269: Renfield (2023)

SPEAKER_03 0:04

As if you could outrun me, as if he could fight me off. Greetings and salutations, and welcome to Hacker Slash. If you're joining us again, welcome back. We're not the biggest, we're not the richest, however, we're the most feared. If this is your first time listening, welcome to the party. We are a horror movie review podcast dedicated to telling you whether a movie is a hack.

SPEAKER_02 0:29

A total joke, a waste of time.

SPEAKER_03 0:31

Or slash, totally killer, pun intended. We believe horror is for everyone, and as such, we're rating these movies with the perspective we've all gained from our varying walks of life and the flavors of fear we fancy most. My name is Chris, I'm your friendly neighborhood slash enthusiast. This week I'm joined by the classic horror connoisseur Sean.

SPEAKER_02 0:48

I got the instructions off a Wiccan Tumblr.

SPEAKER_03 0:50

And the paranormal paramour. Binx, Ska's Not Dead. We're back at the theater for the second consecutive week as we check out a movie featuring a classic villain with a modern comedic twist. Before we crack open this coffin, though, we have some follow-up. Let's follow up on some stuff.

SPEAKER_04 1:05

So, a few weeks ago, we reviewed a personal favorite of mine, but clearly not one of my fellow hosts.

SPEAKER_03 1:12

Oh no, no, no. Nope.

SPEAKER_04 1:14

But we know it as the great, the one and only repo, the genetic opera, a movie of its time, truly, and we had our listeners, you know, vote on whether they thought it was a hack or slash. Because you know what? I was I was hopeful. I thought maybe fine. You all weren't feeling it. Let's see what the listeners thought. And of course, with my lovely look, but I just want to say, not too far off, it was a 56% hack and 44% slash. I just want to say that that's that disparity is nowhere near what I thought it was gonna be.

SPEAKER_03 1:45

Yeah, for sure, because at first it was leading really heavy hack, and then for a while it was leaning really heavy slash until the hacks came back through.

SPEAKER_02 1:53

It's because Team Binks came in.

SPEAKER_04 1:55

You know, and I just want to say, I didn't campaign or anything. Sure.

SPEAKER_03 1:59

That was just the people.

SPEAKER_02 2:00

Sure. Yeah, you just got you just got people supporting you, you know?

SPEAKER_03 2:03

Supporting Binks, not necessarily the movie.

SPEAKER_02 2:05

Yeah, that's what we're going with.

SPEAKER_03 2:07

I call collusion. Y'all, come on.

SPEAKER_04 2:11

It's okay. We love this support. Okay. You're just so lovable. Thank you, thank you. I know that I am, but you know what's more lovable? This movie. But look, I'm not gonna I'm gonna leave it at that. I'm gonna let the listeners, you know, have their moment, have their voice. So some of them left some comments to leave their thoughts on the movie. Veronica said, I love musicals and horror, but this just fell flat.

SPEAKER_03 2:35

Pun intended or nah, Veronica?

SPEAKER_02 2:36

Oh, pun intended for sure. Come on. It's so good.

SPEAKER_04 2:40

I'm pretty sure that she did write LOL after that. So that's amazing. I think pun intended indeed. But then Miss Lady Lace said, So good, my teen years were singing this. And that's what I was trying to say.

SPEAKER_02 2:52

Yeah. I mean, I could see, I could see all the teeny boppers out there really loving this back in the day for sure.

SPEAKER_04 2:57

Little teeny bopper Binks. I think the teeny bopper. Jake shared his thoughts too. He said, fun concept, very bad execution, hack. And he wrote that in all caps, by the way. But he then said, I still back Binx's love for it though. And I appreciate that loyalty, Jake. I appreciate it greatly.

SPEAKER_02 3:15

Listen, we were here to support you and your love for the movie. We just passionately hated the movie at the same time. So it's really hard, you know?

SPEAKER_04 3:22

You know what it feels like? It's kind of like when your older siblings have like a really young, annoying sibling that likes some like really awkward stuff, and you just have to like put up with it in the living room. That's kind of what it felt like.

SPEAKER_02 3:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 3:35

Recording that episode.

SPEAKER_02 3:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 3:37

But that's okay. That's okay. If repo is my annoying thing as the as the younger one, then that's fine.

SPEAKER_02 3:42

That's like my wife putting up with me watching wrestling all the time.

SPEAKER_04 3:45

Everyone has their vices, you know? And that being said, Ashley shared all of her hashtags about this film. And she wrote, hashtag Team Thinks, hashtag Grave Robber, hashtag Zydrate Anatomy, and my personal one, hashtag y'all are breaking my heart.

SPEAKER_02 4:02

Listen, the only two things in the in the movie that we're good enough to get from it, which is Grave Robber and the anatomy song, like the only two things that you can remember from the movie.

SPEAKER_03 4:13

Not blind mag. Come on.

SPEAKER_02 4:15

Well, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:16

Honestly, would say blind mag, period.

SPEAKER_02 4:20

Blind mag's in there, yes. And I did say that those two characters were were the best characters in the film, but Grave Robber and that song are the it's like the thing that rang in my head after watching the film.

SPEAKER_03 4:31

Okay. I couldn't even tell you anything about a side rate anatomy beyond a little glass vial, a little glass vial, a little glass vial. It's just those words repeated.

SPEAKER_04 4:40

You know what? That just means that branding was strong and it worked. With that being said, we do have a new patron joining us in the family. Her name's Sarah. Welcome, Sarah, to the family. I hope that you appreciate this commentary about Repo, the genetic opera. I hope you maybe become Team Binks. Who knows? Perhaps. And even if you don't, it's okay. We're all one big team, but I'm just kind of saying, like, you know.

SPEAKER_03 5:04

Come to Team Binks specifically. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like subletting. Team Hacker slash you subletting the office of Team Binks. Just for a little bit when it comes to this movie.

SPEAKER_02 5:13

Welcome, welcome. But also if you haven't seen it, don't bother.

unknown 5:17

Damn.

SPEAKER_03 5:17

Sarah did reach out to us to inquire about when we've covered Hellhouse in the past, and I realized that neither of you were on that episode. We've already done a rewind on it once. Maybe we can do it again. But something tells me that Sarah has solid taste in movies. I don't know if repo falls among that.

SPEAKER_04 5:32

I feel like that was that was a jab, but a very good one. I like that. Thanks. I like that. But you know what, Sarah? That's okay. If you don't like repo, that's fine. It could be my thing, it can be a few of ours things. But either way, we'd love to have you in the fam. So that's our follow-up.

