There are so many takes on the Universal Monsters canon at this point, and it’s exceedingly clear why. The legendary body of frightful figures is royalty in the horror genre, but trying to get the studio’s formerly bankable body of baddies back in the spotlight has been tricky amid the popularity of studios growing cinematic universes. Sometimes it works, and people start flocking to a film like The Invisible Man, while other attempts have left us with a Dark Universe that was planned but never executed.
That climate was what fueled the initial reluctance I had toward director Chris McKay’s Renfield, as flame outs like Dracula Untold and The Mummy starring Tom Cruise are still pretty freshly remembered. The Nicolas Cage/Nicholas Hoult-led horror mashup doesn't let itself become intimidated by such history, as it plays within a number of genres and doesn't miss a beat to become a bloody delight that is frighteningly fun.
