Renfield Wouldn't Have Worked Without Nicolas Hoult, Says Director Chris McKay

McKay was amused by the idea that Renfield's relationship with Dracula was portrayed as unhealthy and codependent. One could easily imagine Renfield as a crazed ghoul, happy to kill animals in a limp attempt to emulate his master's bloodsucking horror. McKay wanted to turn Renfield into a sad human bag instead of a ghoul. The juxtaposition of Renfield's insecurity with Dracula's evil was central to the film's comedy. McKay said:

"Yes, the idea of ​​telling a Dracula story - not in the traditional way we've grown accustomed to from Dracula movies - but telling it through the lens of his assistant, his familiar, someone one who's been in a codependent relationship with him for 90 years. And seeing Dracula as this metaphor for talking about toxic narcissism and an infernal boss — making a movie about the workplace — just seemed like a lot of fun."

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It's so much fun, in fact, that there was a joke about it in Mel Brooks' 1995 comedy "Dracula: Dead and Loving It." In this film, Renfield (Peter MacNicol) discovered that his master had been killed and mourned his death. Dr. Seward (Harvey Korman) explained to Renfield that with Dracula's death, he was no longer trapped in an evil, controlling relationship. He is now his own man. Renfield stands up briefly, pushes his hair back, and enjoys a moment of freedom. When Seward called "Come on, Renfield", he instantly reverted to a ghoul and growled "Yes, master". Rimshot.