Movie of the Day
Every day, we cut through the bottomless list of streaming options and recommend something to watch. See all our Netflix movie of the day picks, or our Prime Video movie of the day choices.
As we said in a Halloween horror round-up, if you want to know what Renfield is like then "ImagineWhat We Do In The Shadowswith a massive body count and gallons of gore." Nic Cage is Dracula in a role that sees him chewing necks as well as scenery; Nicholas Hoult is the titular Renfield, his faithful manservant who starts to imagine living outside his master's non-shadow.
Funny, gory and somewhat over the top, Renfield is a lot of fun; audiences liked it a lot, and Nicolas Cage is always great value. And it's available for Prime Video subscribers.
Is Renfield worth biting into?
Yes. It's flawed, but when it works it works brilliantly: it's often very funny and there are some great scenes and performances. It's uneven, but if you go in expecting some daft Dracula-related Transylvanian tomfoolery that's exactly what it delivers.
The Agesaid: "The main attraction is Nicolas Cage’s barnstorming performance as Dracula, played mainly for laughs yet indicating careful study of his many predecessors in the role" while FilmWeek on NPR Los Angeles said that it's a "gorefest" where "heads really roll".
As the Horror Queers Podcast points out it's comedy first and horror second: Cage is "a campy blast" but the story lacks… yes… bite.
But what about Renfield himself, the hero of this story? According to the Fort Worth Report, "Nicholas Hoult as Dracula’s loyal servant resembles a cross between a Marvel superhero and John Wick." But it's Cage we're all wanting to see, among the "action, comedy and massive amounts of gore." And his performance? "Fangtastic!"
Honestly, the main reason it's not on our list of the best Prime Video movies is that Cage isn't in it enough.
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Samsung S90C
The best-value elite TV on the planet is the S90C OLED TV: its pictures are stunning, it's got every key gaming feature, it's got all the streaming smarts, its sound is good, and it looks gorgeous. Here's our full Samsung S90C review.
Hisense U8K
Premium pictures for a much lower price tag. The Hisense U8K is bright enough to be ideal for sport, has great contrast for movies, as future-proofed for gaming, and is unbeatable value. Read our full Hisense U8K review.
Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED
Get this on one of its regular sales and its a steal. Excellent detail comes with rich, accurate colors, and an easy-to-use smart platform. It's even good for gaming. See our full Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review.
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Carrie Marshall
Contributor
Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall (Twitter) has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band HAVR.
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