--- title: "Renfield" year: 2023 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/renfield" fi1m_id: "renfield" imdb_id: "tt11358390" tmdb_id: 649609 wikidata_id: "Q110811753" fi1m_score: 58 critics_score: 61 critics_reviews: 23 published: "2026-09-10" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:08.725287+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Renfield (2023) Directed by Chris McKay · 1h 33m · MPA R · Comedy, Fantasy, Horror ## Identity Renfield - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/renfield - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** renfield - **IMDb ID:** tt11358390 - **TMDB ID:** 649609 - **Wikidata ID:** Q110811753 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11358390/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/649609, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110811753 **Fi1m score: 58** · Critics 61 from 23 reviews *In a sentence:* Nicolas Cage has waited his whole career to play Dracula and the film keeps cutting away to a traffic cop > Nicolas Cage is a marvellous Dracula, all Lugosi vowels and wounded vanity, and Nicholas Hoult is exactly the put-upon familiar he needs. Around them Chris McKay has built a gory crime comedy that keeps the two of them apart for most of its 93 minutes. ## Synopsis Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) has spent ninety years fetching victims for Dracula (Nicolas Cage) and is beginning to wonder whether the job is worth it. In present-day New Orleans, while his master recovers from a bad encounter with vampire hunters, he drifts into a support group for people in codependent relationships, where nobody quite believes his story. He eats insects for strength, meets Rebecca (Awkwafina), a traffic cop at war with the Lobo crime family, and starts to imagine a life without a cape in it. Chris McKay directs from a screenplay by Ryan Ridley; Ben Schwartz and Shohreh Aghdashloo play the Lobos. Comedy, horror and a good deal of digital blood. 93 minutes, certificate 15. ## Review Universal made *Dracula* in 1931 and has spent most of the years since trying to work out what to do with him. *Renfield* is the latest answer: give the Count a servant with a grievance, move them both to present-day New Orleans, and treat the whole arrangement as a bad job with a bad boss. Ryan Ridley’s screenplay makes Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) an abused employee who has drifted into a support group for people in codependent relationships, where he is the only member whose partner drinks blood. It is a good idea. The film has about forty minutes of use for it and runs 93. Nicolas Cage is the reason to see it, and he knows it. He plays Dracula with Bela Lugosi’s vowels and his own wounded vanity, a monster who wants to rule the world and also wants Renfield to tell him he looks well. The film opens in black and white, dropping Cage and Hoult into recreations of the 1931 picture, and we laughed out loud at his first entrance, at the relish of a man who has plainly waited decades for a cape and a coffin. Every scene with Cage in it is alive. There are not enough of them. Hoult is the right foil. He plays Renfield as a decent man worn smooth by ninety years of fetching dinner, and his apologetic, faintly appalled delivery makes the support group the funniest room in the film after Dracula’s. Brandon Scott Jones runs the group with a therapist’s unbreakable calm and Adrian Martinez, Camille Chen and Bess Rous fill the chairs with people whose troubles are small and real. When master and servant are allowed to argue, the film bites: a squabble over the quality of the last delivery plays like marriage counselling with fangs. Then the film goes off to arrest people. Awkwafina’s Rebecca is a traffic cop at war with the Lobo crime family, run by Shohreh Aghdashloo’s grand, unhurried matriarch and Ben Schwartz’s idiot heir, and the plot spends a great deal of its short running time on them: corrupt colleagues, a dead father, a stakeout. Awkwafina is game and Aghdashloo enjoys herself. But none of it has anything to do with a man trying to leave Dracula, and the film keeps promising that the two stories will meet and then tying them together with string. Somewhere past the hour we realised we were simply waiting for Cage to come back, and that the film had made us wait. The other joke is the blood. Renfield eats a bug, gains the strength of ten men and removes limbs as if picking daisies. It is funny twice. Mitchell Amundsen shoots New Orleans in neon pinks and greens and lights the fights brightly enough that the digital gore, which arrives by the gallon, always reads. The film has three credited editors, Zene Baker, Giancarlo Ganziano and Ryan Fosley, and the action shows it: each fight is cut into fragments, and by the third one we could no longer tell who was hitting whom, or care. Marco Beltrami’s score plays it straight, gothic strings under comic business, which is the right choice and one the rest of the film rarely makes. Lisa Lovaas puts Hoult into pastel knitwear