glass and Dracula is burnt to a crisp from sun rays.
Renfield moves them to a new city where his job is to supply Dracula with victims whom he feeds off to heal and regain his body. On a hunt for a victim, Renfield is in a restaurant when a brawl breaks out between a police officer, Rebecca (played by Awkwafina) and a gang. Renfield watches in surprise as Rebecca stands up to the gang leader. Renfield helps her and they become friends.
When Dracula discovers that his familiar is more interested in saving the innocents than serving him. He goes after Renfield and everything he holds dear. How will Renfield convince Rebecca that he's a victim? Can they both survive against this centuries-old vampire lord?
Review
Director Chris McKay thrills viewers with an impressive thriller horror comedy that displays another side of the famous Count Dracula. The plot is good and the acting is excellent. Not only must viewers look out for some action, but there's also gallons of blood and lots of gore! I mean severed limbs, beheadings, exploding heads, and floods of blood. If you cannot stand gore scenes in a movie, I'll advise not to watch this.
The performance of the cast is commendable, especially Nicolas Cage. The Dracula role fits him like a glove. He portrays the blood-sucking, shapeshifting vampire lord with enthusiastic mannerisms and speech. His sarcastic comments, pointy-tooth and terrorising wide grins, and the act of sipping blood from a martini glass are captivating.
Most Dracula films focus on the prince of darkness alone. For a change, this film's plot focuses on Dracula's servant/familiar, Renfield. But with Nicholas Cage's impressive performance, he literally steals the show from Hoult and we easily forget that his role is a supporting one. All the same, it's a great mix with Renfield's performance.
Nicholas Hoult did great in his role, portraying a servant who is sick of being stuck in a toxic, co-dependent relationship with his narcissistic age-old vampire boss. The part I find amusing is the continuous gobbling of insects to fuel up his supernatural strength. What's up with that?
The cinematography is not bad, mostly a mix of dark scenes and a few bright ones. But the makeup and visual effects must be commended. I admired the transformation of Dracula's face after he was burnt to a crisp from a terrifying, creepy look to pale white.
Overall, Renfield is captivating and watch-worthy if you like vampire and gorey films.
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Other images are screenshots from the movie