Cage will bring Dracula to the big screen later this month alongside Nicholas Hoult and Awkwafina.

Image via Universal

April is going to be another killer month for horror. There are more than a few key haunting releases this month hitting theaters. This includes Universal’s horror comedy Renfield directed by Chris McKay and starring Nicholas Hoult as the title character. However, you can’t have Renfield without his master Dracula who’s being played by the one and only Nicolas Cage. Now in a new featurette, Renfield takes us behind Cage’s horrifically fun Dracula makeup process.

The minute-long behind-the-scenes look will make the horror community very happy as Dracula’s look for Renfield was done practically. The makeup, fangs, and long ghastly nails are all very much real. The film’s Makeup/Special Makeup Effects Designer Christien Tinsley takes Monster fans through the process, from casting a mold of Cage’s face to 3D printing the fangs and nails. Cage wore the Dracula makeup for 14 hours a day, but that only helped him get into character even more. The actor would call Tinsley’s work “real and magical at the same time” while Awkwafina got the chills seeing Cage in his full Dracula glory.

This was a great featurette because it reminds us how important practical effects and makeup work is for setting a certain kind of atmosphere. Especially for the horror genre. A lot of modern genre films rely on CGI to tell their story, but seeing Cage in that make up and all his fancy Dracula suits is a dream come true for any horror fan. Cage looks like he’s having the time of his life playing this iconic villain which is bound to rub off on the film’s audience. Universal’s going back to their horror roots in Renfield with all the practical effects work and blood you could want.

Image via Universal

RELATED: Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult Gush Over Each Other in New ‘Renfield’ Featurette [Exclusive]

What’s Renfield About?
Renfield follows Dracula’s iconic manservant in the modern day. He’s had enough of his dreadful master and is on a mission to sever his ties to their “toxic relationship”. However, Dracula is of course not a fan of this idea and will do everything in his power to make Renfield’s life a living hell. From all the marketing thus far, Renfield is poised to be the original horror studio’s next major hit. It looks like the film is a bloody great combination of delicious scares and gut busting humor which is currently being backed up by the early reviews. Renfield currently holds a juicy 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.

When does Renfield Release?
Renfield releases exclusively in theaters on April 14, 2023. While horror fans anxiously wait for Cage’s Dracula debut, you can view the new featurette down below.