Renfield

"Sucks to be him."

2023 1h 33m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 2,271

ComedyFantasyHorror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Having grown sick and tired of his centuries as Dracula's lackey, Renfield finds a new lease on life — and maybe even redemption — when he falls for feisty, perennially angry traffic cop Rebecca Quincy.

“Sucks to be him.”

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Cast

Nicholas Hoult
Renfield
Nicolas Cage
Dracula
Awkwafina
Rebecca
Ben Schwartz
Tedward Lobo
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Bellafrancesca Lobo
Brandon Scott Jones
Mark
Adrian Martinez
Chris
Camille Chen
Kate

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Chris McKay
Writers: Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ridley, Heiko von Drengenberg
Languages: Thai, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $65M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 41% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Thai, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

209+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Chris McKay, shot by Mitchell Amundsen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Marco Beltrami. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Giancarlo Ganziano shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Chris McKay directs. Mitchell Amundsen behind the camera. Marco Beltrami scores. Giancarlo Ganziano cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Thai, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $65M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Earned back only 41% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 3 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Thai, English.
5209+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Chris McKay, shot by Mitchell Amundsen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Marco Beltrami. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Giancarlo Ganziano shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage and Awkwafina carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Sucks to be him.".
11IMDB entry: tt11358390 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 18 themes, including "vampire", "police corruption", "criminal underworld", "bugs".

The technical file

Cinematography: Mitchell Amundsen
Original score: Marco Beltrami
Editing: Giancarlo Ganziano
Production design: Alec Hammond
Costume design: Lisa Lovaas
Makeup / hair: Carla Brenholtz
VFX supervisor: Miranda Middlewood
Sound: Erick Ocampo
Stunt coordinator: Chris Brewster
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $65,000,000
Box office: $26,493,921
Return: 41% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Renfield (2023)

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Chris McKay

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-04-17
★ 6/10
Nicholas Hoult is the eponymous vampire "familial" whose job it is, is to cater for the needs of his toothy master (Nicolas Cage) who is distinctly under the weather. He is gradually tiring of the relentlessness of his tasks - especially as procuring food for his boss is becoming more and more difficult; as well having to rely on his own unsavoury diet of bugs - they give him super strength for a few moments. Meantime, the ballsy police officer "Quincy" (Awkwafina) is trying to finally nail "Teddy Lobo" (Ben Schwartz) whose mother "Bella" (Shohreh Aghdashloo) heads up the city's most ruthless gang of drug dealing hoods and who has bribed just about every city official. Serendipity takes an hand when "Renfield" comes across this officer in a diner and after a lively altercation the two find themselves united in their determination to achieve their goals. To be honest, the story is pretty lightweight and just reminded me of an episode of "Buffy". What makes this a bit more fun is the two characterisations. Hoult joins in. He is clearly having fun with his insects and his acrobatics. Cage is also up for the task at hand. He is super-hammy and at times reminded me more of Sir Anthony Hopkin's "Hannibal Lecter" than of anything Christopher Lee ever did. I saw this on my own in a cinema last night which was a bid sad - it's not a great film, but it is still a mildly amusing mickey-take of this genre (and of what passes for film-noir nowadays) and though instantly forgettable, is still a well produced and enjoyable enough gore-fest.
Chris Sawin2023-04-18
★ 6/10
Renfield is an okay horror comedy. It has a ton of potential with its excessive amount of blood and Nicolas Cage is worth the price of admission alone. The action sequences have all of their entertainment value sucked away by the end of the film; mostly because they all feel so similar. The humor and story reach a brick wall that the filmmakers refuse to stop pounding your face into. Renfield is like the junk food version of a horror comedy. It has all the right ingredients for something that should be fantastic, but its recipe for action, comedy, and satisfying storytelling is imbalanced to the point of near disgust. Full review: https://boundingintocomics.com/2023/04/18/renfield-review-bite-suck-not-laugh-repeat/
Manuel São Bento2023-04-19
★ 6/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ www.firstshowing.net/2023/review-chris-mckays-renfield-is-precisely-what-its-expected-to-be/ "Renfield is yet another movie that provides precisely what it promises - with an unbelievably ridiculous, purposefully silly story about the toxic relationship between Dracula and Renfield, expectedly elevated by the "OTT King" Nicolas Cage and an up-to-the-challenge Nicholas Hoult. The light, humorous environment leaves space for action sequences that are also intentionally excessive in all technical elements, which makes the entertainment levels inconsistent due to the continuous blend of quick cuts and outrageous amounts of blood. The dedication of the stunt team deserved better and much more screen time. Still, if you're a Cage fan, you won't be disappointed." Rating: B-