We first heard about Chris McKay’s Renfield all the way back in the summer of 2021, and ever since then we’ve been curious to see what this thing would look like in action: Nicholas Holt playing the titular, put-upon sidekick to Nic Cage’s guaranteed-to-be-something-weird Count Dracula? And it’s a horror-comedy with a romantic subplot? I mean, maybe that didn’t have you sold two years ago, but it certainly sold us.
If the basics of the project didn’t sell you on McKay’s film already, perhaps today’s just-released trailer will. Let’s take a look…
This looks like a lot of fun! Gory, maybe a little goofy, with some impressive makeup/VFX, to boot. Cage looks a bit creepier here than we expected, almost reptilian, and we weren’t expecting to see Nicolas Hoult kicking that much ass as Renfield, either.
Renfield, which sports a screenplay written by Rick & Morty‘s Ryan Ridley, and – in addition to Nicholas Hoult and Nic Cage – stars Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, and the great Shohreh Aghdashloo. Here’s an official plot synopsis, which appears to be playing things very close to the vest for the time being:
“In this modern monster tale of Dracula’s loyal servant, Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men franchise) stars as Renfield, the tortured aide to history’s most narcissistic boss, Dracula (Oscar® winner Nicolas Cage). 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.”
And here’s a look at the film’s first poster:
Renfield hits theaters on April 14th, just one week before Evil Dead Rise arrives. (Damn. April’s gonna be one helluva month, huh?) Do stay tuned for further updates on McKay’s film between now and then.
