Renfield (2023), dir. Chris McKay, Universal Pictures/Skybound Entertainment,/Giant Wildcat
Ending our homage section, and why not end on a laugh? With the Mummy reboot being DOA, why not try a comedic take on an old tale?
It's the early 20th Century. Dr. Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) is facing Dracula (Nicholas Cage). He fails to account for the vampire's new familiar Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), who eagerly serves his master.
90 years later, Renfield isn't so eager. In fact, he thinks being a vampire's property rather sucks. Dragged by Dracula to New Orleans, Renfield discovers a self-help group. He tries to lure one of the members back to Dracula's lair when a hired killer working for the Lobo crime family attacks. Renfield easily dispatches the goon, with Dracula growing increasingly annoyed that Renfield keeps trying to feed him 'bad apples' as it were.
Pity that thug worked directly for Teddy Lobo (Ben Schwartz), who manages to get himself arrested by police officer Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina). Teddy is quickly released thanks to his mother Bellafrancesca (Shohreh Aghdashloo) but now both Renfield and Rebecca are on his radar, as well as Dracula.
Who, by the way, does not appreciate his underlings disobeying his orders...
Honestly? It works. Nicholas Cage steals every scene he's in, Hoult manages to make Renfield both badass and pitiable at the same time and Schwartz is clearly having a ball. Worth a view.
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