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Renfield tells the absurd redemption story of Count Dracula’s familiar and aid, Robert Montague Renfield (you know, from that Bram Stoker novel?). He realises, one day, that Dracula is bad, and he wants to take him down in an effort to regain control of his own life. What follows is a relatively predictable and meagre plot that, broadly, doesn’t completely work. But the glistening details in Renfield could make it a cult hit – mostly thanks to Nicolas Cage.
Cage plays the insurmountable Count Dracula, and it might be my favourite performance from him… of all time. I know, that’s kind of a big statement (especially when he’s been in Con Air, Mandy, Pig, Color Out of Space, etc, etc). But, as Dracula, Cage really sinks his teeth in and doesn’t let go.
Cage is other-worldly as Dracula. Just as he threw his entire presence into the role of RED in Mandy, he absolutely embodies the prince of darkness in Renfield. Not only does he deliver his lines with such an intense and masterful gusto, but he also absolutely steals every moment that he is in frame.
Renfield’s biggest shame is that Cage is mostly acting with himself. When he plays opposite the other ghouls in the movie they may as well not be there. He is truly devilish and completely resurrects every moment he is involved in.
Renfield himself, played by Nicholas Hoult, is the absolute antithesis of Dracula. Meek, small, unassuming, and entirely dull. His motivations to work with local good-guy cop Rebecca Quincy (a painfully underused Awkwafina) over actual f****ng Dracula are totally convoluted. Why would he give up eternal life and superpowers to be human again? Honestly, I cannot relate.
The spice in Renfield’s blood-stained script is his aforementioned superpowers. As Dracula’s familiar, he gains a fraction of the dark lord’s abilities when he eats bugs. Like a gothic vigilante Pop-Eye crossed with Superman, Renfield ends up taking on the mob (fronted by the absolutely perfect Ben Schwartz) by ripping off faces and obliterating skulls.
The ultraviolence in Renfield is a horror fan’s dream. The blood is squelchy, the gore is visceral, and there’s just enough physicality to the attacks that it kind of looks believable. At one point Renfield uses a severed arm as a javelin. Easily a highlight of the flick.
Unfortunately, Hoult is completely bland in Renfield. The British star’s character was supposed to be anxious and careful, but his performance was as wooden as the stake he was wielding and entirely forgettable. It’s frustrating as a viewer because we’ve seen him drop interesting performances in the past. Most recently, fans saw him chewing the scenery in The Menu – in the best way. In Renfield, Hoult couldn’t even get the scraps from Cage’s table.
With that said, Dracula, vampire and horror fans will probably love Renfield. The plot is somewhat predictable and doesn’t do anything particularly exciting, but the finer notes about Dracula’s life and times are a wonder to explore (especially with a few nods to Hollywood’s Draculas of old). The special effects and gore leave nothing to be desired, and it is – at the very least! – an interesting, new take on literature’s greatest bad guy. Between growing cinematic universes in every corner of the film industry, it’s just fun to see something new and thrilling hit screens for a tight 90 minutes.
Renfield hits cinemas on Friday.