SPEAKER_03 5:48

Well, back in episode 189, we explored a 1992 film adaptation of Bromstoker's Dracula. Well, this week's movie is a fresh take on the iconic vampire's tale, and explores the story from a whole new angle, which looks through the lens of codependency and narcissism. Instead of focusing on the bloodsucking count himself, this film takes a look at the man who's been by Dracula's side through thick and thin, the one who's been dealing with the aftermath of the Count's Mayhem. In this film, Dracula's Familiar longs for a life away from his vampiric boss and his never-ending list of demands. Tired of the constant bloodshed, he finds himself questioning his loyalty to the Count and the toxic relationship they share. This week, we're sinking our teeth into Renfield. What were you both expecting going into this?

SPEAKER_02 6:30

I gotta say, I was pretty excited for this one. Based on the trailers, this was looking like it was shaping up to be a really fun film. So I was expecting this to be a really fun take on a classic like Dracula, something fresh, something new, not the same old, same old, you know?

SPEAKER_04 6:47

Definitely. And I think going into it, watching the trailer and seeing who's you know the stars of these films, I was like, okay, Nicholas Holt. I think I've shared in the past. Love him, definitely have a fondness. He recently did the menu, another little horror comedy moment. So I'm like, all right, he's making his comedic return. I'm here for this, want to support Nicholas Cage's Dracula, another plus, obviously. So that all being said, I definitely expected the camp and comedy. I didn't expect too much gore, actually, and I was definitely pleasantly surprised and very wronged by that.

SPEAKER_03 7:21

That's interesting. I was expecting a lot of gore based on the trailer and thinking about like there's a particular item used to, you know, dismember someone in the trailer of the film. I won't spoil too much. So I expected this to be kind of like off the walls, really insane in in that regard. I was expecting it to be hilarious based on that image in the trailer. And what I found I was most curious about was how I'd feel about Nicolas Cage's performance from the trailer, right? It looked like he had the look down completely, but I was just a little tiny bit nervous that the cage rage would be unleashed and he'd almost be a little bit too out there for Dracula. But I will say that when I was watching it, I actually had a really delightfully light, carefree experience with this film, and it felt like the perfect palette cleanser after watching Evil Dead Rise.

SPEAKER_04 8:15

Which, yeah, I can see how it's definitely a palette cleanser for sure. They're very starkly different. I don't know. For me, I kind of found it funny at first, but as the movie progressed, I found it kind of stagnant. Like the comedic nature of it was like just solidly there. Like a light chuckle here and there, but no real in-depth emotions for me. It's not like I was cackling at certain parts and not at others. So the palette cleanser for sure I would agree on, but I didn't find it as funny and I wasn't laughing or like smiling, you know, as much as I expected it to. I think it's definitely cheesy, and I was a little bit cringe here and there, but it really overall felt like I was being forced to laugh sometimes versus just laughing naturally.

SPEAKER_02 9:01

Interesting. That's interesting that you had that feeling because I feel like this felt for me like the perfect blend of horror action and camp. It felt for me naturally funny and amusing. I didn't really feel like it was too cheesy. There were some cheesy moments, but it wasn't over the top for me, um, which can sometimes be in the be the case with horror films trying to be campy or too campy. So it's funny that you had almost the exact opposite feelings that I did watching the film.

SPEAKER_04 9:31

And you know, I think that's the thing is that I felt disappointed by the fact that I wasn't feeling it naturally because I went into it thinking, okay, Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Holt. Very naturally funny and dramatic actors. Not so much Nicholas Holt, but I think he plays the awkward, funny character really well when it comes to these horror comedies. And what I was so disappointed by was right off the bat, it's giving warm bodies a little bit, too much. And I think that's my issue. Chris, you're looking at me like I'm crazy.

SPEAKER_03 10:04

No, I'm just doing the mental gymnastics on that. You're good.

SPEAKER_04 10:07

For me, it's that I understand that he kind of gets fit into a little bit of a trope of being that awkward person, but it was a little too much like warm bodies for me in the style of the movie, in the character of Renfield, the comedy of it, and it just didn't feel as good as Warm Bodies. So I was just like, uh, I've seen this before a little bit. Some of the visual effects, too, kind of took me out of the movie a little bit and just suspended my belief. And overall, like I was laughing at how ridiculous it was getting versus just laughing with the characters or with the point of the movie. I don't know. It it just wasn't hitting, and I'm really surprised by that.

SPEAKER_03 10:48

That is actually very, very interesting to me. And I think it's because the comedy was a pleasant surprise for me. I mean, I'll I'll admit, one surprise having a higher body count than Evil Dead Rise, I probably should have expected it based on the trailer, but also that really hit me. But for that comedy, I was surprised how much a Dracula comedy specifically worked for me, at least what we got in this movie. And yeah, I knew it was supposed to be a little bit funny based on what we get in the trailer, but it's not like it's a Tuckerendale versus evil level of comedy, you know what I mean? I think maybe if it were, it it would be a little bit less of that cringe Binx, and maybe it'll be a little bit more naturally funny to you. But for me, there was so much room for this to go really over the top with this dialogue. But Nicholas Holt in particular offered like such a perfect level of restraint, which made his comedy feel so much more genuine. And then Nicolas Cage was in rare form as Dracula for me. Like he he was Nicolas Cage's, I have not seen him in a very like comedic, lighthearted role.

SPEAKER_02 11:54

Yeah, I think they played off each other really well. I agree with you, Binks. I think that some of the effects were kind of silly, but I think that was the point. I do see a little bit of the warm bodies in there, that feeling, but I was I was honestly also surprised by how funny the movie was. There were some really intentional comedic moments, and then there were some subtle ones as well. And I'm sure we'll get to some of that a little bit later on in the second half. But I also didn't know if I was going to be disappointed by Nick Cage's Dracula. And don't get me wrong, I like Nick Cage, but he isn't great in everything. And I gotta say, I was really surprised by how much I did really enjoy Cage's Dracula. He was great.

SPEAKER_04 12:35

Yeah, I have to agree that all of the things I've said aside, though, Nicolas Cage as Dracula definitely hit. Like that was the best part. And I expected it in a way, though. Like it's almost it's runs in the family. You know, he had to, but he definitely had the great twist to Dracula, you know. That in and of itself, how he approached the character, wasn't forced, wasn't trying to be too much of one way or the other. Like most more of the recent Nicolas Cage movies, now that I think about it, he's playing himself as if he was Dracula.