as he starts to improve himself, a visual gag the film sensibly does not explain. Chris McKay’s animated Lego Batman film (2017) knew exactly what it was: a fast, dense parody that never stopped for breath. Here he is directing a workplace comedy, a superhero origin and a crime thriller at once, and giving each the attention of a man with three phones ringing. *What We Do in the Shadows* (2014) got a whole film out of vampires quarrelling about the washing-up because it trusted the joke. *Renfield* does not trust anything for longer than a scene. See it for Cage, who gives a comic performance of real size and precision to a film that treats him as a special effect, and for Hoult, who never lets him take the whole room. Watch it at home, where the stakeout can be skipped. It carries a 15, mostly for the arms. *Fi1m score 58, published 10 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics agree on one thing: Nicolas Cage’s Dracula is the reason to watch. The reviews describe his performance as committed, over the top and the liveliest thing on screen, with Hoult’s worn-down Renfield a close second and the pair’s scenes together, framed as a toxic boss and his abused employee, the film’s strongest material. The support-group scenes and some of the more inventive kills also earn praise. Reservations cluster around everything else. Many find the one-joke premise stretched thin, the Awkwafina crime-family subplot a distraction, and the violence repetitive enough to grow numbing; several say the film loses its way whenever Cage and Hoult are off screen. The spread is wide, from warm approval at NME, Collider and Consequence to outright rejection at Polygon, which alone finds Cage one-note, and from The Times and The Guardian, who call it tiresome and anaemic respectively. The majority settle on entertaining but unfocused. ## Straight answers **Is Renfield worth watching?** *Renfield* is worth watching for Nicolas Cage's Dracula and not much else, and we scored it 58. Cage and Nicholas Hoult are funny together whenever the film lets them share a room, but a crime plot about a traffic cop and the Lobo family keeps them apart for most of its 93 minutes. Watch it at home, where the stakeout can be skipped. **How long is Renfield, and what is it rated?** *Renfield* runs 1h 33m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a comedy and fantasy film. **Where can I watch Renfield in the US?** *Renfield* is streaming on Peacock, The Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Renfield, and is it suitable for children?** *Renfield* carries a 15 in the UK and an R in the US, and it earns them with gore rather than fear: limbs come off by the gallon in brightly lit, digitally bloody fights played for laughs. It is a comedy first and rarely frightening, but the violence is constant and graphic enough that it is not for children or the squeamish. Teenagers who enjoy cartoonish carnage will be fine. ### Reviews we read (28) - **Empire**, Kim Newman (75/100, inferred): Renfield presents Dracula as the worst boss in the world and Renfield as his abused minion in a co-dependent relationship. The film mixes classic horror pastiche, workplace black comedy, and action, with strong performances from Cage, Hoult, and Awkwafina, though pitched more as dark action-comedy than gothic horror. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/renfield/) - **The AV Club**, Jordan Hoffman (B-): The film is a small-in-scope but fundamentally entertaining horror-comedy that knows what viewers want and serves it up with gross-outs and gimmicks. It lives or dies by Cage camping it up as Dracula, and he delivers. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/renfield-movie-review-nicolas-cage-1850323686) - **Total Film** (70/100, inferred): Renfield is not a classic monster movie but offers plenty of eye-bugging moments in a neon-drenched, blood-soaked comedy horror. It is a fun Friday night movie that uses Hoult’s droll delivery, New Orleans locations, and CG blood effects effectively. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/renfield-review/) - **RogerEbert.com**, Christy Lemire (65/100, inferred): Nicolas Cage delivers a delightfully over-the-top performance as Dracula, but the film is undermined by bland subplots and underdeveloped supporting characters that stretch a clever concept too thin. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/renfield-movie-review-2023) - **Los Angeles Times**, Katie Walsh (60/100, inferred): Nicolas Cage gives a standout Dracula performance in this goofy self-help-infused vampire comedy, but the flimsy one-joke structure and added crime subplot leave it feeling underdeveloped despite the fun. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-04-13/review-a-self-help-fueled-vampire-movie-renfield-is-goofy-if-flimsy-fun) - **Radio Times**, Dave Golder (3/5): The hyperactive horror comedy features gore and gags that splatter the screen but misses as often as it hits. Renfield joins a self-help group and becomes a bug-powered superhero fighting crime, though a better film seems buried inside. