Movie Reaction: Renfield

Formula: What We Do In the Shadows / Fear

Like the zombie movie, vampire movies aren't going away. They just aren't. For whatever reason, that specific permutation of that specific idea has stuck, and there will always be another vampire movie on the horizon. Sadly, I don't see where the next big invention in the genre is coming from either. You know, the "fast zombies" moment people point to with 28 Days Later. The last invention for vampires was maybe the brand of comedy vampires of What We Do In the Shadows or teen vampires in The Lost Boys. Until someone finds that breakthrough, the best we can hope for is an excellent execution of a familiar idea.

Renfield is a familiar idea. Literally, it's about a vampire's familiar. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) has been Dracula's (Nic Cage) familiar for a century or two. They now live in the modern day. After decades of repeating a cycle where Dracula is discovered, nearly killed, and gets his strength back with Renfield's help, Renfield has realized this is an abusive relationship. So, he tries to get out. Dracula doesn't like this. Oh, and they get tangled up with a crime family at the same time. It's not the cleanest premise, but it mostly works.

This probably sounds familiar. There are certainly shades of the What We Do in the Shadows TV show in particular. Nic Cage has already done a vampire comedy (Vampire's Kiss). Nicholas Hoult was in Warm Bodies about a decade ago, which hits the same tone.

They could've done a lot more with this premise. A good vampire comedy these days has the feeling that the filmmaker is working through a checklist of observations about vampires over the years. I hate to keep referencing it, but that's why What We Do in the Shadows works. It's dense with jokes, like Taika Waititi has been thinking about vampire movies for years and come up with endless ways to puncture the idea. In Renfield, the main move is to make vampires incredibly violent. That's about it. There are a bunch of comic fight scenes that all lean on over-the-top violence. Don't get me wrong. That was funny. It just wasn't enough to hold my interest throughout.

It's an easy enough watch though. Cage delivers what he promises with the performance. Hoult taps into a comic obliviousness that he's mastered in recent years. There are plenty of fun supporting performances like Awkwafina as a real cop in an unreal world and Ben Schwartz as Jean Ralphio if he was a crime boss's son.

Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend