Renfield (2023) Review
Renfield is my kind of film. It's an over the top horror comedy that goes for it. I think it's an entertaining film in all the right ways. It’s one of the best horror comedies I’ve seen in a long time.
Seeing this in theaters was a great experience. I got myself some popcorn and we sat in our comfortable seats. The theater wasn’t packed unfortunately, but the few audience members that were there still reacted to certain scenes. It was a great time!
The concept is quite interesting. Renfield is sick of being Dracula’s assistant so he attends some meetings with other people who deal with a toxic partner. The film explores the themes of being in a toxic relationship and I think it works. We see how he realizes his potential and strives for better. The scenes that involve those meetings were my favorite. My favorite scene is when Dracula shows up to one of them and what happens truly shocked me.
Like I said, this is an over the top film. It’s gory as hell and I loved that aspect. The dialogue is not subtle. The action scenes are very over the top. This film is funny as hell. Nic Cage goes full camp and he’s one of the best parts of the film. This film really goes for it and I think it succeeds. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and has fun with its premise and I appreciate that. I love how it reminds me of an early 2000s cheesy monster film.
I’m a huge fan of the Universal Monster films. Dracula (1931) is one of my favorites. I love the eerie gothic atmosphere. Bela Lugosi’s performance is iconic. Philip Glass’s score is so damn good. I can go on. We already have a serious and gothic Dracula film, so I’m not mad this film is goofy and not a serious drama. I’m down for a fun time and this film is so that.
Nic Cage as Dracula is one of the best casting choices I’ve seen in a long time. He goes full Nic Cage and he steals every scene he’s in. I love his look. The makeup and costumes in this film are really good. Fantastic performance from the legendary actor.
Nicholas Hoult as Renfield is another great casting choice. He really plays the part well and I sympathized with his character. Awkwafina also does a good job.
I think this film is well shot and I liked the cinematography. Chris McKay does a good job behind the camera. The action scenes are well choreographed. I wasn’t a huge fan of the score unfortunately but that didn’t ruin the experience.
The mob subplot is really fucking stupid but again, this film is kind of stupid so it works. They work for what this film is going for.
In the end, this film has everything I want in an over the top monster film. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and it really goes for it. It’s by far my favorite film of the year so far.