Renfield
Regal Cinema - Hazleton, PA
We saw the trailer for Renfield pretty much every time that we've been to the theater over the past few months. When we saw it for the first time, my immediate reaction was: Nicolas Cage as Dracula? Sign me up! My hopes grew higher with each subsequent time that I saw the trailer, but my expectations were lower. I was concerned that this might end up being a parody of a horror flick. Parodies can be incredible when they're done well (Mel Brooks, Weird Al Yankovic), but they're the laziest and most boring forms of comedy when they're done poorly (virtually everyone else except Brooks and Yankovic).
I'm very happy to say that Renfield is not a horror parody. It's a black comedy that tells the story of Renfield and his master in the modern world, and it's one hell of a fun movie. It reminded me a little bit of Mafia Mamma for the fact that both movies are loaded with gore, but it's almost always played for laughs. Nicholas Hoult (The Menu) was brilliant as the titular character, and I enjoyed Awkwafina's performance as well, but the real star of the show here is Nicolas Cage who is at his absolute Nicolas Cagieness. He walks the tightrope of being completely over-the-top while still being respectful of the Dracula character, and he does so with the skill of a master. This movie is definitely worth seeing!
