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19th February 2025
09:45am GMT
Netflix has just added Renfield, a 2023 action comedy horror movie that has much in common with this year's box office smash hit Nosferatu.
This is because both films star Nicolas Hoult and are loose adaptations of Bram Stoker's legendary vampire novel Dracula.
In Renfield, Hoult plays the title character - who, as the movie begins, has been the loyal and tortured servant to Dracula (Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage) for centuries.
As the plot synopsis notes: "Renfield is forced to procure his master's prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased.
"But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is ready to see if there's a life outside the shadow of The Prince of Darkness. If only he can figure out how to end his codependency."
Co-starring Awkwafina and Ben Schwartz, the film earned some praise upon release for its performances (particularly Cage as the iconic count), for its opening scene homaging the original 1931 Dracula and for its central premise of a fed-up Renfield trying to turn against his master in the modern-day.
That said, others argued that Cage was underused and that the film suffered from a forgettable plot and uneven tone.
You can read a sample of positive reviews for Renfield below.
The Age (Australia): "The main attraction is Nicolas Cage’s barnstorming performance as Dracula, played mainly for laughs yet indicating careful study of his many predecessors in the role."
Chicago Reader: "Get ready, because there’s yet another new take on Dracula. But no need to brace yourself, because Renfield feels surprisingly fresh."
FilmWeek: "Go to the movie and have some fun. It's a gorefest, folks -- heads really roll."
New York Times: "Cheerfully disposable entertainment… perfectly understands that sometimes all you want from a movie is 93 minutes of well-wrought absurdity."
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