Did Nicholas Hoult's Renfield Eating Insects Give Him Superpowers? !

The trailer depicts Renfield gaining apparent superpowers by eating spiders. This is related to the description of Renfield in the novel Dracula.

In the trailer for upcoming horror-comedy Renfield, the lead character, played by Nicholas Hoult, gains apparent superpowers after eating a spider. The trailer depicts Renfield using these powers to fight off a mob wearing a werewolf mask. After the fight, Renfield befriended Awkwafina's leading actress, Rebecca Quincy.

Directed by Chris McKay (War of Tomorrow), Renfield is the latest adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, starring Nicolas Cage as the titular vampire. The film is the latest attempt to relaunch Universal's monsters, following the failed "Dark Universe" launch with 2017's The Mummy and 2020's standalone Invisible Man film. Renfield isn't just about Dracula, but about the human familiarity of the vampire, a ship that lures Dracula's victims.

Why Insects Give Renfield Powers

In the original novel Dracula, Renfield is an inmate in an insane asylum who is forced to eat insects to keep himself alive. This consumption of living things, which escalate into larger insects and birds, is in many ways a form of vampirism. The promise of immortality by consuming a creature's life force, as promised by vampires, led Renfield to become Dracula's servant Unlimited supply of Renfield.

The new Renfield film is playing up the novel's portrayal of the character. Renfield, however, has not only gained the life force of an insect, but appears to have gained full-blown superhuman abilities, capable of fighting off the gang in incredibly bloody fashion. However, it's hard to judge Renfield's full abilities based on what's in the trailer alone, such as whether he's got different abilities from different insects.

Is Nicholas Hoult's Renfield A Hero In The 2023 Movie?

One aspect of Renfield that is evident from the trailer is that the character is at best Dracula's reluctant servant. The trailer frames Renfield going to a support group to deal with issues he's having working on Dracula, calling it a toxic relationship. This fits with Renfield's character traits in the novel, he ends up with a conscience and ultimately tries to save Mina Harker from Dracula's clutches, resulting in Renfield being eventually killed by his master.

Renfield's previous film portrayals, such as Dwight Fry's Dracula in 1931 and Tom Waits' Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1992, seem to have emphasized the character's madness. Nicholas Hoult as Renfield, according to the trailer As the anti-hero and Nicolas Cage's over-the-top straight guy as Dracula. It will be interesting to see how this different take on Renfield works out when the movie hits theaters in April.