RENFIELD (2023) (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment 'Dracula Sucks Edition' Blu-ray Review)

RENFIELD (2023) 

Dracula Sucks Edition Blu-ray + DVD + Digital 

Label: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment 

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: R 

Duration: 93 Minutes 27 Seconds 

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 7.1, French Canadian DTS-HD MA 5.1 and Latin American Spanish DTS-HD MA Audio 7.1 with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1)

Director: Chris McKay

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Nicholas Hoult, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, Adrian Martinez, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Brandon Scott Jones

In Renfield (2023) Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road) stars as the titular bug-eating right-hand familiar of the infamous Dracula (Nicolas Cage, Mandy). In this novel take on the character, Renfield after centuries of slavishly serving Dracula, is looking to step outside the looming shadow of The Prince of Darkness, if only he can figure out how to end the toxic, co-dependent relationship. To that end he joins a 12-step self-help group for people in codependent relationships, and then meets a principled cop named Rebecca (Awkwafina, Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings) whom he saves from an attack by the Lobo gang, lead by matriarch Bellafrancesca Lobo (Shohreh Aghdashloo, X-Men: The Last Stand) and her dipshit wannabe gangster son Tedward Lobo. (Ben Schwarz, Parks and Recreation). We're told that the Lobo gang murdered Rebecca's hero-cop pop some years earlier, and she has followed in his footstep, becoming a cop, and she has it out for Lobo gang, and Tedward in particular. Renfield also ends up on the Lobo's shitlist after their paths cross when Renfield's quest to procure fresh blood for Dracula intersects with the gang, with Renfield facing off against the Lobo's hulking Mexican-wrestler masked enforcer ApacheJoe (Marcus Lewis). Of course Dracula being the undead narcists he is none too pleased to find out his familiar Renfield looking elsewhere for validation, and steps in to curb his newfound independence, along the way joining forces with the Lobo gang to expand his empire. 

The tone of this is pure horror-comedy, directed by Chris McKay (The LEGO Batman Movie) and written by Ryan Ridley (Rick & Morty) from a story by Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead, Invincible), so its got some great talent behind the camera, and with Cage, Hoult and Awkwafina in-front this is a goldmine of comedy and gore. Cage is lovingly vamping on Bela Lugosi's Count and it's camp-tastic, over-the-top in the best Nic Cage sort of way. and there are direct callbacks and recreations to the Lugosi' Dracula that are catnip for horror fans, making this very much a pseudo-sequel to that classic Universal monster flick. He's menacing with a mouthful of needle sharp teeth, he can burst into a flock of bats or smoke at will, slice you open with a razor sharp fingernails, levitate, and of course rip your neck open with his fangs. Hoult as the initially weak-willed bug-powered familiar Renfield is the star attraction here, but let me be frank, he's overshadowed by Cage's phenomenal turn, but manages to hold his own - it is his movie after all, but it's Cage's world. As Drac's familiar he is imbued with a tiny bit of his master's power, keeping a tin of spider's on hand, popping one in his mouth and powering up when needed, given temporary superhuman powers, strength and agility, which we get plenty of. 

That's one thing that surprised be about this flick, just how fucking gory it was, it starts with a throwback to Dracula blowing up a Bishop (William Ragsdale, Fright Night), and Renfield throws a serving platter to sever someone's hands, later he rips off a face, tears off a baddies arms and then throws the limbs like spears into the chests of two others, and leaps around the room not unlike his character - and that's just a taste of what the flick offers, with loads of decapitations, torn limbs, snapped bones, blood flying everywhere - it's super-gory good time. 

It's also fun the way it plays with tropes, like how Dracula must be invited into a home - at one point he surprises Renfield by showing up unannounced at his new apartment, momentarily wondering how his master was able to get inside unannounced, only to then takes notice of his doormat that says 'Welcome - please come in'. The film is also quite colorful in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (be on the lookout for a cameo from TCM2's Caroline Williams) demented sort of way with sickly green, reds and orange permeating the color scheme, in a addition to the more bright pastel colors that Renfield adopts into his wardrobe and apartment decor as he becomes more self-confident and less co-dependent, it's quite an attractively shot flick. 

