We close down our march through a handful of recent Dracula-inspired films by taking a look at last year's RENFIELD. Starring Nicholas Hoult and Akwafina, Renfield is an energetic, humorous, and remarkably thoughtful take on codependency, oppressive relationships, and rampant injustice. Oh.... and Nic Cage plays Dracula.

We're joined this week by FoGers and friends, Vera Goudie and John Viinalass to unpack all the mayhem, all the laughs, and the disarming amount of depth this film carries with it. Also featuring a "Whatcha" Patron-Only segment, we really hope you enjoy our conversation!

Patron Only Segment: Whatcha Watchin' / Readin' / Listenin' To?

8:02 - RENFIELD

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We continue our series of recent takes on the Dracula mythos by examining last year's THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER. Nestled in the first third of Bram Stoker's original novel is the tale of a ship which unknowingly carried Dracula from his homeland to London, losing crew member after crew member along the way. Until now, that specific chapter had never been given a deeper cinematic exploration. The result, directed by Andrew Ovredal, has a sleek production, competent performances, and a well-structured script. But we are joined by FoG friend Dave Courtney to debate how well the film captures the themes it's so clearly interested in.

With apologies for the slightly late release, we hope you enjoy this week's episode!

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We have another special interview for you this week, this time with Mikael Hafstrom, director of 1408, The Rite, and his latest film, SLINGSHOT (in theaters August 30th). Slingshot tells the story of an expedition into deep space, where a small crew must execute a risky slingshot maneuver propelling off of Jupiter's orbit. When the mission's security becomes questionably compromised, one particular crew member (Casey Affleck) must fight to maintain his grip on reality amidst possible hallucinations, potentially faulty equipment, and fellow crewmates possibly more precariously compromised than he is. While the film's space narrative proceeds, we also witness the blossoming romance Affleck's character left back on earth, and the relationship between the two experiences may prove more consequential than he could have imagined.

Slingshot is a love story, a mind-bending science fiction drama, and an existential exploration of isolation and the importance of connection. It's an excellent film that we hope everyone checks out and we hope you enjoy our conversation about it with director Mikael Hafstrom.

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