While we’ve seen plenty of Dracula stories over the years, Renfield from director Chris McKay, takes a different twist on this classic Universal monster. As the name implies, this horror-comedy focuses on Dracula’s assistant R. M. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) almost 100 years after he started working for the living vampire (played by Nicolas Cage), as he begins to question if this is what he still wants to be doing. Renfield moves Dracula and Renfield to New Orleans in this film that features a cast that includes Awkwafina as Rebecca Quincy, a traffic cop that Renfield falls for, as well as Ben Schwartz, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Adrian Martinez, Brandon Scott Jones, and more.

Last year, myself and a group of journalists went to New Orleans to visit the set of Renfield, where we had the opportunity to talk to the people behind the film, including writer Ryan Ridley and star Nicolas Hoult, as well as watch the filming of two of the film’s opening scenes, featuring Hoult and Cage. With the final trailer for Renfield dropping tomorrow, and tickets going on sale for Renfield, which is coming out on April 14th, here are 40 things we learned and saw on the set of Renfield.

Cage, Hoult and the Potential of a Larger Cinematic Universe

The first person we talked to was David Alpert, the founder, president & CEO of Skybound Entertainment, and one of the producers on Renfield. Alpert has produced such projects as The Walking Dead and Invincible, and Alpert talked with us about choosing Hoult and Cage, their unique approach to the Dracula tale, and the possibility of the larger universe:

• Renfield is a story of codependency between Dracula and Renfield, and Alpert said they asked how do they take the concepts of vampires, werewolves, zombies, etc., and apply them to the world in which we live.
• Alpert says they liked Nicholas Hoult because of the sarcastic, biting tone of The Great, in which he plays a complete psychopath who does horrific things, yet we still like him. Alpert mentions he’s also hysterical, an amazing actor, and gorgeous. Alpert said, “anybody who could make you like them when they’re doing bad things, you’re like, wow, there’s real talent and charisma there.”
• Alpert says they went through a lot of different names when deciding who should play Dracula, but that Nick Cage “has the seriousness with which he brings to his work, but also—as we all know—is not afraid to go absolutely over the top if that’s what is needed.”
• While Renfield is a self-contained story, Alpert states that they want to tell a great story, but also put out “breadcrumbs for a broader potential cinematic universe.”
• When discussing comparisons to What We Do in the Shadows, Alpert tells “we want to get a little more serious, a little bit more emotional. I’m not going to say that every scene in Renfield is going to make you cry.”

RELATED: Nicolas Cage Talks Revitalizing Dracula in 'Renfield'

Renfield and Dracula's New Orleans "Castle" and References to Other Monsters

Next, we talked to production designer Alec Hammond, whose previous work can be seen in Donnie Darko, Southland Tales, Red, and Netflix's Lost in Space. Hammond showed us how the design of the sets nods to the past of Universal monster films, and how the spirit of the 1931 film has translated into modern-day New Orleans.

• Renfield very consciously takes place in the same world as the 1931 Tod Browning Dracula, and Hammond said that they wanted to keep the mood and the architectural iconography of the original Dracula, and makes direct references to the original Universal films.
• The role of Dracula has to be played like a movie star, with charisma that makes us understand why people like Renfield would want to follow him around for nearly a century.
• Dracula and Renfield’s home is an abandoned New Orleans hospital that looks like a 1930s castle, and the pair lives in the basement.
• The Universal movie monsters are woven into the set design, as Hammond told us there are homages to the Invisible Man, Wolf Man, Dracula, and Frankenstein.
• Dracula and Renfield have been on the run from vampire hunters for the last 70 years.
• Hammond also showed us several pieces of production art showcasing different sets, which included a look at Renfield and Dracula’s hospital-castle, the headquarters for the Lobo family which is inspired by GoodFellas and Scarface, and a murder room with all sorts of different murder implements to use on victims.
• The mobster Lobo family has been involved in criminal enterprises in New Orleans since the 17th century, and for a mural that showcases the Lobo family history, Hammond originally planned on hiding hundreds of wolf heads within the image.

From 'Rick and Morty' to 'Renfield'

We also had the chance to talk to writer Ryan Ridley, who is best known for his work writing, producing, and voicing characters on Rick and Morty, and has also worked on such shows as Community, Ghosted, and Invincible. Ridley talked to us about his inspirations for Renfield, as well as his preference for live-action over animation.

• The inspiration for Renfield came from Sam Raimi, early Peter Jackson, and Return of the Living Dead.
• Being Renfield is like “being the personal assistant to the most self-destructive, rock star, movie star, whatever, in history.”
• Ridley says he prefers live-action to animation and says that his favorite episodes to write on Rick and Morty were the ones that felt like little mini-movies and that the transition to Renfield from Rick and Morty was “amazing.”
• There is a good amount of improv in Renfield, according to Ridley, naturally mentioning Ben Schwartz in the film.
• Ridley says that there weren’t any restrictions from Universal when taking on Dracula in this way.

Blood, Gore, and Even More Blood

Renfield is, of course, a film that wouldn't be the same without its makeup, and Christien Tinsley, the film's makeup department head, gave us a look at some of the gore and effects used to help build this world. Tinsley has worked on a varied array of projects such as Westworld, A Man Called Otto, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and American Horror Story.

• Immediately inside the makeup trailer, we were shown one of Dracula’s victims, with a massive neck wound that made the person look halfway decapitated.
• Tinsley showed us a collection of various fingernails and teeth that were made for Cage’s Dracula. Some of the teeth looked identical to the fangs of a snake. When Dracula becomes angry and more primal, his teeth become longer and extend further.
• While decapitations are clearly going to be prominent within the film, Tinsley also showed us an early test for a scene in which a priest blows up. The scene pushed for 10-12 gallons of blood, as well as slime, “gore bits,” and innards. Tinsley says that director Chris McKay mentioned he wants the gore big and over-the-top. “If it’s a cup of blood, I want it to be a gallon.”

Serial Killers, Wolf Gangs, and Dressing Dracula

The costume and wardrobe department was a fascinating peek at the looks that we'll see within Renfield, and costume designer Lisa Lovaas gave us an in-depth look at the costumes, jewelry, and little details in the costumes that we'll see in Renfield. Lovaas has been the costume designer on films like Black Widow, Ambulance, and Hotel Artemis.

• The film begins in 1931, and Dracula will be wearing the original amulet.
• Like with the props, the level of detail is truly impressive in ways that audiences likely won’t get to see in intricate detail. The costume team made an insignia for Dracula, and while the original idea was for it to just be a “D,” Cage came up with the idea for making it “CD,” for Count Dracula.
• The lining of Dracula’s red leather cape has a brilliant design of bats.
• The film also features a serial killer named “Apache Joe.” He has a niece who loves him and has no idea what he does, so she made him a key chain that says “‘Pache Joe.” Lovaas says that he has a happy family that loves him, he has a construction job, and then he puts on his Apache Joe mask—which looks like it could be made out of tongues.
• Lovaas also showed us wolf masks that the Lobo gang wears, since their mascot is a wolf.
• The priest outfit was made by the people who make pieces for the Vatican, so it’s about as official as it gets.
• Lovaas says that she tried to find little things that were nods to other Dracula films and incorporate them into the costuming. Dracula’s red suit is also inspired by one worn by David Bowie.

From Bibles to Cane-Swords

Gary Tuers, the prop master for Renfield, is responsible for almost every item you see in the film, from garlic protecting Van Helsing's men to the incredible weaponry that these characters use. Tuers gave us a look at some of the props we'll see in the film, each of which has a tremendous amount of detail.

• One of the impressive props used by the characters includes a bolt-launching crossbow based on a Chinese design that’s a few thousand years old.
• Everything in both props is immaculately designed right down to the smallest designs, from Bibles to weaponry.
• One of Dracula’s canes opens up and there’s a sword inside. While it’s never shown in the film, it’s again, another remarkable showcase of the film’s level of detail.

