‘Sucks to be him’
Renfield is a 2023 American comedy horror film about the character of Count Dracula’s servant R.M. Renfield, based on Bram Stoker‘s novel. It was described in the PR blurb as a “modern-day adventure story that is comedic in tone.”
Directed by Chris McKay (The Tomorrow War; The Lego Batman Movie). Nicholas Hoult (The Menu; Jack the Giant Slayer; Warm Bodies) is playing the titular character whilst Count Dracula is played by Nicolas Cage. Awkwafina (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) and Shohreh Aghdashloo (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) are also in Renfield.
Chris McKay also co-produced, alongside Robert Kirkman, David Alpert, Bryan Furst and Sean Furst. Ryan Ridley (Ghosted; Rick and Morty) wrote the screenplay, based on an original story outline by aforementioned Robert Kirkman. The character of Renfield is, of course, infamous for eating bugs in a lunatic asylum cell and is most closely associated in the past with actor Dwight Frye.
Renfield was a massive box office flop – which was entirely predictable given its lame premise – taking just $26.9 million on a preposterous $65 million budget. As with The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Universal Pictures executives are often clueless when it comes to gauging audience appeal.
Reviews:
“It was an overall mixed result while not every joke hits the mark while the movie’s overreliance on glaring CGI blood partially reminds me of the first Blade in 1998. Still, Renfield has enough brutal fun of genre mishmash to keep one occupied throughout its 93-minute length.” 3.5 out of 5, Casey’s Movie Mania
“This may be all good clean comedy-horror fun, but more unintentionally stomach-turning is Renfield’s carefree depiction of gun violence, in a period when real-life US shooting deaths are soaring. Gun massacres are fine here, but snogging? Not so much. In fact, Renfield is so coy that romantic leads Awkwafina and Hoult barely even hold hands.” 3 out of 5, The Guardian
“Renfield is based on a story by Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, not a name you’d associate with laughs, which might explain why there are so few to be found here. Only Cage’s performance prompts a giggle or two, especially when he’s made up in heavy prosthetics to portray a half-dead Dracula, as the script is sorely lacking in witty zingers. Some of the bloodsucking gags are as stale as those found in the terminally unfunny George Hamilton vehicle Love at First Bite.” 2 out of 5, The Movie Waffler
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