SPEAKER_03 13:08

Which honestly I'm on board with. And it's so interesting to think about how long he's wanted to play Dracula and how much this has been a goal for him, and then think about who he's related to, and then remember the fact that he couldn't be a part of the 90s Dracula because of like hijacking the films and his past performances. It's really interesting to see, like, okay, this is your life in the making, Nicolas Cage. This is your moment. You've been waiting for this for so long, and I think he really delivered, but I think it's also that charm. He actually balances it quite a bit with like a level of this like sinister nature that while being funny, I could see okay, you're still intimidating is Dracula. You still have an edge about you that is just not super chill. And I think even in consideration of that, there's nothing really frightening about this movie. I don't think it ever tries to be really what you may find. I think there are a couple moments where you might just be a little tiny bit squeamish if you're easily grossed out by makeup and effects. And I'm honestly only even thinking of one Dracula scene in particular that reminded me of Dead Alive in a bizarre way.

SPEAKER_04 14:15

Look, it's weird. Nicholas Cage is such an interesting enigma. Although I can't take him seriously, he also is the kind of actor that is kind of intimidating and scary, just being himself, and then also in the characters that he plays sometimes. He walks that line so weirdly. It's I don't know if it's a weird way to describe that, but right, like sometimes he just stares at the camera or he just like looks at the other, you know, the person that he's acting with, and it's just these moments where it's like, you're a little frightening. Can I tell you guys actually what was scary for me about this movie? You know, Dracula aside, I heard a fly in the movie, and I thought there was a fly entering my ear when I was watching the theater. Oh my gosh. That scared the shit out of me.

SPEAKER_03 15:00

Not the sound design being so good you got spooked, super spooked.

SPEAKER_04 15:04

I literally like shook in my chair, was swatting around in the air until I realized it was in the fucking movie.

SPEAKER_02 15:10

Nice. Yeah, I I would say the the point is for the film, like, yes, Dracula, Nick Cage's Dracula, to your point, Chris. Like, he has the comedic value, but he also has those moments where he is kind of frightening in his own way and sinister, right? But I think I think that is the perfect balance that we're talking about. The movie's not trying to be super frightening. It's meant to be a fun action horror comedy. Don't get me wrong, the movie has a ton of gruesome and gory scenes, but yeah, it's it's just not that scary.

SPEAKER_03 15:43

For sure. But I think also that's in part due to the angle it plays. When you're looking at Dracula as a whole, it's no secret that his bread and butter is manipulation, right? A little bit of seduction here and there, flexing his power, being very insidious in that way. But to have this nature of the film where you have Renfield who's realizing now he's in a toxic relationship, as we think about people, even in modern times, coming to realize that and use that vernacular way more in daily life. We talk about how people are toxic and gaslighting and all this, like we're all becoming way more self-aware. But there still has to be a level of approachability there for you to have that kind of character and be able to pull it off and the movie not be over in two seconds because Dracula fucking killed them, right?

SPEAKER_02 16:29

Yeah, for sure. And when you look at it, like just Nick Cage's character. I know we're focusing a lot on Nick Cage, but Nick Cage's character as a whole, super frightening looking, one of probably one of the more frightening versions of Dracula that we've seen, but not the most terrifying. And that's that balance of that comedic value.

SPEAKER_03 16:51

Yeah, which I think really speaks to how different this movie feels as a Dracula piece, and what I can really appreciate it. Granted, there's a lot of different familiar lore. I you know, as we've talked, you know, offline about this. I'm not super up on all the different variations of Dracula or vampiric lore with familiars. But to see this combination come to life in this on the screen to tell this story and to take this angle for Renfield's character and what Nicholas Hope brought to him, honestly, I'm blown away by it.

SPEAKER_04 17:22

Yeah, I'd say that the focus on Renfield is a nice, you know, change of pace. Seeing a comedic horror comedy that's centered around vampire lore nowadays is great. I know we've got what we do in the shadows, you talk to me all the time about it. That's but that's TV show, right? Like I think it's kind of nice to see that being done. Nicholas Holtz coming back into horror comedy. These kinds of things are are great, and I think definitely original and stands out from all of the dark, vampiric horror films that we're used to. Again, with the exception of what we do in the shadows. That's just off the top of my head, right?

SPEAKER_03 18:00

You know what this feels like to me? We started to get this wave of movies and books and plays that took a well-known villain and showed how they're not actually the villain. And this feels like the beginning of that.

SPEAKER_02 18:15

I could see that. When we're talking about originality, I definitely have to give credit where credit's due. This film took a very old, a very familiar story, a story that has been reused and recycled time and time again and gave it a modern twist, a different perspective from the point of view of a character that we don't really get to know that much, that being Renfield, right? Renfield is historically Dracula's servant, or familiar, if you will, and this dates all the way back to Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel Dracula. So this felt new, it felt fresh, it felt original, and that's hard to do with something like Dracula.

SPEAKER_03 18:54

It's funny because I feel like they really, you know, Universal took a look at Harley Quinn and said, okay, let's give Renfield his moment.

SPEAKER_02 19:01

Yeah, absolutely. It's really genius.

SPEAKER_03 19:04

Yeah, I will say though, that in spite of how funny this movie is, in spite of the quality of Nicolas Cage's and Nicholas Holt's performances, this had a lot of opportunity to really fuck up the ending. But I personally think it was a wholesome one that I think I really needed after Evil Dead Rise.

SPEAKER_04 19:22

Yeah, this ending I think is once again, I've had a few movies now that we've reviewed where the ending is my favorite part of the movie, and not because it's finally over, but because yeah, it's great. It was honestly, the ending was everything that I kind of hoped was going on throughout the whole movie. I felt like I laughed the most, I felt like I was excited the most, I just felt the most like empathetic for Renfield, just everything, all of the feels were at the ending. It was really, really good.

SPEAKER_02 19:52

Yeah, you all said it best. I really enjoyed the ending. It was action-packed, it was hilarious. It gave you everything you needed in an ending to really tie everything together and put a nice little bow on it.

SPEAKER_03 20:02

Well, we've been saying a lot of positive things so far, so let's see if it actually holds up in our ratings. But before we actually score this movie, Sean, how would you describe the gore score?

SPEAKER_02 20:11

Oh, this is gore galore. It's not the gore that makes you cringe like Saw or Terrifier. It's fun gore. You have severed limbs, explosions, and implosions, and enough slashes, gashes, and over-the-top blood and guts for this to fall into high to severe territory. I want to make sure you understand that the gore in this film is not intended to be super serious. And so even if there is a severe amount of gore in this one, it is campy and fun gore.

SPEAKER_03 20:40

Sean Juliet here saying, This is fun gore. Implosions for the whole family.

SPEAKER_02 20:44

Yep, that's right.

SPEAKER_03 20:45

And what about the animal report? You know, if you don't count insects in the animal report, then we are safe. Alright, well, let's go ahead and get into our ratings then. Renfuel from 2023, was it a hack or a slash?