Audio/Video: Renfield (2023) arrives on Blu-ray from UPHE in 1080p HD framed in 2.39:1 widescreen. Shot digitally in 8K the 1080p presentation is lush and chock full o' fine detail and vivid, well-saturated colors with deep blacks. It's a terrific HD presentation, sadly no UHD has been announced for this but if this ever makes the jump I can imagine the Dolby Vision HDR 10 enhanced colors would be a knockout. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 7.1 with optional English subtitles, in addition to uncompressed Spanish and French options. it's a full-bodied audio experience; gunfire, screams, the sound of torn flesh and the score from Marco Beltrami (A Quiet Place) piercing and potent. 

I am sort of loving this recent trend of revisiting named home video editions, which was quite popular in the early 2000s, this is dubbed the 'Dracula Sucks Edition'. There's no extra footage in the main feature but there are plenty of extras, over an hour's worth. We kick-off with an Audio Commentary with Producer Samantha Nisenboim, Screenwriter Ryan Ridley, and Crew - which I honestly have not listened to yet. I have it on tap for when I clean house next weekend, which to give you a peek behind the curtains is how I typically listen to commentaries, while I do chores.  Other extras include 18-min of Deleted and Extended Scenes, 3-min of Alternate Takes with the actors adlibbing a few choice comedy lines that didn;t make the cut, the 5-min Dracula UnCaged with Cage talking about what drew him to the role, the influence of Lugosi (Dracula), Christopher Lee (Horror of Dracula), Max Schreck (Nosferatu), and Frank Langella's turn as Dracula on his own performance. The 13-min Monsters & Men: Behind the Scenes of Renfield offers an in-depth look at the films  cast, sets, and costumes, the 6-min Stages of Rejuvenation features the special makeup effects team talking about  four stages of Dracula’s transformation in the film, the 5-min Flesh & Blood goes deeper into the plethora of gore-gags created for the film, the 6-min Fighting Dirty features the enthusiastic Stunt coordinator Christopher Brewster getting into the  execution of the movie's action-packed stunt work, and the 4-min The Making of a Deleted Scene: Renfield’s Dance! features star Nicholas Hoult and choreographer Kathryn Burns further elaborating on the elaborate musical number that was cut from the film and featured in the deleted scenes. There's a ton of behind-the-scenes footage in these extras that give you a fly-on-the0wall perspective of the stints and gore gags, Cage preparing for his scenes, make-up and prosthetics being applied, as well as lots of footage of Cage's life cast, and production design and artwork.  

The 2-disc Blu-ray + DVD release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single sided sleeve of artwork, housed inside a presumably first-pressing slipcover with a matte finish with metallic highlights and raised logo lettering on the front cover. Inside there's a code for a digital HD copy of the film. As of the time of this review the code is not active yet so I am unsure if the extras are carried over, though it should be noted  most recent Universal films I have digital copies to port over the extras as well. 

Special Features:

- Audio Commentary with Producer Samantha Nisenboim, Screenwriter Ryan Ridley, and Crew
- Hilarious Deleted and Extended Scenes (17:32)
- Alternate Takes (3:19)
- Dracula UnCaged – Go inside the mind of a vampire as Dracula himself, Nicolas Cage, reveals the secrets behind turning a classic character into a memorable monster. (4:49) 
- Monsters & Men: Behind the Scenes of RENFIELD – An in-depth look at Renfield’s cast, sets, costumes and more as the actors and filmmakers reveal how they modernized a famous terror tale with trailblazing comedy and over-the-top action.(12:36) 
- Stages of Rejuvenation – See how special makeup effects bring the undead to life throughout the four stages of Dracula’s incredible transformation. (6:16) 
- Flesh & Blood – Exploding heads. Peeling faces. Severed limbs. They’re all part of the macabre movie magic that fuels Renfield with inventive action and hilarious horror. (5:24) 
- Fighting Dirty – Stunt coordinator Christopher Brewster leads a look at the training, choreography, and careful execution that goes into the film’s spectacular stunts and fight scenes. (6:13) 
- The Making of a Deleted Scene: Renfield’s Dance! – Nicholas Hoult and choreographer Kathryn Burns pull back the curtain on constructing an elaborate musical number for a fantasy dance sequence. (3:35) 

Renfield (2023) delivers all the comedy, gore and vampire homages I expected and then some, plus a terrific scene stealing turn from Cage as the Prince of Darkness. It gets a top-notch Blu-ray edition with loads of extras, and while I am disappointed it didn't get a simultaneous UHD given how attractive a film it is, I hold out hope one might be on the horizon. 

Screenshots from the Universal Blu-ray: 

EXTRAS: