Possibly My Favorite Nicolas Cage Role: Vampires Kiss 1989 (Spoiler Free Review)

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Happy Tuesday, horror fans! This week, I’ve got a fun horror-comedy pick for us, streaming now on Tubi. I recently watched Vampire’s Kiss (1989), and I think it might officially be my favorite Nicolas Cage performance. Cage plays Peter, a literary agent and very old-school New York yuppie. He is rude to his coworkers and his secretary. He has frequent meetings with a therapist, and his work-life balance is having one-night stands.

During one of Peter's one-night stands, a bat flies in through the window and causes the woman he's with to freak out. They both leave and go back to her place. Peter comes back to his apartment later, and the bat is still there. He talks with his therapist about being sexually excited by the bat coming in, and he and his therapist try to understand those feelings. Next, Peter meets this woman, Rachel, at a nightclub. They have a one-night stand, and during this event, Rachel exposes her fangs and bites Peter on the neck.

From that point on, we watch Peter’s life spiral into chaos. He becomes increasingly hostile at work and starts displaying manic behavior. There is this really interesting B-plot throughout the film where Peter is making his secretary find this document that has gone missing, it's a contract with an author, and he is just berating his secretary the entire movie to find this document.

What stood out most to me was Cage’s physical performance. During Peter’s episodes, he completely unravels—talking to people who aren’t there, forgetting what he was doing mid-action, and losing his grip on reality. He has several conversations with Rachel after their encounter, despite her never actually being present.

While this film doesn't follow traditional horror, I thought Nicholas Cage's physicality in the role was so interesting. Watching a once-composed man fall apart after being manipulated by a seductive predator was hilarious and disturbing. If you're in the mood for something campy and offbeat, Vampire’s Kiss is a must-watch. It's fast-paced, weirdly compelling, and Cage is captivating. There’s even a scene where he recites the alphabet in therapy, and I swear I’ve never been so entertained by someone saying their ABCs.

9 out 10 Screams