Vampire's Kiss
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''Vampire's Kiss'' is a 1989 American
black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
directed by
Robert Bierman Robert Bierman is an English film and television director. He began his career directing commercials and short films before making the transition to directing feature films and television dramas. Bierman was originally scheduled to direct '' Th ...
and written by Joseph Minion. Starring
Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Nicolas Cage, various accolades, including an Academy A ...
,
María Conchita Alonso María Concepción Alonso Bustillo (born June 29, 1955), better known as María Conchita Alonso, is a Cuban-born Venezuelan-American actress, singer, and beauty pageant titleholder who represented Venezuela at Miss World 1975 and placed in the t ...
,
Jennifer Beals Jennifer Beals (born December 19, 1963) is an American actress. She made her film debut in ''My Bodyguard'' (1980), before receiving critical acclaim for her performance as Alexandra Owens in ''Flashdance'' (1983), for which she won NAACP Image ...
, and
Elizabeth Ashley Elizabeth Ann Cole (born August 30, 1939), known professionally as Elizabeth Ashley, is an American actress of theatre, film, and television. She has been nominated for three Tony Awards, winning once in 1962 for '' Take Her, She's Mine''. Ash ...
, the film tells the story of a
literary agent A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers, film producers, and film studios, and assists in sale and deal negotiation. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwr ...
who falls in love with a vampire. The film later developed a
cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...
largely due to Cage's "scorched-earth acting", which has become a source of many
Internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...
s.


Plot

Peter Loew is a New York City-based
literary agent A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers, film producers, and film studios, and assists in sale and deal negotiation. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwr ...
and a narcissistic
yuppie Yuppie, short for "young urban professional" or "young upwardly-mobile professional", is a term coined in the early 1980s for a young professional person working in a city. The term is first attested in 1980, when it was used as a fairly neu ...
, with little in his life but work,
one-night stand A one-night stand is a single sexual encounter in which there is no expectation that there shall be any further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single night performanc ...
s, and frequent appointments with his therapist, Dr. Glaser. Peter brings home a woman named Jackie from a club, but they are interrupted when a bat flies through the window; he later tells Dr. Glaser that his struggle with the bat aroused him. At his office, Peter torments a secretary, Alva Restrepo, with repeated demands to find an obscure missing document. At a nightclub, Peter meets a mysterious woman named Rachel and takes her home. In bed, she exposes her vampire fangs and bites him on the neck, with Peter succumbing to pleasure as she feeds on his blood. The following morning, Peter is seen with an uninjured neck, but cuts himself shaving and applies a bandage. He serves coffee and makes conversation with a non-existent Rachel, casting doubt on the reality of their encounter. Visiting an art museum with Jackie, Peter abruptly ditches her, and she leaves him an angry phone message. In therapy, he seems not to remember the incident with the bat, and browbeats Alva when she is unable to find the missing contract. His severe mood swings lead to public outbursts, and he makes an apologetic call to Jackie to arrange another date. As he is about to leave, he is drawn into bed by the appearance of Rachel, who again drains his blood, while a dejected Jackie leaves him an angry note to stay away. At work, an erratic Peter chases Alva into the bathroom and laughs off the incident with his colleagues, but continues to humiliate and threaten her. Finding Jackie’s note, he destroys his apartment in a fit of rage, and unsettles Dr. Glaser with his bizarre rants. Growing sensitive to light, he wears sunglasses indoors and collapses on the street at the sight of a crucifix. Believing the bandage on his neck to be the location of Rachel's vampire bite, his delusions of her nighttime feedings persist, as does his unhinged behavior, including eating cockroaches. Alva stays home to avoid an increasingly frightening Peter, who arrives at her door and manipulates her into returning to work with him. She confides in her brother Emilio, who gives her blanks for the gun she carries in her purse. Peter fails to see his reflection in mirrors as his mental state deteriorates, and chases Alva through the building after hours. Begging her to shoot him, Peter forces himself on her while hallucinating she is Rachel. Overcome by despair, he fires the gun into his mouth, but assumes his “transformation” has saved him. Fully believing himself to be a vampire, Peter purchases cheap novelty fangs and catches pigeons to eat in his wrecked apartment, which he turns into a darkened lair. Sleeping under his upturned sofa as though it were a coffin, he emerges at night and goes to a club, wearing his plastic fangs and behaving like Orlok from the film ''
Nosferatu ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' () is a 1922 silent film, silent German Expressionism (cinema), German Expressionist vampire film directed by F. W. Murnau from a screenplay by Henrik Galeen. It stars Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who ...
''. He tries to seduce a woman before attacking her with his real teeth, leaving her unconscious and bloody, and hallucinates a disdainful Rachel abandoning him for another man. On the dance floor, Peter finds the real Rachel, who appears to recognize him from a past date. He attempts to manhandle her into revealing her fangs, but is dragged out of the club. Wandering the streets covered in blood, Peter begs passersby to end his suffering with a wooden stake, while newspaper headlines confirm that the woman he attacked in the club has died. He hallucinates a therapy session with Dr. Glaser, who laughs off his crimes and introduces him to “Sharon”, another patient and his romantic match. A traumatized Alva tells Emilio about her assault, and they find Peter as he returns to his apartment with the imaginary Sharon, where his fantasy dissolves into an abusive argument. Emilio forces his way inside and confronts Peter, who offers up the shard of wood, and impales Peter before fleeing. A dying Peter envisions the vampire Rachel one last time.


