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Movie Review: Renfield

Mike Tyrkus

Although first inclinations might caution one to expect some wildly over-the-top performances in something like Renfield, especially given some of the talented names involved, the film manages to deliver a uniquely entertaining comedic/horror experience that never strays too far from the essence of both genres.

This modern take on the classic monster tale follows Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) as he serves as the preparer of his master’s – who happens to be Dracula (Nicolas Cage) – meals and the procurer of his other needs and wants. Now, however, after attending a support group for victims of codependency in an effort to gather victims for his master, Renfield begins to believe that perhaps there may be a life for him that doesn’t depend on his never-ending servitude to The Prince of Darkness.

Working from a balanced and economical script by first-time screenwriter Ryan Ridley, director Chris McKay brings both the action and humor he brought to his previous films The Tomorrow War (2021) and The Lego Batman Movie (2017). It is a credit to the filmmakers that the enterprise never succumbs to dwelling in any single genre for too long and manages to blend so many as seamlessly as it does. While it has it’s share of honest-to-goodness scares, there is also plenty of humor, as well as a possible romantic entanglement between Renfield and police officer Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina) – though that aspect does play more along the lines of mutual respect than anything else.

Perhaps the crowning achievement of the film however, is the portrayal of Dracula by Nicolas Cage. The actor manages to capture the Max Schreck incarnation from Nosferatu (1922) as well as Bela Lugosi’s in Dracula from 1931 all without tackling the role with an over-the-top approach most may have expected. In effect, he somehow manages to embody the previous portrayals as well as delivering his own unique perspective to the role.

As the titular character, Hoult is every bit the hero he has been in fare like Warm Bodies (2013) and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) while simultaneously creating pathos for a man who was taken in by a thirst for power that the Count offered to quench. Without a solid and believable performance from Renfield, the film would be a directionless mess, but that is not the case here at all. Awkwafina too, is afforded moments to shine and occasionally overshadows Hoult in a few scenes. Other players, such as Ben Schwartz (as Teddy Lobo) are saddled with carrying the comedic bulk of the film through the sad and silly situations that constantly befall them. But, in the end, it all turns out to be just desserts as the film is, after all, called Renfield.

Nicolas Cage in “Renfield.” © 2023 – Universal Pictures.

Although it may not play as a straight-forward horror film nor as a strictly comedic vehicle, Renfield does deliver enough entertainment value to prove successful within both genres and is well worth the time of the viewer given the superlative performances within from Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com
An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

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