Renfield (2023)

Renfield (2023) is a horror-comedy film that tells the story of Dracula’s loyal servant, Renfield, seeking a life away from his master and all the bloodshed that comes with him. This movie combines restrained humour with extremely graphic carnage in a too-absurd style to be disturbing or terrifying. This pairing works, causing both chuckles and shock.

The production and costume design are hilarious, with Renfield seeking a cheerier life of his own. The core element in this modernised version of a beloved story is that Renfield is exhausted from being bogged down. With the backing of his therapy circle of friends, Renfield realises that a different lifestyle is achievable for him.

Renfield has a solid story, runtime, and pacing to accompany its gory action. The acting is excellent, with Nicolas Cage delivering a glorious, vamping performance as Count Dracula, and Nicholas Hoult is superb as Renfield. The movie is energetic, concise, and to the point, rapidly arriving at its destination with a typically American style, combining conversational therapy talk with wry acts of aggression.

Renfield is not amazing, but it is a lot of fun, with a heartwarming story about understanding and appreciating oneself. It is a solid horror-comedy film that will make you laugh and gasp equally. But be warned: it earns its mature adult audience rating for its strong blood, gore, violence, and coarse language!

(In cinemas in Australia – check your local movie guide for show times.)