‘Saw’ Director James Wan Praises Nicolas Cage Horror-Comedy As “Terrific” and “So much fun”

James Wan recommends Renfield
James Wan, on set, 2016. ph: Matt Kennedy / © New Line Cinema / courtesy Everett Collection

James Wan is a cinematic jack of all trades. He’s built horror franchises and has directed blockbuster sequels and superhero films alike. With a cinematic pedigree like that, you know we take note when the director champions a feature film.

I recently happened upon an Instagram reel of Wan’s where he sings the praises of Chris McKay’s Renfield. The Saw director captioned the post by saying: “Check out Renfield, a hoot of a film!! I want more Universal Monster movies.”

The text within the reel says: “Renfield is terrific, so much fun!! The 2 Nics are fantastic! Cage and I spoke many years ago about playing Dracula in my (defunct) Castlevania, so it’s great to see he finally got a chance to play the Prince of Darkness.”

I didn’t realize James Wan was once working on a Castlevania adaptation. It’s too bad that didn’t pan out. I have fond memories of playing Symphony of Night years back and I would have loved to see the director’s take on the property.

Also See: This Film Motivated Wan to Want to Work With Lin Shaye

Critics were mixed in their reactions to the picture. But our editor-in-chief, Mary Beth McAndrews, was a fan, saying, “To put it simply, Renfield is plain ol’ horror fun for all types of genre fans.”

The setup is as follows: Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), the tortured aide to his narcissistic boss, Dracula (Cage), is forced to procure his master’s prey and do his every bidding. However, after centuries of servitude, he’s ready to see if there’s a life outside the shadow of the Prince of Darkness.

If you’re interested in checking Renfield out, you can find it streaming on Prime Video as of the publication of this post.

That’s all we’ve got for now. Stay tuned to the site for more recommendations from the masters as we learn them. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter so you never miss an update.

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