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/renfield-review/) - **The Telegraph** (55/100, inferred): Cage dominates as the deranged count with all the best lines and a field day of razor-toothed performance, while Hoult's Renfield is no match; the gory splatter-fest romp earns medium marks for fans of vampire action comedies. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2023/04/13/renfield-review-nicolas-cage-nicholas-hoult-dracula/) - **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (50/100, inferred): Cage offers a stylishly over-the-top Dracula performance, but the ultraviolent action-comedy is a scattershot grab bag lacking mystery or depth, with a codependency joke that never fully lands amid grafted-on subplots. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/renfield-review-nicolas-cage-nicholas-hoult-awkwafina-dracula-1235578215/) - **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (50/100, inferred): Hoult and Cage are fun playing Renfield and Dracula as a dysfunctional work relationship, but the movie has only a comedy sketch’s worth of ideas and feels aimless whenever they are off-screen. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/renfield-sucks-a-funny-premise-dry.html) - **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (45/100, inferred): The film is bouncy and clever with memorable gory action scenes, but it feels dramatically inert overall, with a strong premise that never fully develops into a satisfying story. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/renfield-reviewed-a-concept-in-search-of-a-movie) - **Slant Magazine**, Jake Cole (40/100, inferred): The film frustratingly shrouds Cage’s manic intensity in thick blankets of winking irony and gets stuck in leaden self-actualization comedy rather than building setups and punchlines. Cage’s committed, inspired performance as Dracula is the only element that truly lands. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/renfield-review-nicolas-cage-nicholas-hoult-awkwafina-dracula/) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (40/100, inferred): The critic finds fabulous B-movie fireworks between Cage and Hoult but deems the film anaemic overall, with indiscriminate comic-book slaughter and therapy-speak that fails to freshen the material. Cage's knowing gusto as Dracula, channelling Bela Lugosi, stands out as the liveliest element. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/apr/15/renfield-review-nicolas-cage-channels-the-spirit-of-bela-lugosi-nicholas-hoult-dracula-film) - **IndieWire**, Kate Erbland: Cage and Hoult have bloody good fun as the well-matched duo at the center, but their efforts are not enough to keep the blood pumping in this messy attempt at reworking old IP. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/renfield-review-nicolas-cage-nicholas-hoult-1234827250/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Frank Scheck: The film is an anemic vampire comedy whose graphic violence grows numbing and repetitive. Cage delivers a virtuosic, entertaining turn as Dracula that perks up the proceedings whenever he appears. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/renfield-review-nicolas-cage-nicholas-hoult-1235371323/) - **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★☆☆☆): The film is a muddled, consistently tiresome one-joke gore-fest that over-relies on the central gag of Renfield in group therapy for codependent relationships, amid overplayed ultraviolence and underused supporting elements. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/renfield-review-a-tedious-one-joke-gore-fest-q232zrq3r) - **Collider**, Maggie Boccella (B+): The critic finds Renfield a delightful gory ride that balances terror and camp, praising the chemistry between Hoult and Cage and the over-the-top action. They single out the fun, high-camp romp and Nic Cage's performance as highlights. [Read](https://collider.com/renfield-movie-review/) - **Consequence** (B+): The critic calls the film cheerfully bloody and funny, praising Nicolas Cage as a perfect Dracula and highlighting the gloriously violent and enjoyable action comedy with its bold visual aesthetic. [Read](https://consequence.net/2023/03/renfield-review-nicolas-cage-nicholas-hoult/) - **NME**, Nick Levine (4/5): A wickedly clever, gloriously gory romp with delightful performances from Cage and Hoult, and flashy action; bloody good fun. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/renfield-review-nicolas-cage-dracula-3429190) - **The Playlist**, Matthew Monagle (B): Cage's maximalist, unapologetic performance as Dracula is the highlight, bringing a timeless yet contemporary monstrous quality. The film balances horror-comedy well thanks to him, though personal growth stories are less engaging. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/renfield-nicolas-cage-nicholas-hoult-review-overlook-20230331/) - **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (75/100, inferred): The film is an amusing if bloody new take on the classic that succeeds especially with Hoult’s likable and worn-down Renfield seeking independence from his toxic boss. Cage nails the needy Dracula role, and the witty self-help group scenes anchor the mayhem, though it could have dialed back the relentless bloodletting for a more even tone. [Read](https://deadline.com/2023/04/renfield-review-nicholas-hoult-nicolas-cage-dracula-movie-1235322420/) - **Digital Spy**, Jo Berry (70/100, inferred): It's a fun vampire flick with great gore and Cage's performance, but could have been better with more focus on Renfield and Dracula's relationship instead of the crime subplot. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a43578263/renfield-review/) - **Film Stories**, Lauren Miles (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the focus on Renfield's dependent relationship with Dracula interesting but underdeveloped in favor of bloody action and quips. They single out Nicolas Cage's energetic performance as the film's highlight, calling it an 11/10 Cage performance. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/renfield-review-makes-dracula-into-a-modern-action-comedy/) - **The Wrap** (70/100, inferred): Cage and Hoult’s chemistry anchors this gory horror comedy, with the film at its best when focused on the codependent Renfield-Dr Dracula relationship and their modern toxic dynamic. The support group scenes and inventive kills provide highlights, but the Awkwafina crime-family subplot feels like a distraction that dilutes the horror hijinks. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/renfield-review-nicolas-cage-dracula/) - **HeyUGuys**, Scott Davis (3/5): While entertaining and funny, the film feels unfocused and chaotic, trying to do too many things. Cage's Dracula is the standout, delivering a brilliant, intoxicating performance. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/renfield-review/) - **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (5/10): Cage delivers a standout, mean-spirited Dracula that deserves a better film. The movie wastes the premise with a thin plot, unfunny script, and superhero-like action that doesn't mesh well. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1255362/renfield-review-nicolas-cage-dracula-better-movie/) - **Polygon**, Siddhant Adlakha (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film distracted, cynical, and clumsy, failing to capture the fun of similar vampire comedies like What We Do in the Shadows. They single out the weak tone, poorly executed action, and Cage's one-note performance for complaint. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23679108/renfield-review-nic-cage-nicholas-hoult) - **Den of Geek**, David Crow (2.5 out of 5): The critic finds the premise fun but the movie jumbled and distracted, praising Cage's magnificent Dracula performance while noting it struggles with too many competing ideas. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/renfield-review-nicolas-cage-dracula/) - **Paste**, Brianna Zigler (4.0): The review criticizes the film as tonally incoherent and not living up to its premise or Cage's potential, complaining about its insincere self-care angle and lack of genuine satire or fun. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/dracula/renfield-stakes-it-all-on-a-bad-joke) ## Details - **Director:** Chris McKay - **Director:** Chris McKay - **Screenplay:** Ryan Ridley - **Cinematography:** Mitchell Amundsen - **Editor:** Ryan Fosley, Giancarlo Ganziano, Zene Baker - **Music:** Marco Beltrami - **Production design:** Alec Hammond - **Costume design:** Lisa Lovaas - **Producer:** Chris McKay, Robert Kirkman, David Alpert - **Cast:** Nicholas Hoult as Renfield; Nicolas Cage as Dracula; Awkwafina as Rebecca; Ben Schwartz as Tedward Lobo; Shohreh Aghdashloo as Bellafrancesca Lobo; Brandon Scott Jones as Mark; Adrian Martinez as Chris; Camille Chen as Kate - **Runtime:** 1h 33m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 14 April 2023 - **Genres:** Comedy, Fantasy, Horror - **Budget:** $65 million - **Box office:** $26 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkMep-7CXCI ## Where to watch in the US - Peacock: streaming, uhd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd *Checked 2026-09-10.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, HU, IE, IN, IT, JP, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Dracula* (1931), Fi1m 75: Lugosi’s original, and the film Cage is quoting in every syllable. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/dracula.md) - *What We Do in the Shadows* (2014): Flatmate vampires arguing about chores; the joke Renfield wanted, done properly. - *Shadow of the Vampire* (2000): Willem Dafoe as a vampire hired to play one; the other great comic Count. - *The Fearless Vampire Killers* (1967): Polanski’s snowbound spoof, slower and stranger and much funnier than it sounds. - *Thirst* (2009): Park Chan-wook’s priest turned vampire; codependency played for horror and black laughs. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/renfield