Everything We Learned Visiting The Set Of Renfield

Chris McKay’s movie Renfield is the latest take on the classic vampire Dracula, though this modern horror-comedy tale adds a twist by seeing the Prince of Darkness through the eyes of his tortured yet loyal henchman, R.M. Renfield. In Universal’s Renfield, which hits theaters on April 14, the title lackey (Nicholas Hoult) is given a new lease on life after a century of serving Dracula (Nicolas Cage) and obeying his every debased order. Renfield realizes there’s more to life outside Dracula’s shadow, and with the help of New Orleans’ local disgruntled traffic cop Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina), he attempts to navigate ending his toxic codependency with the literal “boss from hell.”

Screen Rant and a group of journalists visited the set of Universal’s Renfield in March 2022, where we learned secrets about the movie, its fresh take on Dracula, and numerous connections to past adaptations of the world’s most famous vampire. On set in New Orleans, Screen Rant spoke with Renfield’s cast and crew, such as star Nicholas Hoult and producer David Alpert; watched Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage film two of Renfield’s early scenes; and even tried on Dracula’s red cape. Now that Renfield’s tickets are on sale and a new trailer has been released, here’s a breakdown of everything we learned from the set of the upcoming movie.

Renfield’s Connections To The 1931 Dracula Movie

When speaking to producer David Alpert, Screen Rant learned that Renfield’s story is somewhat of a sequel to Universal’s 1931 Dracula movie directed by Tod Browning and starring Bela Lugosi in the title role. Renfield opens with an extended prologue about the beginning of Dracula and Renfield’s relationship, which features Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage essentially replacing Dwight Frye’s Renfield and Bela Lugosi’s Dracula in the 1931 movie’s ending. Unlike the original Dracula, which ended in Renfield’s death, Ryan Ridley’s script reimagines the story with Renfield’s survival, thus leading to the character’s century-long servitude.

While Renfield begins in 1931, the title sequence follows Renfield and Dracula’s misadventures over the years until they land in the present day. Hoult and Cage were filmed in front of a green screen to place them in the memorable moments from past Dracula movies, which works to give a better context to the characters’ background and dynamic before they reach the 2020s. When Renfield and Dracula’s story picks up in the present, the powerful and wealthy 1931 Dracula is long gone, with Nicolas Cage’s vampire trying to rebuild his empire from an abandoned hospital in New Orleans after falling from grace.

The Villain Characters Of Renfield

Unsurprisingly, Dracula is the major antagonist in Renfield, as he retaliates when his long-term henchman decides he will no longer tolerate the Dark One’s narcissistic abuse. Screen Rant was also given more insight into the other villains that will be seen in Universal’s 2023 movie, including the local mobster family, the Lobos. As revealed by Renfield’s production designer Alec Hammond, Teddy Lobo (Ben Schwartz) and his mother are the heart and power of the Lobo gang.

Hammond elaborated that the modern context of the Lobo villains offers plenty of comic relief, as the ancient Renfield and Dracula are unequipped to deal with the new-age gang. He also gave a better description of the power dynamics and conceit of the Lobos, as Teddy’s mom always protects her “idiotic son,” with the characters knowing they’re above the law and enjoying their ability to flaunt it. Screenwriter Ryan Ridley also noted that actor Ben Schwartz was particularly talented at improvisations, so Teddy’s character appears ripe for joke set-ups.

There’s also another sinister character lurking in Renfield, a serial killer named “Apache Joe.” After working construction during the day, Apache Joe comes home to a “normal” family life, around which time he fits in his serial killing. The character also has a niece who “loves him,” making the villain all the more curious. Audiences can expect some stunt work with Apache Joe, whose costume also features an eerie mask that appears to be made out of tongues.

Renfield’s Settings & Locations

Screen Rant visited Renfield’s set on the New Orleans soundstage, where the hospital basement and Dracula’s library were built. Renfield also filmed on-location for several scenes, with the real architecture, ambiance, and history of New Orleans working to create the city as its own character in the movie. Alec Hammond also described the design process of a few other notable settings in Renfield, with Universal also showing the concept art of such areas for reference.

