Anyone who knows what’s good for them knows exactly why they want to see Chris McKay’s Renfield. The appeal of Nicolas Cage, a magnanimous star most of us grew up with, playing the Prince of Darkness is sure to excite anyone, horror fan or not. (Even my mother, who’s notoriously bad with scary movies, is chomping at the bit to see it.) It’s a promise that feels exactly as outlandish as one would expect from someone like Nic Cage, and on that alone the film seems determined to propel itself, leaning harder into that than even the star power of its lead, Nicholas Hoult.