SPEAKER_04 20:56

Alright, I'll start us off because man, this was a tough one for me. I have to say, throughout the movie, I was thinking about what I was going to score this because quite frankly, my expectations weren't really met. And I feel like this movie had all the fixings for me to enjoy it, and I just didn't really feel overly either which way about it. I mean, obviously we've talked about it a lot, right? Like Nick Cage as Dracula, super entertaining. Where there are great one-liners and scenes, yeah, definitely. There's some that like have stuck in my head. I chuckled at for sure. But for me, I think I mentioned this in a previous episode. It's like there gets to a point where some actors' performances just can't be enough to say that the movie is overall great. And I think maybe that's something that we can kind of like all semi agree on, right? Like that being said, though, I've taken a moment to think about it. I didn't leave the theater absolutely thinking that I wasted my time, though. And I do believe that this movie is one that I would like pop on in the background, or like if I was. Feeling sick, I would put it on, you know, like something that I don't necessarily have to fully pay attention to or care about, which I know that sounds terrible now that I say that out loud, but hear me out, right? Like sometimes you need that, and you know, that's okay. So I'm gonna drag my feet over that slash line, but I want it to be very known that I'm giving this like a super soft slash, and it does break my heart a little bit, but like the softness of slash here.

SPEAKER_03 22:29

Wow, I really thought you were gonna pull in me and hack it like repo, because you were giving I'm not feeling anything about this. It had all the fixing and then didn't deliver.

SPEAKER_04 22:39

Ah yeah, yeah, but no, I I am gonna give it a soft slash because again, like I'm not I'm not feeling like it was horrendous. And you know what I'm gonna compare this to actually a little bit, the haunting? I actually hacked that one. And it's funny because I that one was still entertaining, and that's kind of what the baseline is. I think I kind of can buy into me dragging into the slash line a little bit more for this than I can the 90s haunting, even though I actually really like that one too. I don't know. The end of the year, I keep saying it, but who knows what's gonna happen, guys? Stay tuned.

SPEAKER_02 23:12

Who knows? Who knows? Slash is a slash, I suppose. But this film, for me, it did a good job bringing a fresh take on the Dracula character, focusing on his familiar Renfield. To me, it's something that is sure to please all. I guess Binks just a little bit, but including longtime Dracula fans. I think what this film does really well is bring one of the oldest monsters back into the mainstream for a new generation to enjoy. I really appreciate how this film was able to find a healthy balance of playfulness and respect to the character or the lore, because of all of this, I found myself entertained throughout this movie from beginning to end. And for that, this one is a slash.

SPEAKER_03 23:54

Yeah, let's just put it this way: this movie is fun as hell, and I feel like it does something really well, which Sean, you pointed out. It pays reverence to Dracula in vampiric lore, and there's even a character appearance of an actor who played in another very prominent vampiric horror film. So there's all these little Easter eggs in here that it's really just there's so much wealth to uncover, and I can't wait to watch this movie again and again. It is not the strongest comedy. I will attest to that. I have a couple little notes about some jokes that didn't really hit for me throughout the film. But in reality, we have Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Holt, and together they're a dynamic duo for Renfield and Dracula. And honestly, I gotta say, Nicolas Cage might be my favorite Dracula. I kind of want to watch this as a fault as a double feature with Bella Lagosi's Dracula.

SPEAKER_02 24:48

Interesting.

SPEAKER_03 24:49

That's where it's really after me.

SPEAKER_02 24:50

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 24:51

But for now, even if it's begrudgingly, Renfield 2023 has been versus slash. This movie's currently playing in theaters, but you can also check the link in our show notes to see where you can currently watch it if it's post-theatrical on a du list. Go check it out, then join us in the second half so we can dive further into this coffee together.

SPEAKER_01 25:18

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SPEAKER_02 27:05

Okay, let me start by prefacing that there are a lot of kills in this one. There are multiple kills happening very quickly in some action-packed scenes. And when you are watching this in theaters without the ability to pause and rewind at will, all while trying to keep count without missing anything, this was a tough kill count to track. I have a total of 42 kills in the film, but then if you add the numerous deaths that were eventually reversed with Dracula's blood, then you have somewhere around 53 kills. So between the fork stabs and the limbs being used as weapons, what were your favorite kills?

SPEAKER_04 27:45

Well, you said it. This is what I'm like here for. I thought that was freaking hilarious. And although it almost made me think, have we ever seen movies where like a movie where they're using arms as nunchucks? I feel like I've seen that before somehow, and I tried to fact-check it. I don't think I found anything. I know that obviously nunchucks are used as kills, like you know, not spoiler-ish. I hope everyone we're in the spoiler zone, okay. But John Wick, chapter four, nunchucks are used, okay? I'll leave it at that. But I feel like it's pretty obvious. But arms as nunchucks, that was so funny. That was real good.

SPEAKER_03 28:27

It feels like something Art the Clown would do. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 28:31

You would think.

SPEAKER_03 28:32

My favorite kill was much less creative than that, but it was still really fucking good and unexpected. It is Dracula going into his vapor smoke form, going into the priest and then creating a fucking implosion. Wow. What a fucking kill. It's it was extreme, it was unexpected, it was highly campy. But I think what puts it even that much more over the top for me is that the priest was played by William Ragsdale, who played Charlie Brewster in the original Fright Knight. He's out here blowing up vampire lore.

SPEAKER_02 29:07

100%. That was such a wild and over-the-top kill. Binks, the arms getting ripped off for sure, but then using the arms to then spear two dudes with those severed arms, like what?

SPEAKER_04 29:18

It was creativity at its peak. That I have to give it. I have to give it its flowers. That whole scene in general was nuts, but the arm work really it was giving.

SPEAKER_02 29:29

That whole scene with the arms and the blood and everything. I don't know if that's what you were talking about with the effects, but that's exactly where my mind went through is like, ooh, these effects are kind of weird, but whatever. It's a good time. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03 29:42

Yeah, the blood itself was super outrageous, over the top, very CGI, but it looked intentionally done that way, as opposed to just being poor quality effects. Like it looked a little bit out of place, but it looked like it fit the brand. Like it understood the assignment.

SPEAKER_02 29:57

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_04 29:58

You know what the problem is, is that the three of us have seen the mean one, and I know at this point it's a running bit with this show.

SPEAKER_00 30:05

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:05

But like we've seen the mean one, and we saw that blood. And now every time that I see blood in a horror movie, especially a new release, I'm like laser focused. It better be good. And this was giving just a little bit PowerPoint presentation, just a smidge.

