Renfield 2023 (R)

“Some call me the dark one; others, the lord of death, but most know me as Count Dracula!” The vampire says as he rises into the air while the whole room watches in horror.

Renfield is a horror comedy film that follows the put-upon minion of Count Dracula, Renfield. Directed by Chris McKay, Renfield is a very entertaining movie with jokes that land left and right. This film is a good watch for anyone who is a fan of vampires with many references to their mythology and weaknesses and strengths, as this film has many references to other works and legends. The trailers are very deceiving, what you see in them isn’t what you really get in the film, while looking for a silly spooky movie with Dracula, you also get a sweet story of a minion finding himself.

Robert Montague Renfield was a young real estate agent that tried to make a fortune off of a strange man in a castle, little did he know, this man was Count Dracula. Now his familiar/minion, Renfield serves him for centuries knowing only a life of bloodshed with his master. Now in the modern day, life is a lot harder for the master and servant, and Renfield is having doubts about the whole murder thing. He begins to realize that there is a life to live beyond the shadow of his fanged master. As the stakes rise (literally) and it becomes clearer that something more sinister is going on, Renfield must choose a side, and soon, he won’t have much of a choice.

This film is hilarious, the highlight of this film is the cast, having many heavy hitters. The lead character of Renfield is played so believably and sympathetically by Nicholas Hoult. And of course, Count Dracula is played by the man, the myth, the legend, Nicolas Cage. He is by far the absolute best part about this movie, he chews scenery (literally) in every scene he is in. Side characters like Teddy Lobo (Ben Schwartz) a young overexcited gang member and Mark (Brandon Scott Jones) a hilarious group therapy leader bring this film to life (and the afterlife). This film is so ridiculous and overall just a fun watch for anyone, with buckets of blood and great fight scenes, and a heartwarming story that makes you smile. This is a great spinoff of a legendary horror character after many years of dormancy and it works. It’s insisted that you welcome this movie into your life while it’s still in theaters. I promise you it’s a bloody good time!