Upping the action ante and casting no less than that turbo-charged thespian Nicolas Cage as the Prince Of Darkness, Renfield finds the eponymous servant on a quest for self-improvement as he tries to unshackle himself from the daddy of all bloodsuckers. Nicholas Hoult takes the title role in this fang-tastic comedy that plays explicit tribute to Tod Browning’s 1931 Universal horror classic, Dracula, but brings things bang up to date.

^{Nicolas Cage as Count}

We follow Hoult’s pitiably pathetic Renfield as he attends a New Orleans support group for those in destructive relationships and tries to thwart his boss’ plan for world domination. Cage is a fierce and flamboyantly camp Count; with eyes manically widened and eyebrows correspondingly raised, he brings every ounce of his mega-acting prowess to the part. As Dracula lurks and schemes, Renfield teams up with plucky traffic cop Rebecca (the ever-wonderful Awkwafina), a beacon of integrity in a stinking swamp of police corruption. Rebecca is trying to avenge her father who died at the hands of local crime family the Lobos (led by Ben Schwartz and a deliciously dastardly Shohreh Aghdashloo), whose aims align worryingly with those of Dracula.

What We Do In The Shadows is a clear tonal influence but Renfield splices the dark comedy with outrageous, neon-drenched action that’s like John Wick with splatter as director Chris McKay (The Lego Batman Movie, The Tomorrow War) keeps the energy high. Shadowing Dracula’s downtrodden and foppish familiar whilst he grapples with his co-dependence is an amusing idea, impeccably executed, with the fine cast ensuring that Ryan Ridley’s script pops in all the right places. Audiences will come for Cage, but throwing in Hoult and Awkwafina means you’re guaranteed a bloody good time.

Renfield is in cinemas from Friday 14 April.