April 13, 2023
Renfield director Chris McKay was over the moon directing Nicolas Cage, adding it was a dream come true.
"He's so joyful and enthusiastic," McKay continued. "He's a cinephile. He loves movies. He loves horror movies. He loves Dracula movies. So there was a lot of touchpoints that we had to talk about. I found him very inspirational, because he was so playful, and he was having so much fun. I truly treasure people who approach [making films] in almost a childlike, playful way. I get a lot of inspiration from him. I have my entire life. I guess I kind of fell in love with him from the start and then I kept following his career."
In other news, Cage's Renfield is receiving glowing reviews as the film registered a strong rating of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes.
In Empire, Kim Newman reviewed the Dracula film, "It's a horror-comic orgy of gore, with any number of bad guys torn to pieces, but occasionally pauses for poignant moments about the life Renfield lost by submitting to his master and unusual spins on vampire lore."
Further, The Wrap's Kristen Lopez wrote, "Renfield is a great example of how Universal could resurrect its Dark Universe. Take tangential characters or questions audiences have wondered about and find a way to explore them."
"While it is no groundbreaking Dracula story, Renfield is a genuinely hilarious twist on the all-too-familiar vampire narrative. The R-rated comedy genre and Universal's monster sandbox have been begging for a new classic. This delivers across the board," says ComicBook's Liam Crowley.