10 Recent Horror Movies That Were Sent Out To Die
7. Renfield
Nicolas Cage as Dracula? Who wouldn't want to see that?
A lot of people, apparently. Despite the hype Cage received after being cast as the iconic vampire in Renfield, Chris McKay's horror-comedy bombed spectacularly.
It's a massive shame, since Renfield has a great premise. The story focuses on English lawyer, R.M. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) abandoning his position as Dracula's servant, hoping to carve his own path in life. However, Renfield finds it difficult to step out of his master's shadow, since he's been locked in a manipulative relationship with Drac for over a century.
Renfield isn't terrible by any stretch of the imagination, but it definitely wasted its potential. Though it highlights the dangers of a codependent relationship effectively, the social commentary could've been explored better (especially if it wasn't overstuffed with brainless action sequences.) Although Cage is terrific as Dracula, he's relegated to a side character.
Of course, the mediocre reviews aren't the only reason Renfield flopped. For some reason, Universal saw no issue with releasing the blood-soaked fantasy a week after The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Even though Renfield wasn't expected to bring in the big bucks, releasing it immediately after a billion-dollar blockbuster guaranteed its failure.