Cast

*
Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Nicolas Cage, various accolades, including an Academy A ...
as Peter Loew, a literary agent whose outlandish descent into madness leaves him increasingly isolated *
María Conchita Alonso María Concepción Alonso Bustillo (born June 29, 1955), better known as María Conchita Alonso, is a Cuban-born Venezuelan-American actress, singer, and beauty pageant titleholder who represented Venezuela at Miss World 1975 and placed in the t ...
as Alva Restrepo, secretary to Peter and constant victim to his rants and impatience *
Jennifer Beals Jennifer Beals (born December 19, 1963) is an American actress. She made her film debut in ''My Bodyguard'' (1980), before receiving critical acclaim for her performance as Alexandra Owens in ''Flashdance'' (1983), for which she won NAACP Image ...
as Rachel, the seductive vampire that initially haunts Peter and pushes him into his vampire-like state, eventually falling in love with him *
Kasi Lemmons Kasi Lemmons (; born Karen Lemmons, February 24, 1959) is an American film director, screenwriter, and actress. She made her directorial debut with ''Eve's Bayou'' (1997), followed by ''The Caveman's Valentine'' (2001), ''Talk to Me (2007 film), ...
as Jackie, a romantic interest of Peter whom he later stands up in favor of a night with Rachel * Bob Lujan as Emilio, the protective brother of Alva who supplies her with a gun and blank ammunition *
Elizabeth Ashley Elizabeth Ann Cole (born August 30, 1939), known professionally as Elizabeth Ashley, is an American actress of theatre, film, and television. She has been nominated for three Tony Awards, winning once in 1962 for '' Take Her, She's Mine''. Ash ...
as Dr. Glaser, the therapist in Peter's real and imaginary worlds In addition,
Jessica Lundy Jessica R. Lundy (born March 20, 1966) is an American actress. She began her career appearing in films '' Bright Lights, Big City'' (1988), '' Caddyshack II'' (1988) and '' Madhouse'' (1990), before regular roles in the short-lived police drama '' ...
plays Sharon, the patient his therapist sets Peter up with, Cage's brother Marc Coppola briefly appears as the joke guy, and the musical group ESG has a cameo performing in a club.


