Renfield - Review: Does this Dracula Suck?

 

There have been plenty of partnerships over the course of the cinematic landscape. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Thelma and Louise, Bill and Ted, Bonnie and Clyde. But Renfield is likely an unknown name to a large number of moviegoers despite being the sidekick to one of the most famous horror creations of all time. If Count Dracula is spending all of his time sitting in his castle, someone has to go fetch the hapless humans to have their blood sucked, right?

That’s the premise of “Renfield”, the new horror-comedy from director Chris McKay (“The LEGO Batman Movie,” “The Tomorrow War”) and writers Robert Kirkman (“The Walking Dead,” “Invincible”) and Ryan Ridley (“Community,” “Rick & Morty”). Renfield, played by Nicholas Hoult (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “The Favourite”), wants to break free of the controlling grasp of his boss and master Dracula, played here with pure glee by Nicolas Cage (“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” “Face/Off”). He befriends police officer Rebecca, played by Awkwafina (“The Farewell,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”), who’s trying to chase down mob boss Ella, played by Shohreh Aghdashloo (“The Expanse,” “House of Sand and Fog”), and her annoying mobster son Teddy Lobo, played by Ben Schwartz (“Sonic the Hedgehog (2020),” “The Afterparty”).

If you read a premise like that and are a bit confused as to why a film named after Dracula’s assistant also features a subplot involving the mob, you’re not wrong to feel that way. As fun as the film can be when it's all working, there are also plenty of times where the subplots feel disconnected from the tone of the rest of the project. It does all fit together in the end, but multiple times it can feel similar to the human-based subplots in a Godzilla film: they’re there for a reason and they don’t not work, but they’re definitely not the reason everyone is at the theater.

Hoult is absolutely fantastic. Given the basic premise, it's easy to root for Renfield, but he really goes the extra mile to make him as lovable and borderline adorable as possible. Cage is also fantastic but headed in the opposite direction. He plays Dracula with a kind of glee and energy that simply cannot be described. It’s as if his entire career has led to this one role, and he’s diving head first into playing the blood sucking prince of darkness. 

The rest of the cast, meanwhile, are merely fine. No one is doing a poor job, but they simply don’t have the energy of Hoult or Cage. Awkwafina is perfectly serviceable, and in the scenes featuring just her and Hoult or Cage, their energy seems to infect her and bring out the best in her performance. Schwartz is definitely doing a lot, and how much of that annoys you or delights you will vary. Aghdashloo is also fine, delivering a routine mob boss performance as best as the script will allow her to.

McKay definitely makes great use of New Orleans as a location. The self-described “most haunted city in America” is a great modern backdrop for a vampire story like this, and the decrepit parts of the city make for a great playground for the film’s action sequences. At the same time, its brighter spots and locations help to emphasize Renfield’s journey of self-discovery and self-esteem.

That journey is definitely where the film’s heart lies. Hoult brings a lot to the character, but the absurdity of showcasing a story of abuse and self-respect against a horror-comedy tale like this helps it all come across a lot better. There’s a big gooey heart at the center of the film and a surprising amount of respect shown to the subject. There aren’t any cheap jokes or shots at others going through the same things at Renfield’s support group. It’s a comedy about abuse that doesn’t find the subject funny in the slightest and it's refreshing.

Such a tale does take a back seat during the moments when Renfield needs to kick ass, and kick ass he does. The film’s action sequences definitely are stylish, if a bit out of place. John Wick style slow motion fights with bug-sourced superpowers are likely not what first come to mind with a premise like this. But when the literal fire hoses of blood are spurting and the comedy-laced action is happening, it's hard to complain. It isn’t the most graceful or inventive action in the world, but there’s still fun to be had watching someone rip a goon's arms off and then impale another goon to a wall with said ripped-off arms.

“Renfield” is an odd duck of a movie, much like its protagonist. There are plenty of various elements all colliding together here (the horror-comedy, the themes of abuse, the gleeful violence, the mobster subplots) and they don’t all connect gracefully. Also, despite being a little over 90-minutes, there are times where it can feel both rushed and slowly paced, so this is clearly a movie where your mileage may vary. But at its core, this is a sweet and silly movie that takes itself just seriously enough to make you fall in love with Renfield and enjoy his journey of self-discovery and silliness. 3/5