Some of the locations that will be seen in Renfield are the Lobos’ lavish mansion, the gothic run-down hospital in which Dracula and Renfield reside, the occult-themed restaurant in which Renfield battles villains, Dracula’s well-decorated library, a kill room with torture devices set inside a run-down church, and Dracula’s candle-lit lair in the basement of the abandoned New Orleans hospital.

Renfield’s Mobster Movie Inspirations

Production designer Alec Hammond also divulged the real-life and fictional inspirations for Renfield’s approach to the Lobo gang. The Lobo mansion pays homage to Goodfellas, Scarface, and other gangster movies, including a costume piece that directly references Tony Montana and glitter on the ceiling inspired by Goodfellas’ Hill house.

Renfield’s research team also found an archive of a real-life cartel’s Instagram page, with examples of their posts being images of money on tables with ocelots next to them. The real-life ostentatiousness of such cartels inspired the Lobos’ extravagances and unabashed display of their wealth.

How Renfield’s Actors Landed Their Roles

Renfield producer David Alpert explained some of the reasoning behind why the film’s lead actors were cast in their roles. According to Alpert, they were sold on Hoult as Renfield after seeing him in The Great, with director Chris McKay also confirming that Hoult was the “first and only person” he thought of for the title character. Speaking about Hoult’s Emmy-nominated role as Peter III of Russia, Alpert explained that they loved how humorous and compelling his performance is, especially the fact that his character can “do horrific things, but you still like him.” Hoult exemplified the humor, charisma, talent, and physicality required of Renfield‘s take on Dracula’s henchman, which made him the best man for the role.

Although Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult’s past collaboration in The Weather Man had no bearing on their casting, Alpert confirmed that their history gave “their relationship [in Renfield] extra resonance,” and that they had great chemistry right from the start. Nicolas Cage was sought out for the seriousness that he brings to his work as well as his ability to go completely over the top and truly dive into his character. Renfield finds its comfort in excess, so Cage’s talents and amplified approach were exactly what this Dracula required. He “understood the character instantly,” with the actor’s knowledge and respect for the character’s history also being demonstrated in Screen Rant’s Nicolas Cage interview.

Renfield Could Potentially Launch A Cinematic Universe

According to Alpert, Renfield is its own story, but there are “breadcrumbs for a broader potential cinematic universe.” Renfield took inspiration from the MCU in terms of potentially forging a cinematic universe, particularly in how Iron Man was the start of the MCU but still works as a standalone film. While there are no official plans for restarting the Dark Universe, it shouldn’t be completely counted out.

Alpert stated that Renfield still sets up future stories to tell, including the fact that it leaves the backstory for Dracula open in regard to how he came to the United States and, more specifically, New Orleans. There are apparently some questions left unanswered in Renfield, which implies that a sequel isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Renfield’s Numerous Easter Eggs To Past Dracula & Dark Universe Movies

Renfield has plenty of small Easter eggs to past Dark Universe films and adaptations of Dracula, which appear to be the “breadcrumbs” Alpert was referring to. The restaurant that Renfield visits is filled with tributes to classic monsters like Frankenstein’s monster and Wolf Man, with the set, clothes, and – even more explicitly – the opening sequence having unmistakable references to past Dracula movies. Additionally, director Chris McKay told Screen Rant that many choices in terms of set design were inspired by past Dracula movies, such as Renfield’s large spread of candles being based on John Badham’s 1979 Dracula.

Renfield’s costume designer Lisa Lovaas was also able to integrate numerous nods to past Dracula adaptations in the characters’ wardrobe. Many of Dracula’s outfits in Renfield pay homage to Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee’s iterations of the character, such as the rich monogrammed dressing jacket being a nod to Christopher Lee and 1960s Transylvania inspirations. Dracula’s main leather cape is decorated with red and black bats inside, with the design paying tribute to Gary Oldman’s 1992 Dracula.

Renfield Cut A Courtroom Scene

Screen Rant also learned that Renfield had a deleted scene set inside a New Orleans courtroom. While it wasn’t revealed what happened in the scene or who was taken to court, the cut sequence would have been another example of Renfield integrating New Orleans into the film as its own character. While this courtroom scene didn’t make it to the final cut, we hope it’ll make it into the DVD extras!

