The 2023 American action comedy horror film Renfield, featuring Nicolas Cage as Dracula, is set to air on Film4 at 9pm on Wednesday, May 20. Based on characters from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula and its 1931 film adaptation, the movie stars Nicholas Hoult as the titular character alongside Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Brandon Scott Jones, Adrian Martinez, and Nicolas Cage.
Plot and Reception
The story follows Renfield, who after decades as a grueling servant to Dracula, seeks a new purpose in life. Viewers who have already seen the film have shared their reviews online. One fan wrote: "I came for Nicolas Cage and was not disappointed. He played an amazing Dracula in the modern world. Nicolas Cage was born to play this role and appropriately chews up the scenery whenever he is on screen. This movie is a lot of fun thematically and visually."
Another viewer commented: "Renfield hits all the right notes. The humour is dark, witty and at times profound. The film delivers plenty of gore and bloodshed to satisfy fans of the horror genre." A fourth agreed: "Funny, well-crafted, and deliciously entertaining, Renfield isn't short of bite."
Cage's Preparation
According to reports, Cage prepared for his role by observing the distinctive ways Dracula was portrayed by Bela Lugosi, Frank Langella, and Gary Oldman. He said: "What can I bring that will be different? I want it to pop in a unique way. We've seen it played well, we've seen it play not so well, so what can we do? So I'm thinking to really focus on the movement of the character ... and that perfect tone of comedy and horror." Cage cited An American Werewolf in London, Ring, and Malignant as inspirations for the role.
The film marks Cage's first live-action film by a major studio since Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Its black-and-white opening scenes recreate the events of the original Dracula film, with Cage and Hoult inserted in place of Bela Lugosi and Dwight Frye, while Helen Chandler and Edward Van Sloan appear via archive footage.