Production

Joseph Minion wrote the film as he grappled with depression. In an interview with Zach Schonfeld of '' The Ringer'', Minion said that while on vacation in Barbados with his then-girlfriend, Barbara Zitwer, he wrote the screenplay as a response to his "toxic relationship" with her. Zitwer, who would come on as a producer for the film, found the final product to be "horrifying". Minion's depiction of Zitwer as a "vampire and destroying him" foreshadowed the ending of their relationship during production. Known previously for having written ''
After Hours After Hours or Afterhours may refer to: Film and television * ''After Hours'' (film), a 1985 black comedy by Martin Scorsese * ''After Hours'' (Canadian TV series), a 1953 variety series * ''After Hours'' (1958 British TV series), a comedy s ...
'', directed by
Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
, Minion sought to keep the "grim view of the Manhattan nightlife" found in the aforementioned film central to his newest work. Originally intent on directing the project, Minion soon gave the position up stating that the "darkness of it" was too much for him to bear. Instead, the film was led by British newcomer
Robert Bierman Robert Bierman is an English film and television director. He began his career directing commercials and short films before making the transition to directing feature films and television dramas. Bierman was originally scheduled to direct '' Th ...
, who held previous experience working on commercials and short films such as ''The Rocking Horse Winner'' (1983) and ''The Dumb Waiter'' (1979). This sudden departure however also prompted the then-cast Nicolas Cage to drop out after his agent pressured him, stating that "this was not a good movie to make after ''
Moonstruck ''Moonstruck'' is a 1987 American romantic comedy film directed by Norman Jewison and written by John Patrick Shanley. It stars Cher as a widowed Italian-American woman who falls in love with her fiancé's hot-tempered, estranged younger broth ...
''". His departure was short-lived however, and Cage's "outrageously unbridled performance" was destined for the screen. Cage described the story as being about "a man whose loneliness and inability to find love literally drives him insane". The role of Peter Loew was originally given to
Dennis Quaid Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his starring roles in '' Breaking Away'' (1979), '' The Right Stuff'' (1983), '' The Big Easy'' (1986), '' Innerspace'' (1987), '' Great Balls of Fire!'' (1989), ' ...
, then passed on to Cage after the former dropped out to do ''
Innerspace ''Innerspace'' is a 1987 American science fiction comedy film directed by Joe Dante and produced by Michael Finnell, inspired by the 1966 film ''Fantastic Voyage''. The film stars Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan, Robert Picardo, and Kevin ...
''. Cage and Beals reportedly did not get along on set, with their friction most likely stemming from the part of Rachel going to Beals rather than Cage's then-girlfriend,
Patricia Arquette Patricia Arquette (; born April 8, 1968) is an American actress. She made her feature film debut as Kristen Parker in ''A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors'' (1987) and has since received several awards, including an Academy Award, two P ...
. Going purposefully against the
method acting Method acting, known as the Method, is a range of rehearsal techniques, as formulated by a number of different theatre practitioners, that seeks to encourage sincere and expressive performances through identifying with, understanding, and expe ...
technique, Cage "took a highly surrealistic approach" to Loew. Apart from his "pseudo-Transylvanian dialect", scenes of Cage screaming the alphabet, eating cockroaches, and ranting "I'm a vampire!" shocked viewers and critics alike. The original script called for Loew to eat a raw egg but Cage decided a cockroach would be more effective claiming it would "shock the audience". This shock was further extended to a couple of homeless people whom Cage ran into on the streets of
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
as he pleaded with them to drive a stake through his heart as Bierman and crew shot from afar. Physicality played a central role in the creation of this character for Cage, who sought to see "how big ecould get iseyes" in order to appear terrifying. This was then furthered with scenes of Cage jumping on tables, sprinting across the office, and many frantic hand gestures which he claims were "extremely choreographed".


Release

''Vampire's Kiss'' was released June 2, 1989. It grossed $725,131 in the U.S. It was released on
home video Home video is recorded media sold or Video rental shop, rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD and Blu-ray. ...
in August 1990.
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
released it on DVD in August 2002, and
Scream Factory Shout! Factory, LLC, doing business as Shout! Studios (formerly doing business as Shout! Factory, its current legal name), is an American home video and music distributor founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases, issued i ...
released it on Blu-ray in February 2015. It was subsequently re-released on Blu-Ray through the MVD Rewind label in June 2022.


Reception

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
assigned the film a weighted average score of 30 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' wrote, "Cage's over-the-top performance generates little sympathy for the character, so it's tough to be interested in him as his personality disorder worsens."
Caryn James Caryn James is an American film critic, journalist, university lecturer, and writer. Biography She grew up in Providence, Rhode Island, and obtained her doctorate in English literature at Brown University. She began working as a freelance jour ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' wrote, " e film is dominated and destroyed by Mr. Cage's chaotic, self-indulgent performance." Kevin Thomas of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' called it "a sleek, outrageous dark comedy that's all the funnier for constantly teetering on the brink of sheer tastelessness and silliness." Hal Hinson of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' called the film "stone-dead bad, incoherently bad", but said that Cage's overacting must be seen to be believed. Carrie Rickey of ''
The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...
'' called it an "imaginative, if warped, black comedy" that "succeeds as a wicked allegory of What Men Want". ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' critic Peter Travers wrote that the film needs "a stake through the heart". Reviewing the film on Blu-ray, Anthony Arrigo of
Bloody Disgusting Bloody Disgusting is an American independent multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news website specializing in information services that covered various horror media. The company expanded into other media including podcast ...
wrote, "The film may not work very well as a comedy, but there's enough of a dark derangement present to make it almost unsettling."


See also

*
Vampire film Vampire films have been a staple in world cinema since the era of silent films, so much so that the depiction of vampires in popular culture is strongly based upon their depiction in films throughout the years. The most popular cinematic adaptat ...


References


External links

* * * {{Rotten Tomatoes 1989 films 1989 independent films 1989 black comedy films 1989 comedy horror films American black comedy films American comedy horror films Vampire comedy films Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City Films set in the 1980s Films scored by Colin Towns 1989 directorial debut films American psychological horror films American exploitation films 1980s English-language films Films directed by Robert Bierman 1980s American films English-language comedy horror films English-language independent films