Renfield

One of the best things about the 12″ dolls released by Sideshow Collectibles is that they produced characters that previously had little or no representation in toy form. One such character is Renfield, the maniacal servant of Dracula from the 1931 film classic. Portrayed by Dwight Frye, he was one of the best and most memorable things about the movie. While I still very much like the idea of using the vintage posters for the covers of the boxes, it would have been nice if the character you are buying was better represented. You do get a clear image on the back though.

Front cover Back Cover

About the only features that are unique to this doll are the clothes, accessories and head, which was nicely sculpted by Mat Falls. The face nicely captures his countenance, right down to the crazy grin. I think the only thing that would be better if the doll was a talker and you could actually hear his demented laugh!

The clothes Renfield wears on this doll can look a little bit bland because it’s basically the same style and color from head to toe, but you can remove the jacket and display it that way, which I think looks a bit better.

Accessories include the base and a nice lantern, as well as a large briefcase and the deed to Carfax Abbey. This deed is just a piece of paper and it is packaged in the plastic tray , stuck there with a little dab of adhesive. This seems wholly unnecessary to me. I tore a little bit off the back in removing it and I was careful. I hope no one ripped their’s more significantly thinking you could just pull it out.

Overall, this is a pretty neat addition to the lineup, but I’m not sure how wise it was to charge $40 for a comparatively minor character. I mean, Dracula only cost $29.95 but Renfield is $40?!? Seems like a weird decision. Perhaps he was produced in smaller number. At either price, I’m guessing that this piece is mostly for diehard monster fans and completists.