Renfield (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the film score to the 2023 film Renfield directed by Chris McKay, inspired by characters from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula and its 1931 feature film adaptation. The film features Nicholas Hoult as the titular character, and co-stars Ben Schwartz, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Brandon Scott Jones, Adrian Martinez and Nicolas Cage.
The original score is composed by Marco Beltrami who co-produced the film score with Buck Sanders. It was recorded at the Skywalker Sound and United Recording Studios, performed by Skywalker Symphony Orchestra. The score was released through Back Lot Music on April 14, 2023.
Contents
Development
Marco Beltrami was announced as the film's composer in January 2023. Beltrami replaced Lorne Balfe, who previously worked with McKay on The Lego Batman Movie (2017) and The Tomorrow War (2021). Gabe Hilfer served as the music supervisor. Having worked on several horror films, Beltrami established ideas on integrating horror with humor into the score. Beltrami recalled that he used Middle Eastern influences into the score, while drawing elements from gangster films, and went through a unique blend of musical styles that enhance the film's emotional depth and comedic elements. For the protagonist, Beltrami wrote a bluesy theme served as a recurrent motif, and he further experimented with use of interchangeable tempos with keys and blending orchestral music with electronic components, where at certain instances led to unintended comedic effects. The score was recorded at the Skywalker Sound and United Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California.
Reception
Owen Gleiberman of Variety and Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter described the score "pulsating" and "thrilling". Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood wrote "Marco Beltrami's ramped-up score is right in tune with the classics of the genre." Lara Popovic of Fordham Observer wrote "The score, crafted by Marco Beltrami, properly encapsulates Dracula and Renfield's eerie beginnings and an action packed plot." Nicholas Bell of Spin noted that Beltrami's "customary engaging" score felt "blunted".
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes: