Ever since I was a kid, I have had a fascination with Dracula. I even used to tell people that he was my father and I had a pretty convincing argument as to why – having been adopted from Romania and not knowing who my biological father actually was, it could totally be true! So when I heard about this new take on the infamous vampire and his familiar, I knew I had to check it out.
Renfield (Nicholas Holt), the titular character in our story, is tired of doing Dracula’s (Nicolas Cage) bidding after countless years. Wanting to make it on his own, he finds a new apartment, changes his look and even strikes up an unlikely friendship with cop Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina). But Renfield’s dreams of starting over won’t be easy, not only thanks to his blood-thirsty boss, but also because of a mix up with drug lord Teddy Lobo (Ben Schwartz) and his family.
What worked really well here was the over the top gore. While some elicited some ews from me, it fit with the tone of the movie and made for a really fun time. I have to give props to the make up team because they absolutely aced it. Going hand in hand were the fight sequences which were just as out there, especially when Renfield would possess his master’s powers and acquire some crazy killer moves.
I’ve seen Holt in a variety of roles over the years and think he’s a fine actor. He carried this film on his back and delivered a solid performance. Cage, on the other hand, was the scene stealer. He’s such an enigmatic actor and you could tell that he gave his all to this performance. I wish we’d seen more of him.
Although at times it seemed as if the film didn’t really know what genre it was trying to be, I thought it was still an overall fun time. The camp and bloodshed were highlights though I think it could have been even darker and it still would have worked just as well. That being said, I had a good time and would not be opposed to seeing more of these characters adventures in the future.
Rating: ♥️♥️♥️
Credits Rolling 