SPEAKER_03 30:21

Oh no.

SPEAKER_04 30:22

And I caught it, and I caught it at the restaurant scene. I didn't the the priest implosion that happens right at the beginning of the movie, and I was like, holy shit, this is great. Didn't expect there goes my gore expectation. Cause you mentioned it earlier, like in the trailer, I I did remember a little bit of the restaurant scene, but I thought that was as much as we were gonna get. That priest implosion knocked me off my feet. I was like, whoa, that was a lot. But then the rest of the movie with the gore and like the special effects of it was like, oh, this is weird. And how are you gonna tell me with those arms flailing around everywhere that you don't have that like a lot of blood on you? Come on.

SPEAKER_02 30:54

That's true. There wasn't enough blood splatter at all for sure. That was an oversight.

SPEAKER_04 30:59

But I was also thinking that old Navy didn't want uh Renfield's clothes to have too much blood on them for branding purposes.

SPEAKER_02 31:06

Um yeah.

SPEAKER_04 31:08

I'm just saying a possibility, a theory. I don't know. I will say the beheading of the the captain or whatever, like the cop, was was also kind of like hilarious, but then also the CGI on that one was interesting.

SPEAKER_02 31:22

Yeah, and we're talking about like the priest with the implosion, but there was also the kill where Renfield does the coup de graze on a dude and fucking the dude explodes. Like he literally jumps down and foot stomps the dude in the chest, and the dude just explodes. Like what that's also way over the top, super campy and super fun.

SPEAKER_03 31:43

Absolutely. It was the moment where he's like also flying down, kicks this guy as he's hanging over the edge of the balcony, and then is just waving.

SPEAKER_00 31:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:50

The arm work. I'm telling you, that was good. I'll give it, I'll give it that. It was good. Let me also say though that I did have a soft spot in my heart for the head punch decapitation.

SPEAKER_02 31:59

Oh, incredible. Come on. Logistically, I don't even know how that's possible I mean, we're talking about how any of this shit is possible, but like, man, a one-punch beheading, in impressive.

SPEAKER_03 32:09

It feels as though if you had the strength to behead it with one punch, it would just be pulverized.

SPEAKER_02 32:14

You would think, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:16

It's giving mortal combat is what it's giving.

SPEAKER_04 32:18

Wow, yeah, I can't see that. Mortal Kombat for sure. Okay. You know, another one that just quickly just came to my head though. Teddy Lobo's kill, bro, with the punch in the stomach that he literally shits and spits out blood at the same time. That was so camp. That was just like, I rolled my eyes, but I was laughing a little bit. I was like, this is this is the movie, man. This is the movie we're watching. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:42

The shitting was where I drew the line on the funny, and I was like, okay. But I think I'm just not the kind of person who laugh at shit, fart and butt jokes. So that was a little bit wayward for me. But Teddy Lobo as a whole was it was super funny, and I was so happy to finally see him go.

SPEAKER_00 32:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 33:00

Okay, so we've talked uh about these kills a bit, and actually, my favorite kill comes at a time when we see some of my favorite visuals in the whole movie, and that is all the flashback footage we get that harkens back even specifically to Bella Lugosi's Dracula. And really seeing Nicolas Cage as Dracula with his wardrobe and his makeup, I'm telling you, he's never looked better. It was a whole vibe. I was so impressed with the quality of that flashback footage.

SPEAKER_04 33:29

No, and talking about Dracula again, the makeup and special effects and costuming out of hand with this movie. I have to say that it was crazy. The scenes of him like transforming slowly, like and surely being himself again, especially that first intro when uh given the hitman was nasty. It was incredible, so good, so good.

SPEAKER_02 33:52

While we're on the Dracula bandwagon, I suppose my some of my favorite visual elements are mostly, I guess you could call them effects, and then a little bit set design, but one of the things I really loved was the different stages of Dracula we see as he works to regain his power because there were some really gruesome looking parts of Dracula that we got to see, and those effects looked pretty awesome.

SPEAKER_04 34:17

Yeah, that's what I was saying. It was like it was really impressive. I I couldn't believe it.

SPEAKER_03 34:21

When I saw this in the theater, I was with my girlfriend and we ordered some fried pickles, and all I could think about was the breading of the fried pickles being the breading of Nicolas Cage's face in that moment.

SPEAKER_02 34:30

Oh no.

SPEAKER_03 34:31

And I was just waiting for a piece of his flesh to just plop off and good into something that Renfield was about to eat.

SPEAKER_02 34:37

Oh, that would have been good, actually.

SPEAKER_03 34:39

Fucking disgusting.

SPEAKER_02 34:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:40

Now, listen, were they great quality effects? Absolutely. Clearly, it was super uh effective, but I absolutely hated that part in a good way.

SPEAKER_02 34:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:52

In a good way. I just couldn't stop it.

SPEAKER_02 34:54

In that same scene where we see that version of Dracula, I also loved Dracula's throne, I guess you could call it, in his little hideout layer. Like it's like a medical chair surrounded by blood bags hooked up to the chair somehow. Like hilarious hilarious and incredible. Like it's like the Game of Thrones throne with the with the swords, but it's just blood bags surrounding it. I mean, come on. That that was great.

SPEAKER_04 35:19

I wrote the same thing. That was like definitely a staple moment for me because it was very much Game of Thrones. What a great reference, though. Yeah. I I love I loved it. It was very good, super impressive. That entire basement area was so well done. And I I think that it really it helps build the fact that although this is a comedy, like Dracula is supposed to be intimidating, he's supposed to be like scary to some extent, right? At least for the characters, yeah. It was very, very intimidating, achieved it super well.

SPEAKER_02 35:53

Absolutely. And and one last thing that I really loved visually, and then I'll get off of this Dracula bandwagon. But I I loved the effect of Dracula turning into the cauldron of bats.

SPEAKER_03 36:04

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:05

When we get to see that, I mean not saying it's like the most impressive effect, but I just for some reason just really loved to see and we don't get to see that all the time with Dracula, but this was such a good, cool visual of seeing that turn into the cauldron of bats.

SPEAKER_03 36:18

Honestly, literally anything he turned into was fucking fabulous. Absolutely all of it. I mean, it felt like almost revisionist history when they recreated the footage from the original Dracula, like just that that look in the light. And there's also a a point where he references was it the 90s Dracula? I never drink wine.

SPEAKER_02 36:39

Oh, I think so.

SPEAKER_03 36:40

It was just absolutely ridiculous. I ah, okay. I need to back off because the movie is called Renfield and not Dracula, but holy shit, he stole the show.

SPEAKER_02 36:50

I know, it's hard.

