Renfield

Mashing up a contemporary crime thriller with a throwback monster movie, Renfield doesn’t have much bite.

Despite some scattered laughs, this playful tweaking of the Dracula legend and vampire mythology is merely a backdrop for some abundant over-the-top violence and gore. Genre aficionados might appreciate the fresh take, although the result is more silly than substantial.

The story opens at a support group for victims of toxic relationships, and Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) certainly fits the description. For centuries, he’s been the loyal servant to Count Dracula (Nicolas Cage), providing the bodies and initiating the cleanup for his messy eating habits.

However, the lack of appreciation has started to wear on Renfield. His evil employer — the immortal and nocturnal prince of darkness — is also a needy, power-hungry narcissist with a flimsy plan for world domination.

Renfield sees a way out after meeting Rebecca (Awkwafina), a hot-tempered young New Orleans police detective eager to prove herself while tracking the case of a notorious local crime family.

Rebecca seems to understand Renfield and sympathize with his predicament. “You’re not a hero. You’re not a villain,” she explains. “You’re just a guy who kills random people.”

As their troubled souls connect, Rebecca and Renfield — who rather arbitrarily derives special powers from eating insects — realize a partnership could be mutually beneficial in tracking a drug trafficker (Ben Schwartz) and his kingpin mother (Shohreh Aghdashloo) while simultaneously stopping Dracula’s reign of terror.

Directed by Chris McKay (The Tomorrow War), the film maintains a lively pace while showcasing some visually striking action sequences without drowning in effects-driven supernatural nonsense.

Yet with its thin premise and lack of narrative surprises, the irreverent screenplay struggles to balance its parallel stories, never establishing much underlying suspense or a rooting interest beneath its surface quirks.

The actors are having fun, and their enthusiasm for the material is infectious for a while, with Cage in full camp mode while cloaked in makeup, flashing his elongated fangs, and spouting sarcastic one-liners with ironic glee. But he’s too often relegated to the background.

Instead, while trying to navigate the chaos around him, Renfield is the least compelling character in Renfield. And his movie mostly sucks.

Rated R, 93 minutes.