Renfield Review

Renfield

Dir: Chris McKay

Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas Cage, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, 

Shohreh Aghdashloo

1h 33m

It may suck to be Renfield, but the RENFIELD film is a surprisingly fun horror comedy. 

Like most of the audience I sat with during the screening, I had no idea what I was in for with this movie. Was it going to be Nic Cage being Nic Cage? Was the cast too stacked? Was the story going to hold a flame in it's own way to the original DRACULA and other Dracula tales? 

Because the trailers, which did hint at a core piece of the story, didn't offer much.

And it was refreshing. The trailers actually

did what they were suppose to do; they hooked the audience for a wild ride of lore, gore, and laughs without giving the story away.

I personally enjoyed this film more going in somewhat blind, and I hope to create a similar experience for you and will not be diving into the plot so the movie can do it's job - entertain you.

I can tell you that if you laughed at the trailers, but do not know Dracula or Renfield's story, you will be just fine. 

Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) does an excellent overview of the Dracula/Renfield relationship (in monsterland Universal fashion) at the beginning so you understand some of their idiosyncrasies and backstory.

Some jokes may go over your head but you wont' be left in the dark to any major plot points.

All the main characters were very well-balanced. It was not the Nic Cage show but Nic Cage in a subtle way. He was a fun Dracula but he didn't steal the show - because it wasn't his show - it was Renfield's - and the writers, director, and actors did a great job of making sure that was the focus.

Additionally, the pace was fast thanks to thrilling action scenes with lots of gore. More gore than I anticipated but also not gore for gore's sake. 

All in all, Renfield is an unique story that will resonate will moviegoers in ways they least expect.

4 out of 5 stars