In an inspired bit of casting, the singular Nicolas Cage plays Dracula in the forthcoming horror-comedy Renfield. In a way, we've come full circle back to the actor's notoriously hammy performance in 1987's Vampire's Kiss, although this time, things appear knowingly silly rather than accidentally so.
In fact, Renfield largely centres around another Nicholas by the surname of Hoult. He plays the title character, the one-time clerk who has been transformed into a bug-chewing madman via Dracula's magic. However, this comic twist on Bram Stoker's classic mythology reimagines the master-pupil dynamic as a toxic relationship that requires some serious therapy. Also, Renfield has a particular set of skills that are apparently activated when he chows down on spiders.
Put simply, he's capable of laying waste to a nightclub overrun with gun-toting goons, injecting a dash of Taken, Nobody and the recent Violent Night into the archetypal Dracula framework. It's a suitably eccentric and fun twist from director Chris McKay who unleashed satirical brilliance with The LEGO Batman Movie, and we can surely expect similarly great things from Renfield.
The story was devised by Robert Kirkman of The Walking Dead fame, and co-stars accomplished scene-stealer Awkwafina as a traffic cop who becomes embroiled in Renfield's adventures. And Cage's entrance? It has to be seen to be believed...
Renfield chows down at Cineworld on April 21. Check out the trailer for a taste of this raucous-looking slice of mayhem. And if you want things a little more extreme (exploding priests ahoy!), the red band trailer can be viewed by clicking here.
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