Eating Bugs With Nicholas Hoult

We also had the chance to talk with the film's star, Nicholas Hoult, who was filming a scene from the beginning of the film during our visit. In our conversation, Hoult talked about reuniting with Cage for the first time in 18 years after The Weather Man, the Dracula story he's been watching a lot lately, and told us what his favorite flavor of crickets is.

• Hoult says he didn’t grow up watching Dracula films, but he has been watching a lot of Hotel Transylvania with his son, stating, “so that’s probably more of the Dracula that I know.”
• Hoult did go back and watch Dracula films to study them, particularly pointing out Dwight Frye’s performance in 1931’s Dracula. Hoult says he tried to squeeze Frye’s laugh into the film a couple of times, but “whether it stays in the edit…we’ll see.”
• For his Renfield, Hoult says he would listen back to audio from Frye, and a couple of times, he took bits of dialect from the book or bits from the 1931 film and tried to weave it into the dialogue.
• Cage and Hoult previously worked together on The Weather Man when Hoult was 14, and Hoult says of Cage: “the dedication he’s brought to this role and the ideas he’s got, the things he’s drawing from previous Dracula portrayals and what he’s bringing to it is really magical and powerful.”
• When talking about Renfield’s diet, Hoult says he’s mostly been eating crickets and he did try potato bugs. He says he recommends the salt and vinegar dried crickets, but he drew the line at tarantulas and scorpions. However, the props team did make caramels to look like cockroaches, gummy worms, and soil that was ground-up chocolate.
• Eating these bugs is what gives Renfield his power. If he has to protect Dracula, “he eats a bug and gets that extra little bit of juice” for fighting.
• Hoult discussed the opening scene of the film, which involves Hoult and Cage getting green-screened into the previous Dracula movies. The title sequence shows their relationship through classic moments from the other films. The opening has Dracula being attacked in his library room by Van Helsing and priests. In this moment, Renfield has to decide if he’s going to save Dracula or allow Van Helsing and his team to kill his master.

The Opening Scene and Cage's Range

• We were able to see pieces of this opening sequence filmed. The first sequence had Hoult as Renfield entering the hallway leading to Dracula’s library, realizing that his master is in trouble, and running to him. Hoult made sure every new entrance was truly funny in its own way, whether through changing the dialogue slightly or leaning into that Frye-esque dialect a bit more. While it was only a small moment, it gave a solid impression of the horror-comedy tone the film is going for. We also were able to tour the hallway that Hoult was running down, full of fire, dead bodies, and blood. Again, the attention to detail was immaculate in the sets, and through the hallway and the library room, we can see centuries of Dracula’s life being told simply through the set design. Items that were once regal and impressive are now covered in dust and left in tatters. You can feel the centuries of age on Dracula’s possessions, and the wear that must’ve occurred on these items in the trek from Europe to New Orleans.
• Finally, we got to witness Nicolas Cage’s Dracula in action, which was as great as one could possibly imagine. The scene featured Dracula fighting one of Van Helsing’s men in the library room, and clearly holding his own without the assistance of Renfield. Cage seemed extremely collaborative with the stuntmen, as he and McKay worked out the shots. But maybe the most exciting thing about the scene was watching the different versions of Cage we were able to see. Each new cut gave a varying level of intensity, from relatively quiet to absurdly over-the-top. While we know that Cage can go wild when he wants to, it’s fascinating to see the range and levels he can bring to this performance, giving plenty of different options all from the same scene. While this certainly seems to be Renfield’s story, it truly looks like Cage is going to steal the scene whenever he’s on screen.

What really struck me about my time on the Renfield set was just how much everyone deeply cares about this project, right down to the tiny details that we won't even see on the screen. There's a clear passion and desire to create a film that does justice to the original Dracula film, and that can be felt in everything from the minuscule added elements in the jewelry and costume design, to the grand performances from Hoult and Cage that both feel like homage and yet original at the same time. Every single person we talked to has a reverence for the history of these characters and a clear appreciation for getting to play in this monster sandbox, which makes it seem like this take on Dracula and Renfield is truly in good hands.

Renfield comes to theaters on April 14th.