SPEAKER_04 36:52

Okay, so yes. You know what we keep talking about Dracula? The movie is called Renfield, so I want to talk about my favorite scene that involves Renfield, but also involves his therapy group because they really are also the stars of the movie for me. Every time that they were shown, I was here for it. That group leader was great, so fucking funny. I at least I thought. So it's not necessarily like one favorite scene, right? Because essentially every time that they were on screen, I was here for it. But one small thing that I really, really enjoyed, the Carol interruption bit, was really good.

SPEAKER_03 37:25

Oh, it's so good.

SPEAKER_04 37:27

Yeah, fuck Carol, right? I thought it was so good, but also because I I would imagine that that's so very true sometimes. And it's just like fuck, a little too relatable.

SPEAKER_03 37:37

I felt her so much because one of my greatest pet peeves is being cut off. And so if it happens every once in a while and it's like a free-flowing conversation, cool. But if I get like two words out and then someone repeatedly cuts me off, it drives me fucking crazy. So when she flipped her shit about like, can I just get through one goddamn share? I was just like, Yes, Carol, I see you, I feel you, I hear you. Share with me, Carol. Share with me.

SPEAKER_04 38:03

It was great, and also just the overall topic and theme of codependency and like the group leader just really hyping Renfield up, you know, take back the power. You know, like all of that was just so adorable, so funny. And I I just feel like it was such an interesting twist to the movie overall. Like it sets the tone of like, okay, we're getting very meta in terms of relationship talk. Like the you said it earlier, like the vocabulary that we use, toxicity or toxic relationships, codependency. I loved it. It was it was really, really good. Those actors stole the show. I mean, if there was like more of them, I would really be more confident about this movie, but it's fine. It's okay, it's really not about them, anyways.

SPEAKER_03 38:48

Which makes me so happy that they were resurrected in the end. Yes. I love that they found a way to bring them back. And you know what, within a way that fits the movie.

SPEAKER_04 38:56

Absolutely. That they return and they're like, you know, traumatized because it's that's the believability. I don't know where the believability was throughout the whole fucking movie, but that part, yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 39:07

You've seen some things you can't unsee, and know some things you can't unknow.

SPEAKER_02 39:11

Yeah, all of those meeting sessions were hilarious, absolutely hilarious. My favorite scene, and it was small, was the scene between Dracula and Teddy where they're laughing, and then Dracula starts like laughing hysterically, and Teddy is sort of like, Are you happy or are you gonna fuck me up? Like, I really don't I don't really know right now because you're giving off some weird vibes. Like that scene made me laugh out loud.

SPEAKER_03 39:35

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 39:36

Yeah, that was good. It was a great moment. I I also really liked when Teddy is running out of the car and holding like the multiple kilos of cocaine, just yelling like, I have a prescription for this shit.

SPEAKER_04 39:50

I'm telling you, that was my other quote I was gonna do because I was like, man, that's really good.

SPEAKER_02 39:56

Yeah, it was just pure gold.

SPEAKER_03 39:58

I was cracking up at that. And let me tell you that he as an actor really had to grow on me in Parks and Rec when he played John Rafio. I love him to death now. Like I re I really arrived at a point where I can appreciate him, and Teddy Lobo was like another shining star in this.

SPEAKER_02 40:17

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 40:17

That's because Ben Schwartz essentially just played John Rafio again. This is just a serious mafioso version of John Rafio.

SPEAKER_03 40:26

I'm cool with that. That's fine. A hundred percent. Does he have range? Maybe, maybe not. I don't know. But I liked it. You got more of it, and now I feel super basic for really just taking it back to my favorite scene, which is again the exposition flashbacks. I'll I'll be more specific though, because I know we're giving love to a lot of other characters, and we take it back to Nicolas Cage. Or really, no. Shout out to the animatronic puppet that must have been in place of Nicolas Cage. It's the moment that the protection circle falls, he kills the priest, he's attacking the other huntsman, and he's has been on fire this whole time. And Nicholas Holt turns to him and says, Are you okay, Master? And his charred, crispy body says, No. I don't know why. I fucking was like dying inside of laughter.

SPEAKER_02 41:13

It was great. There's so many just good moments throughout the whole movie that just make you laugh. I'm I'm telling you. I'm telling you.

SPEAKER_04 41:21

No, you know, for me, it was just that all of the times I did laugh, we just mentioned, and then all the other things that happened in the movie were a little bit filler. I do have a few other moments that I could think of that were really good in terms of just like the characters themselves. I think that for Teddy, we we were just talking about him. The banter between him and Renfield was really, really good because it's it really was giving, we'll do anything to impress our masters. For Teddy, it's his mother, and Renfield, it's you know, in some cases, it was Dracula, right? But he doesn't he's like trying to break away from that. And Teddy's almost like not really there. He's just trying to switch up the master. He's just trying to play it smart. I just love the fighting scenes between the two of them, and I don't know, their dynamic was really, really good. His mom, however. I feel like she was just casted because her voice is intimidating. Is it just me? Like, was she actually great? I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 42:15

I thought she played the role as it needed to be played. I didn't I didn't find her distracting. Here's where I was a little bit disappointed though. I almost hoped that when they rolled in Dracula's coffin, I thought she was gonna be some like homeworld shit, and it was gonna be like, what have you done, you incompetent fool? You've doomed us all. Like I thought she was gonna be very fucking anti-Dracula and then get immediately taken out, and then Teddy Lobo is there unchecked with Dracula's power. You know what I mean? I thought the mom was just gonna get it.

SPEAKER_02 42:46

She was there for it right away.

SPEAKER_03 42:48

Yeah, I was like, oh, okay, I guess. I thought it would have been more interesting if he was just that m this much of an idiot that he failed to impress her yet again.

SPEAKER_02 42:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 42:57

But that's what I'm saying. It's like the movie had so many opportunities to kind of just elevate it a little bit and still be funny. And it was just like, no, let's keep it going, right where we're at. Because she wasn't even surprised or like overly scared at all about Dracula showing up like lady. Why is no one freaking out about Dracula being a real thing?

SPEAKER_02 43:18

She was really just chill with the whole thing. Chill as hell. Dracula's here. Right on, right on. Let's go, yeah, let's partner up.

SPEAKER_04 43:26

Why was there sexual tension?

SPEAKER_02 43:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 43:30

Don't hate me.

SPEAKER_02 43:31

It's been a long time for Dracula, you know?

SPEAKER_04 43:33

Right. I guess Nick Cage's Dracula does have smolder, so that's fine.

SPEAKER_03 43:38

Oh no. You take it back.

SPEAKER_04 43:40

But you know, speaking of sexual tension and I guess just romantic tension, blah blah blah. Man, I could not buy Renfield and Quincy having a thing at all. That was probably the most forced in situation ever. Ugh. I couldn't. No way. No way.

SPEAKER_03 44:00

You know what's interesting? I didn't even look at it as a romantic thing at all. I thought he was just so in awe of who she was standing up that it was almost like I almost considered him asexual in a way. And I know he brings her flowers and all this stuff, right? Like I get it. I get that like that's what it's supposed to be. But I agree with you in that it couldn't bite because the energy between them felt almost like BFF.

SPEAKER_04 44:25

Which, okay, at first I believe that as well, right? Like the whole thing is that he's codependent and she seems like she's a very independent, confident, like, you know, can handle her own type of person. But then the flowers thing came up, and I was like, oh no. And I can't remember. I could be wrong. I think someone made a comment of like your boyfriend or something to that effect. I don't know. Like that typical small little slight to insinuate that they were dating and or like they had romantic feelings about each other or something like that. I don't know. I just I was like, oh God, what a throwaway.

SPEAKER_03 45:00

Yeah. I do think in retrospect, like looking back on it, and maybe this is something that I can look forward to in a rewatch. I feel like it still didn't explicitly go the full romantic route. Like I know, again, there's some level of implication there, but I think they're better served as like she brought out the best in him and he was bringing out the best in her, but not not in a way that it had to be explicitly romantic.

SPEAKER_02 45:25

I could see if maybe they did go down that romantic route. There could have been some comedic value, but because their characters and their demeanor clashes in a way, because Renfield is so timid and modest, and she's just kind of I get I guess almost direct and dry. You know what I mean? It just didn't just didn't mix together very well. But I feel like there was maybe opportunity if they did play heavier into the romantic side that it could have been funny.

SPEAKER_04 45:55

I don't think that it was overtly intended to make them romantic. I I can see that, but there was just some moments where I just couldn't buy their chemistry, even if it was just friendship. And I think maybe what it comes down to ultimately is I don't know if I was necessarily the biggest fan of Aquafina in this movie. I don't know if her comedy really landed with me. And I liked her in Shang Chi, you know? I don't know, she just wasn't good. And the times that I was talking about earlier where it felt so forced, like I would I needed to laugh. There's a particular scene where she keeps like looking back to her sister in the hallway. I was like, this is awkward. Please stop. Just like fucking walk down the hallway. You know, it was little things like that.

SPEAKER_03 46:35

Okay, so obviously we'll get in some worst parts later, but because my worst part is that, I just want to get it out of the way. Nothing offended me in this movie so much that it came across as like this is bad. But the only thing that didn't always hit was some of her physical comedy. While I think she was hilarious with her dialogue, there is that moment where she keeps turning around after her sister walks away. And in that moment, if I were texting that scene specifically, I would have responded to that scene with LOL because I was acknowledging it was supposed to be funny in my head, but I couldn't bring myself to physically emote that laughter. And that's really such a shame because I think she did deliver a lot of comedy as a character throughout the movie. I think like her embittered, like, shut the fuck up, Kyle, a lot of that was and it became a bit when another character ended up saying the same thing. But I really appreciated who she was as a character and the integrity that she had and the morality, and she was cunning. I liked the idea of her on paper. It was just some of the physical comedy that I was like, all right.

SPEAKER_02 47:45

I think though, overall, when we think of the duo between Renfield and Dracula, though, like those two played off each other so well. Those two characters, they just melded together so well. Like the the timid and modest Renfield and the over-the-top Dracula, like that was just so good. The chemistry between those two characters was just top-notch for sure.

SPEAKER_03 48:08

I absolutely loved in in thinking of that, Sean. There's that moment where he's saying that he wants a bus full of young girls, like like nuns and cheerleaders. Yeah. And then Renfield makes a comment and he's like, Don't make it a sexual thing. I'll eat whoever.

SPEAKER_02 48:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 48:25

Only after a cent like centuries together could you manage to have a dynamic like that.

SPEAKER_02 48:30

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 48:31

And you know what's a really like great little tidbit, little Easter egg moment, that I would say explains how good their chemistry is as actors, is they've played son and father before in the 2005 The Weatherman. And I think Holt like really looks up to Cage a lot. I he's referenced him a lot in his in his work. So I think now in this opportunity, not to necessarily play his Dracula's son, obviously, but in a way, his familiar, right?

SPEAKER_02 49:01

Like in a way.

SPEAKER_04 49:02

It's kind of nice to kind of see that again in a different, more adult version of Nicholas Holtz. So I thought that was kind of cool. And I think it speaks to why they did so well in the movie in terms of their performances.

SPEAKER_03 49:13

So and I bet Nicolas Cage looked exactly the same. And how does it feel to watch that small child now be a grown man who's much taller than you?

SPEAKER_04 49:22

I'm just saying it is quite adorable. And you honestly just said something that I want to reference real quickly. I we've talked about Dracula so much and Nick Cage. But you know what's so funny is that he's playing Dracula when there was definitely a a pop culture phenomenon back in the day where people were convinced that he really was a vampire because it was kind of like the Keanu Reeves thing, too, where people were finding pictures of Nick Cage in lots of history books and like all these other things, old paintings, and swearing that he actually was a vampire.

SPEAKER_02 49:56

I remember this.

SPEAKER_04 49:57

Which is so meta for him because Nick Cage is fucking weird. Like he loves that shit.

SPEAKER_02 50:04

Some would say he's a national treasure.

SPEAKER_03 50:06

You motherfucker. It's great. Listen, something that I learned about Nicolas Cage is that he once stayed in a haunted castle mansion just to write a horror script, and now I have so much more respect for him.

SPEAKER_04 50:19

He puts in that time, he's very dedicated to the craft, and I just think it's kind of really funny. Not only do they, you know, play son and father in some ways, right? Again, but then also that he's playing a character that people swore he was in real life for a good while.

SPEAKER_03 50:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 50:39

Him and Keanu Reeves alike, which is actually wait a minute. Two Dracula movies. Really funny because Keanu Reeves was in was in the Dracula, 90s Dracula. Wow. I just that literally just hit me right now. Look at that.

SPEAKER_03 50:53

Yeah, you really just did a whole like six degrees of Brahm Stoker. Damn. Yeah. I'm talented. Okay, but thinking about Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Holt's chemistry and this history that they have together, and then paralleling that with the dr the history that Renfield and Dracula have, and then thinking about the manipulation that Dracula pulls to take anybody that he's ever loved and kill them, right? Let me tell you that because I enjoyed that dynamic so much and how predatory Dracula was in that moment, and because I loved the support group so much, their death scenes, such a fucking bummer. I couldn't laugh a single time during that at all. And I know that maybe you weren't supposed to, but seeing the agony on Nicholas Holt's face, I think really gives this level of complexity, right? Where he was trying to pull an Edward, he was trying to pull a Batman, he was trying to pull a Vigilante, and you know, he flew too close to the sun.

