Vampire’s Kiss (1988)

Vampire’s Kiss is the Nic Cage film that you don’t know you know.

Even if you haven't heard of it, I’m willing to bet you’ve seen at least a few seconds of it in the form of some of the best Nic Cage gifs of all time.

The film languished in production hell and was hardly seen by anybody at the time.

Thankfully for us, it’s seen a bit of a resurgence in recent years due to the meme-ability of Cage.

Beyond this, however, Vampire’s Kiss deserves to be reevaluated. Not just because of Cage’s performance, but because of the way it tackles workplace misconduct and toxic masculinity.

There are tons of scenes we could have chosen from to highlight this film’s message.

We chose this one because it’s a perfect example of how Cage’s manic energy is harmful to his secretary, Alva (Maria Conchita Alonso).

The basic plot follows literary agent Peter Loew (Cage) who thinks that he is slowly turning into a vampire.

Except that he isn’t. Or is he?

His erratic behavior is mostly directed at Alva, who is working hard trying to find a file for him.

Beneath the crazy performance, the film is asking us to look in the face of workplace harassment and the structure that allows it to happen.

As you watch this clip, look past Cage’s antics and think about what he’s actually saying.

It’s quite sinister.

Of all the Cage performances out there, Peter Loew may be his most unhinged.

This is mainly due to the fact that Cage viewed this role as an experiment. He wanted to test the boundaries of his acting ability.

This includes actually saying the word “Boohoo!” while crying and, believe it or not, eating a real cockroach on screen. Twice.

He even wanted to be bitten by a real bat! And when director Robert Bierman told him no, he sent a PA to Central Park to catch one.

He only relented when Bierman told him he would probably die from the bite and ruin the film.

The final piece of Loew’s character is his voice.

Cage and Bierman wanted to add a touch of pretension to Loew. Cage came up with a faux-British accent based on his father, who was a literature professor.

Bierman thought it was perfect, saying it sounded how Americans would speak while in England.

But we think it sounds like Derek Zoolander!

Guess Tomorrow’s Film