10 Exact Moments Recent Horror Movies Won Us Over

10. The Opening - Renfield

R.M. Renfield is one of horror literature's most iconic names. The role of Dracula's familiar has been endlessly adapted, from an asylum inmate enchanted by the Prince of the Darkness to a sophisticated attorney who handles his legal affairs.

While Renfield's chameleon status is indisputable, there's not much about the man to indicate that he would thrive in a comedy-horror. After all, this is traditionally an unhinged vampire devotee who consumes rats and insects in order to "absorb" their life force.

Fortunately, the opening sequence of 2023's Renfield did a great deal to alleviate these concerns. We first meet Nicolas Hoult's take on Renfield attending a support group for co-dependent relationships, before the specifics of his employment are revealed.

After a black-and-white newsreel-style montage fleshing out his backstory, Renfield frees his master - a sidesplitting performance from Nicolas Cage - from an enchanted circle containing him. The Count proceeds to eviscerate his captors graphically, before being temporarily burned to a crisp by a ray of sunlight.

It's impossible to suppress a howl of laughter as Renfield sheepishly asks the crisped remains of his master if he is ok - Cage literally resembles a piece of volcanic debris as he croaks out a contemptuous "no". It's a hilarious start to proceedings, and one that laid out Renfield's credentials perfectly.