SPEAKER_02 51:51

Yeah, I agree with you. I think that was definitely a maybe a heavier undertone, you know, in the film for sure. I don't think it was it was I don't know if it was intended to be comedic, but it definitely didn't feel comedic for me either.

SPEAKER_04 52:04

Oh, you see You laughed. It's not that I found it funny, but I definitely thought it was supposed to be comedic. That slow motion, right? When he's just like reaching out and it kept going back and forth. Come on, guys.

SPEAKER_02 52:18

I guess, I guess. I'll have to watch it, I'll have to watch it back.

SPEAKER_04 52:21

No. I think it would have been more serious for me if it was just like maybe one shot of that and then him landing and watching it happen versus the continued back and forth of a slow motion. Kind of felt like, I don't know, like a weird kung fu movie gone wrong, and like it was odd, it was awkward. It didn't make me feel sad at all, which I want to make a note, they were my favorite part of the entire fucking movie. So I really wanted to feel sad, but I was just like, oh, this is weird and not funny, but was supposed to be.

SPEAKER_03 52:58

All I could think was Dracula saying, as if you could outrun me, as if you could fight me off. That's really what it was. And it all comes back to Twilight. Every time.

SPEAKER_04 53:08

Yep. It's like the pillar of the vampire lore, you know. Bram Stoker, move out the way.

SPEAKER_02 53:13

Oh wait, well, I don't know. That's not good carried away. Let's not get too carried away.

SPEAKER_03 53:17

Sean was really trying to let us have a moment and then was like, Well, hold on, I gotta stop this madness.

SPEAKER_02 53:22

I was giving you the moment. Like, I I acknowledge that moment, but then when we put Twilight at the throne of vampire lore with sparkling vampires, I don't think so. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_04 53:32

Y'all, come on now. Y'all need to know me better than that. I'm I'm I'm all about Twilight, but I'm not I'm not uncultured, you know?

SPEAKER_02 53:39

Listen, I'm here for the Twilight. I've watched those movies time and time again, but like Easy now.

SPEAKER_04 53:46

I can I can see that. I can see how Dra Dracula was giving a little bit of Cullen energy, but yeah, I just didn't find it as sad as I wanted it to be, which I is a shame. Another reason why I was on the fence about this movie. So oh well.

SPEAKER_02 53:59

Wanna know what the worst part is for me? It's that we don't get more scenes with Renfield and Dracula just playing off of each other because I absolutely loved the value that we got from just their chemistry alone. So I absolutely loved what Nicholas Holt and Nicholas Cades brought to the table with their characters, right? Renfield, and we've talked about it time and time again throughout this episode. Renfield, modest, charming, Dracula, over the top, and hilariously evil. Uh, it was just so perfect, and I just wish we got more of that dynamic throughout the film. But best part, hands down, was the protection circle made out of fucking cocaine.

SPEAKER_03 54:38

Bro, I've completely forgot that the protection circle was made out of cocaine. That was amazing.

SPEAKER_02 54:43

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 54:43

That was a great bit. That was good. That was definitely good. Yeah, you know, I'm on the fence about this movie, so I think I'm gonna kind of cheat a bit and do both. It's the worst part we kind of talked about already. I really think it was the chemistry between Renfield and Quincy. I just wasn't buying into it. And again, we talked about it. Like even if it was just supposed to be as friends, it just I wasn't here for it, to be honest. I would say though that the best part is aside from the therapy group, all that other stuff. I actually kind of really liked the the coloring of a particular scene. It's not necessarily a favorite scene, that's why I didn't mention it earlier. But the Lizzo moment in this movie was kind of funny for me. And I just think it was a great way to like to elevate this whole codependency and like power back moment. And I think it just kind of solidified like Nicholas Holtz in horror comedies. I'm here for you, man. I'm rooting for you. Dracula, yes, is the best part of this movie, but I want to bring it to Renfield. This movie's about him. And I think the best part aside from Nick Cage is Nicholas Holtz. That scene really solidified it for me because he was just so cute, adorable. Like I believed in him so much. I was like, you you shop at Old Navy, bro. You wear that colorful sweater. I thought it was adorable. So shout out to you, Nicholas Holtz. I hope you do more horror comedies. I hope you're in horror more in general. I'm I'm here for it. I'm your biggest fan. He's so sweet.

SPEAKER_03 56:04

I love that. And I think actually a lot of that culminates into my fierce stance that I'll absolutely be watching this, not only again to catch all the things that I missed, but frequently. In fact, I dare say it might make it into my fun October list. And I actually, this is gonna sound like an odd pairing. I want to watch this in a double feature, not only with Belagosi's Dracula, but I want to watch it with Rob Zombies the Monsters.

SPEAKER_02 56:30

Absolutely. I could see that. Those two would be a good pairing for sure. They're fun. And I would definitely watch this one again as well. This was a good time. I would probably buy this one when it comes out 100%.

SPEAKER_04 56:40

Yeah, no. I said it earlier. Like, I guess maybe if I'm not feeling very good and it happens to be in a streaming service that I already have signed up for or something like that, and I've already watched Warm Bodies, then I'll just do like a Nicholas Holt binge. But this isn't really like high up on my list of would rewatch. It was it was okay. But I'm just still so on the fence about this. I'm telling you, end of the year, we're gonna see where I land with it. But I'm too on the fence on it to like really feel like I need to watch it again.

SPEAKER_03 57:11

Well, that doesn't bode particularly well, folks, but for now, there you have it. Renfield has earned a universal slash. Will it stay that way? Unlikely. We've certainly had a robust discussion here, but it doesn't end here by any means.

SPEAKER_04 57:24

We want to know what you think. I just am curious if you really would be Nicholas Cage's familiar. Maybe as a person or as Dracula. Just in general, I'm just curious. You can let us know by joining in on the conversation, by hanging out with us for free in our Discord. The link is in the show notes to sign up.

SPEAKER_02 57:40

And if you've enjoyed listening to this bloodsucking episode, consider becoming one of our familiars. I mean patrons. Visit patreon.com slash hackerslash to enjoy more of the show with early access, extended episodes, bonus content, and live shows.

SPEAKER_03 57:53

We'll see you next time, folks. And remember, it's never too late to be a hero.

SPEAKER_02 57:57

I wish to spend a season in hell where all the amusing people are.