Screenwriter Ryan Ridley Was Inspired By Sam Raimi Movies

Sam Raimi is the master of campy horror-comedy movies, as perfected by his Evil Dead franchise. Renfield’s Ryan Ridley was specifically inspired by Sam Raimi when writing the movie’s script, presumably because it provided a nice framework for balancing the two main genres. In fact, producer David Alpert said as much when describing how they wanted Renfield to approach mixing horror and comedy. Ridley explained that “horror and comedy go hand in hand,” elaborating that the “darker the violence, the funnier the comedy.” Renfield certainly doesn’t hold back with its gore, which effectively makes its violence more humorous than nightmare-inducing.

Nicholas Hoult Ate Real Bugs For Renfield

In the book and previous Dracula adaptations, Renfield notably consumes bugs and life forms in order to charge and strengthen his powers. Proving how dedicated Nicholas Hoult is to the film, the actor actually ate real bugs while filming Renfield. Hoult revealed on set that he mostly ate crickets that are dried and come in different flavors (Hoult recommended salt and vinegar), which Screen Rant actually had the opportunity to try (we chose bacon flavor, which we do not recommend).

Hoult also tried some potato bugs, but acknowledged that they “weren’t so yummy.” However, the actor drew the line at eating tarantulas and scorpions, which apparently came boiled or shrink-wrapped. Of course, some of the “bugs” he ate were actually sweets, such as caramel cockroaches, gummy worms, and chocolate dirt.

Renfield’s Costumes Are Important For The Characters’ History & Themes

In addition to the many Easter eggs featured in Dracula’s costumes, the wardrobe for each main character or their character group is important within the story. Lisa Lovaas explained that Renfield’s clothes are tattered and dirty because he’s giving all his effort to serving Dracula, so he hasn’t been taking care of himself. The Lobo gang also wears wolf masks that look like burlap but are terrifying with the film’s lighting, which enhances their symbolism as the real “monsters” Renfield has to face.

Renfield’s costume designer also explained that Dracula’s wardrobe is meant to be very “rock and roll” and reflect a movie star, which plays up the vampire’s narcissism. For example, Dracula’s monogrammed jacket was originally only going to have the initial “D,” but Cage suggested putting “CD.” Lovaas elaborated that including “Count” in the monogram was perfect for leaning into the character’s inflated ego. Screen Rant was also able to try on Dracula’s cape, which is a lot heavier than it looks.

Renfield Ramps Up Its Gore

Screen Rant also got to have close looks at Renfield’s makeup, hair, props, and prosthetics, which gave incredible insight into the movie’s gory excess. The team had numerous versions of fangs for Dracula that were designed after taking dental cappings and scans of Nicolas Cage and scoping them with 3D printers. They also mentioned doing plenty of full-head scans that were used for the movie’s decapitated heads, as well as molds for the priest’s head — which explode in one of the movie’s goriest moments.

The exploding priest scene involved about 12 gallons of fake blood with innards that flew out, with director Chris McKay having taken inspiration from “classic ‘80s gore-fest films.” McKay wanted the gore gags to be “big” and “over-the-top;” apparently, if a scene would have logically included a cup of blood splattering, McKay wanted a gallon. While on set, the makeup department was actively working on a giant bloody neck wound for one of Dracula’s victims, which truly put the bloody gore in context.

Renfield’s Crew Rescued A Bulldog Found At A Filming Location

One of the most heartwarming and sad things Screen Rant learned on the Renfield set visit was that the crew rescued a bulldog. The pup was found on-site at one of the movie’s filming locations and had been taken care of by members of the crew for a month by the time Screen Rant was on the set. Despite all the moving pieces of filming Renfield, the adorable dog seemed entirely comfortable and well-loved on set, as the crew was also actively looking for his forever home to ensure he was cared for.

Renfield’s Cast & Crew Are Extremely Passionate & Believe In Its Success

From the production assistants to the director himself, everyone on the set of Renfield was enthusiastic about the movie and couldn’t wait for audiences to see and enjoy the story. Every person Screen Rant spoke with was enveloped in their craft and genuinely put their love and undeniable talent into the creation of this movie. The inspirational passion and dedication that the cast and crew have in regard to Renfield make the anticipation for the movie even greater, as it’s about time the world finally gets to see their hard work in action.

Renfield arrives in theaters on April 14. Tickets are now on sale.