Renfield Is Killing It With Fans (Despite What Critics Say On Rotten Tomatoes)
Count Dracula is finally back for another cinematic go-around in Universal Pictures' horror-comedy "Renfield," and it seems from initial impressions that fans can't get enough of this new spin on the classic vampire legend. Early news on the film's release proved rather troubling, as many critics came out with varying levels of mixed reactions. Not only that, but "Renfield" unfortunately bombed at the box office during its opening span. Despite these problems, however, the film has proven to be an absolute hit with general audiences.
As it stands, "Renfield" sits at a 59 percent critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, ever so slightly falling into the scale's "Rotten" category. By contrast, the audience rating stands at a much more laudable 81 percent, which puts it well into "Fresh" territory. Many fans have pointed to the efficient use of dark comedy and not-for-the-faint-of-heart gory thrills as particular highlights that elevated "Renfield" for them, but others have even more positive things to say about the flick.
Fans are hot on Renfield's characters and performances
It's safe to say that "Renfield" wouldn't have been received as well if its core cast wasn't strong enough. Fortunately, these fresh renditions of the classic horror characters have grabbed fans' attention — especially Nicholas Hoult's lead performance as Dracula's titular henchman. "Nicholas Hoult is effortlessly charismatic and funny," u/neal1701 noted. Other fans echoed praise for the actor, with @Coinsock tweeting: "Nicholas Hoult needs to be in more things."
Nicolas Cage's version of Dracula has also received kudos from viewers, with many appreciating that the actor brought his all to his vampiric role in the movie. "Has an actor ever chewed the scene so much that they were literally chewing their makeup/mask? Because I'm like 90% sure that's what Nic Cage did in the scene where he first explains his world domination plans to Renfield. And I was all for it!" u/dograpestastegood wrote.
Even those who found "Renfield" lacking have praised the way it draws out comedy from its larger-than-life characters while also giving them a bit of depth. "I like how this film dealt with the idea of a 'perfect victim' given y'know, Renfield abandoned his family and helped Dracula kill hundreds over the decades," u/Trevastation commented. "Yet it doesn't change the fact he's still a victim getting abused and gaslit and no more deserving of and out than anyone else in the support group. It's not super in-depth, like all of this film, but still worth [pointing] out."