Renfield - Turbine Exclusive 4K Ultra HD SteelBook

I don’t have a whole lot to add for this one. Like Bryan, I really enjoyed this movie, and seeing it in theaters was a case of perfect timing. Life was stressful, things were going on, and my wife and I just needed something we could slip into and enjoy. We were roaring with laughter the whole way through. Nicolas Cage turned in a terrific Dracula channeling a variety of iterations while making the character his own. Nicholas Hoult was equally impressive as the titular Renfield offering a wounded, accessible take on the character. Hell, even Awkwafina as the impetuous local cop out to avenge her father was a lot of fun. The action set pieces are exciting. The gore is over-the-top hilarious. It’s just a damn fun flick. Sure, not the greatest thing ever made, but still good and entertaining. Shame it was a box office dud, I would love to see more of this iteration of Cage’s Dracula perpetually returning from the grave like a demented version of Castlevania. You could do period films, you could do future sci-fi - there's a lot they could do with this one.  

Read Bryan's Renfield Blu-ray Review

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Thanks to German label Turbine Medien, Renfield rises from its 1080p grave for a true two-disc 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray SteelBook release. The 4K is pressed on a BD-66 with a BD-50 stepping in for 1080p. The discs rest in a very slick and stylish SteelBook that has a thin cardboard slipcase. The discs load to a language option menu, English or German, and from that choice, that is your default audio language. 

Universal already punched out a pretty solid 1080p release, but it doesn’t take long to see this is the better release. In 2160p with Dolby Vision HDR, the improvements in fine detail and color grading and black levels are immediate. I knew I was going to love this movie very quickly during Renfield’s little backstory narration and they roll up the recreation of the original meeting of Dracula and Renfield from Tod Browning’s 1931 film. All of the practical makeup effects look fantastic. From all of the various shredded body parts to the impressive art director for Dracula’s lair, there’s a lot of bold, colorful, visual splendor to absorb. Primaries are terrific with bright healthy blues and yellows, and delightfully creepy reds and deep crimson. Black levels and shadows definitely enjoy some extra love and care with HDR giving the shadows more range and plenty of three-dimensional depth. All around a lovely transfer for a wonderfully gory flick.

Not stopping with improved video quality, Turbine ups the ante with a splendid Dolby Atmos audio mix. The original Blu-ray release came in with a very good DTS-HD MA 7.1 track. That track is still very good, but the immediacy and impact of the low-end and the added height channel workload is what really sets this one apart. This film had a very active and engaging soundscape to play in and this Atmos track really tackles the elements to give you a rich immersive experience. While the action sequences get the most care and attention in that regard, the quiet conversational pieces enjoy some nice subtleties in the spacing and object placements. Renfield in his support group, you can hear any range of sounds from coughing, shifting chairs, scuffing floors, creaks, and sighs - it’s all there with pinpoint accuracy in the mix. It’s tough to find a moment where all of the channels aren’t active and running.

For the bonus features, we see everything carried over from the past disc but also, thankfully, they’re all included on the 4K disc too! So none of that nonsense about having to flip to the 1080p disc just to enjoy the commentary track - and it is a pretty good one! The alternate scenes and deleted scenes are fun, you can see why some sequences didn’t make it in, but all worth checking out. The featurettes may be brief and maybe a little EPK talking-head at times, but they each thoroughly dig into various aspects of the movie so collectively you have a nice big chunk of making-of material to drink down and digest. 

• Audio Commentary featuring Samantha Nisenboim, Ryan Ridley, and crew members.
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• Alternate Takes (HD 3:18)
• Open (HD 1:40)
• Lobo Compound & Murder Room (HD 3:18)
• Renfield’s Dance! (HD 2:40)
• Mark Gives Renfield Advice (HD 1:18)
• Newscaster (HD 1:45)
• Lobo Gang Meet Dracula (HD 1:56)
• CoDA Kill (HD 1:05)
• Apartment Fight (HD 3:45)
• The Making of Renfield 
• Dracula Uncaged (HD 4:48)
• Monsters & Men (HD 12:35) 
• Stages of Rejuvenation (HD 6:15)
• Flesh & Blood (HD 5:23)
• Fighting Dirty (HD 6:12)
• The Making of Renfield’s Dance (HD 3:34)
• Trailers and Spots
• USA Trailer
• German Trailer
• USA Trailer 2
• USA Redband Trailer
• German Redband Trailer
• German TV Spots

My copy of Turbine’s 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray SteelBook of Renfield arrived just before a string of holiday get-togethers and a lot of road travel. Watching it again was like a healing balm served directly from the veins of Dracula himself. I needed a laugh and this film still delivers. I’d love to see another entry in this little Dracula universe, but if this is a one-and-done, I’m glad we have it - and now in 4K! The film already had a very good 1080p disc, but at this point with any fun genre film Universal release, it’s safe to just wait for the eventual 4K rather than buy the initial Blu-ray offering. If they don’t release it themselves, they’re going to license someone like Turbine to do it. Thankfully Turbine delivers a disc worth waiting for! The SteelBook is stylish and slick, the Dolby Vision transfer is fantastic, and the Atmos mix is a real banger. Cap it off with a great collection of extras and you’ve got a great disc to add to the list of imports.  Highly Recommended 

Order your copy of Renfield 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray SteelBook