Crane describes the idea of the ‘postmodern horror film’, which ‘drifts back and forth between scares and laughs without warning’. These films may include serious, scary moments immediately followed by a joke or a gag. They prove that a film being purposefully funny and a film being purposefully scary are not mutually exclusive occurrences, rather it is possible for both descriptions to be true.
Renfield tells the story of the eponymous English lawyer (Nicholas Hoult) who, in the early 20th century, becomes Dracula’s (Nicolas Cage) familiar. By the 21st century however, he has grown tired of being Dracula’s servant and constantly having to bring victims to him, so he joins a 12-step self-help group for people in codependent relationships.
Crane describes how postmodern horror films occasionally ‘[trade] on “insider knowledge’, a fan’s familiarity with the rules of the game’. This is evident at the beginning of this clip, when there is a reference to the trope of vampires being unable to enter homes unless they are invited in. Here, Dracula finds a loophole by interpreting Renfield’s kitschy welcome mat as an invitation, which Renfield notices too late.
This is an example of how the comedy in this film arises from moments in which elements of modernity intersect with traditional vampire lore and mythology. Later in the clip, after Dracula launches into a tirade on how Renfield has always been a selfish man, Renfield responds by holding up the self-help book ‘How to Defend Yourself Against a Narcissist’. Dracula of course reacts at first with confusion, clearly not recognising or understanding the relevance of a self-help book. This derails what is otherwise an upsetting scene of an uncanny monster verbally abusing a very scared and human-looking man.
Soon after this brief interlude, Dracula launches into another barrage of threats towards Renfield. It is menacing until he cannot find the words to describe Renfield’s modern colourful abode. Renfield’s meek offering of ‘studio apartment’ undercuts the sinister moment, and hearing Dracula snarl the words ‘studio apartment’ demonstrates the swift transition Crane mentioned, taking the moment from scary to humorous without completely removing all of the frightening aspects of Dracula’s character.
Furthermore, comedy is used here to draw attention to the absurdity of the tropes surrounding vampires but, as seen in this clip, a balance must be kept between the comedy and frightening elements to ensure that the horror is not completely removed. In this scenario, the typical vampire tropes are not what makes this situation scary or upsetting, but instead it is the abusive relationship between the two main characters.
I have not seen Renfield yet but it seems like a good example of using visuals and colour to alter the tone. Watching films that dance between horror and comedy can either work really well or it can feel contradictory, when done bad I neither laugh or experience fear. When they do something like make a set visually vibrant I think it helps guide me towards laughing, avoiding the two element from cancelling each other out.