It’s a battle of Nicholas vs. Nicolas in this wild and fun horror-action-comedy from director Chris McKay.

Robert Montague Renfield was once a real estate broker who met Count Dracula, who in turn has turned him into his familiar, a servant meant to fulfill Dracula’s need. Especially feeding innocent people to him. After a near fatal attempt from Van Helsing, Renfield reluctantly saved Dracula and the two have now moved to Los Angeles. Renfield began to go to a support group for people in relationships with narcissists. Renfield decides to help the fellow support group members out by taking out their narcissitic partners.

However, one hit leads to a confrontation with a hitman hired by the Lobo family, the most notorious crime family in the city. When Teddy Lobo is arrested for drug possession, he is set freed by a corrupt force with Rebecca Quincy being the only level-headed and non-corrupt member. When Rebecca is the next one to be targeted, Renfield ends up saving her and the two bond. However, when Rebecca discovers Renfield’s connection to the Lobos, she finds herself in a dilemma. Renfield’s situation will become worse when Dracula puts himself in the picture and this causes Renfield to make a decision that will forever change his life.

When it was announced that Nicolas Cage would be playing Dracula, it was met with sheer excitement. However, the film, directed by Chris McKay, would focus more on his familiar Renfield, who turns out to be a reluctant anti-hero. Renfield wants to live his own life and stop being under Dracula’s spell. He soon finds an ally in Awkwafina’s Rebecca Quincy, the only straight-laced cop in an otherwise corrupt LAPD. It is great to see her combine a bit of her comic wit with playing it straight.

Nicholas Hoult is excellent as Renfield. There is a nice flashback to his first meeting with Dracula that has the look and feel of the classic Bela Lugosi film, as if we are seeing Cage digitally inserted to replace the iconic Bela Lugosi. There are some fun action set pieces that amp up the gore as we see Renfield powered up (by eating bugs instead of humans) and destroying all who get in his (and in the case of Rebecca as well) way. There is even a Mortal Kombat-style X-ray attack that looks freaking amazing!

Ben Schwartz, best known for voicing Sonic the Hedgehog in the live-action/CGI hybrid films, brings that comic wit to the role of crime boss Teddy Lobo while his mother Bellafrancesca, is played in an excellent role by Shohreh Agdashloo, who channels an Elizabeth Ashley-style performance reminiscent of the latter’s turn in Dragnet. There is even a running gag with Terrifier’s Jenna Kanell playing one of the support group members who can’t get her full story in without getting distracted and a brief appearance by Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2’s Caroline Williams as the Lobos’ attorney.

Renfield is wild, fun, insane, gory, and all round crazy chaos in the best way imaginable. Nicholas Hoult is great as the titular character with Awkwafina showing why she is a name to look out for and need I say more when Nic Cage plays Dracula? It’s a definite must-see film of the year!

WFG RATING: A+

Universal Pictures presents a Skybound Entertainment production. Director: Chris McKay. Producers: Robert Kirkman, Chris McKay, Sean Furst, Bryan Furst, Sean Alpert, and Samantha Nisenboim. Writer: Ryan Ridley; story by Robert Kirkman. Cinematography: Mitchell Amundsen. Editing: Zene Baker, Ryan Folsey, and Giancarlo Graziano.

Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, Shohreh Agdashloo, Nicolas Cage, Brandon Scott Jones, Adrian Martinez, Camille Chen, Bess Rous, Jenna Kanell, Caroline Williams, Danya LaBelle, Christopher Scott Cook.