Nosferatu (2024)

“Nosferatu” is a 2024 horror remake of the 1922 classic film with the same name. This one stars Nicholas Hoult (Renfield), Bill Skarsgard (IT), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass), Lily-Rose Depp (Tusk), and Williem Dafoe (Spider-Man).

It’s 1838 in Germany, Thomas (Hoult) is an estate agent who is sent overseas by his boss to have a wealthy man by the name of Orlok (Skarsgard) sign a deed buying property back in Germany. Little does Thomas know that Orlok is not what or who he seems to be and is obsessed on making Thomas’s new bride (Lilly Rose-Depp) his own. Once this ancient evil is unleashed, there may be no stopping it.

I was a little skeptical about this one, solely because of the run time being a little over two hours. It’s very hard to make a good horror movie that long without it dragging. I heard good things about it, so I figured I would check it out. It’s a gothic period film that pays homage to the original. The acting is all top notch from top to bottom. Skarsgard knocks it out of the park, and he even changes his voice in it, adding another character to his impressive resume, along with Pennywise. He becomes unrecognizable. It’s not scary, it focuses on its cinematography and the telling of the story. It’s a great film from start to finish that doesn’t drag. I was thoroughly impressed. It’s a must see for any horror fan. I give it an 8/10

Renfield

“Renfield” is a 2023 horror/comedy/action movie starring Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies), Nicolas Cage (Vampire’s Kiss), and Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians).

Renfield (Hoult) is Dracula’s (Cage) familiar who does all his bidding. He starts to think there is a better life out there and starts going to codependent classes to help deal with his relationship with Dracula. Renfield has his own powers by feasting on bugs. While at a restaurant he gets caught up in middle of a mob shootout, instead of sitting idly by, he feasts on his bugs and stops the mob while saving a female cop (Awkwafina) in the process. Now Renfield finds new confidence to help him start a new life and leave Dracula. Only problem, is Dracula isn’t happy about it. So, now he has the mob plus Dracula are after him.

I was excited when the trailers first dropped for this one, but it wasn’t in theaters long enough for me to go see it. So, when it came out in Redbox I went and got it the same day. Nicholas Cage has come full circle, from thinking he’s a vampire in “Vampire’s Kiss” to playing Dracula in “Renfield”, and I love that. It looks hilarious, and it also stars Nicholas Hoult, who I love in “Warm Bodies.” So, how does it stack up to expectations?

First, it’s different than I thought. It looked like it would be a lot funnier than it was. Awkwafina is a funny comic, so adding her you would think it would be funnier than it is. It has an occasional funny joke, here and there, but that’s about it. Mostly the funny parts are on the trailer. It’s more action based, it is chalked full of fight scenes, most of them pretty gory. You get to see Hoult rip a guy’s arms off and beat everyone with them. Not to mention stomping and literally ripping people in half. Which I’m a fan of unique kill/gory fight scenes, so I’m all for it. Just wasn’t expecting it. Nicholas Cage and Hoult both play their parts great. Even though it’s not as much a horror comedy but more an action movie, it is still entertaining and worth watching. I give it a 7/10.

The Menu

“The Menu” is a 2022 horror/thriller starring Ralph Fiennes (Skyfall), Anya Taylor-Joy (Last Night in Soho), Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies), John Leguizamo (Romeo + Juliet), and Hong Chau (Big Little Lies).

A young couple goes to an island for very exclusive dinner that is over 1200 a head created by a world-renowned chef. Little do they know, everyone is there for a certain reason, and the chef plans on making this his final menu. Every little detail is meticulously planned out, every deadly detail.

I’m a big fan of Anya Taylor-Joy she always plays a great role in her movies, and her starring in another horror, I knew this was a must-see movie. Ralph Fiennes also plays the perfect role of a detail-oriented perfectionist chef who has slowly gone mad by society and has finally reached his limit. This movie was different than I was expecting, it was still a great movie, just different. Not quite as fast paced as I was thinking it would be. It was a little more artsy than I was expecting. It reminded me of an artsier version of a M. Night Shyamalan movie. I also enjoyed how everything was targeted at the rich vs. the working class in society. I give this one a 7.5/10.