Renfield

When you mention a character such as Dracula it is difficult not to feel a bit of nostalgia. Based on the classic book Bram Stoker´s Dracula by Irish author Bram Stoker, this book was inspired by the real Prince Vlad III ( also known as Vlad The Impaler ) in Romania, Dracula became one of the most iconic vampire characters in movies. I have seen most of the films where you find Dracula included going all the way back to the 1931 film Dracula from director Tod Browning. Looking back at this film today it may not be as scary as i thought it was as a kid in the 80´s but it is still a well made horror film. Where i really fell in love with the character Dracula was in the 1958 film Dracula, where legendary British actor Christoper Lee took on the iconic role as Count Dracula. The 1958 film Dracula begins in the year of 1885, where Jonathan Harker ( John Van Eyessen ) travels to the castle of Count Dracula, outside of Klausenberg to take up his post as librarian. Inside the castle, a young woman approach Jonathan and claims she is a prisoner and begs for help. Dracula ( Christopher Lee ) arrives, greets Jonathan, and guides him to his room. What Dracula does not know is that Jonathan is actually a vampire killer, and have actually travelled there to kill him. The 1958 film Dracula is not only well made but it definetely showed why legendary actor Christopher Lee knew how to portrait Dracula like no other actor before. I have seen the other Dracula films with Christopher Lee in the past, some of the films are good while at least one of them wasn´t really good. Christopher Lee never let us down though in his performance, he knew exactly what he was doing. Since these years with Dracula we have had a lot of different film adaptations based on the classic novel of Bram Stoker, in many different versions. Early last year i was hearing rumors about Nicolas Cage playing Dracula in a horror comedy called Renfield. I got a chance to see this film before it ended running in cinema, is this one of the films you need to see this summer or is Renfield a really big disappointment?

In the early 20th century, Transylvanian vampire Count Dracula ( Nicolas Cage ) meets English lawyer R. M. Renfield ( Nicholas Hoult ). Renfield hopes to broker a deal for some land, and after proving he is a useful assistant, he ends up being Dracula´s familiar, allowing him to be immortal and gaining super strength and speed when he consumes bugs. After almost being killed by vampire hunters, Dracula and Renfield move to New Orleans to recuperate. No matter where they go, they can not escape their past.

Some of you might remember the Mel Brooks comedy Dracula - Dead And Loving It with legendary comedian Leslie Nielsen trying to make a more funny approach on Dracula. He was funny, but i can honestly say that i actually prefer Nicolas Cage as Dracula for especially one reason. I definetely feel that Nicolas Cage have such a wide acting ability compared to Leslie Nielsen since he was best as a comedian. Cage can portrait any kind of character in all kinds of genres, something that Leslie Nielsen may have had problems with when he tried to do other genres of films. That doesn´t mean im not a big Leslie Nielsen fan, i am for sure. But he just didn´t have the same qualities that Nicolas Cage has on the big screen in so many different characters. The way he portrait Dracula in Renfield definetely proves his ability to change acting styles, and i love the crazy combination that he does in several scenes. Renfield definetely feels like both a tribute to Bram Stoker´s Dracula but also as a parody of the story with some unexpected surprises. The combination of horror and comedy works much better than i expected in this film, and there are several scenes where i found myself laughing. We have to talk about the chemistry between actors Nicholas Hault and Nicolas Cage, and it really feels like they found a great match. Not only are both of their characters very effective on screen, they both deliver some funny dialogue as well that actually works. Nicholas Hault may not be known for being one of the most powerful actors of his generation, but i feel that he really found is place in this film with the character of Renfield. The horror elements may not be very scary but i have to say that the brutality of several scenes are quite effective, where bodies are ripped open and even heads fly. This is exactly what i want in a horror comedy, don´t hold back on the gore effects but give us a lot of joy. Overall i have to say that Renfield is one of the better Dracula comedies i have seen in the last 30 years and director Chris McKay ( director of the sci fi action film The Tomorrow War ) have made his best film so far in his career. Renfield may have some flaws but i actually enjoy this film for what it is. Definetely the funniest horror comedy in a long time, so get your DVD or Blu Ray copy this summer of Renfield.

Rating: DDD