Character:
Peter Loew

“I’m a vampire! I’m a vampire! I’m a vampire! I’m a vampire!”

Director:
Robert Bierman

Producers: 
John Daly
Derek Gibson
Barry Shils
Barbara Zitwer

Writer: 
Joseph Minion

Co-stars:
Maria Conchita Alonso
Jennifer Beals
Elizabeth Ashley
Kasi Lemmons
Rob Lujan
Jessica Lundy
Johnny Walker
Boris Leskin
Marc Coppola

Movie Synopsis:
Vampire’s Kiss is a darkly comedic psychological thriller, both hilariously funny and tragically sad. Peter Loew is a literary agent enjoying his yuppy lifestyle in 80′s New York, except for his unfulfilled yearning to find true love. His whole life begins to change one night when a bat flies into his apartment during making love with his girlfriend. Soon after, Peter has an encounter with Rachel, who he becomes convinced is a vampire, and after spending a neck biting night with her, becomes convinced he is turning into one.
Behaving increasingly strangely at work, Peter becomes obsessed with a client’s lost file and victimizes (ultimately with tragic consequences) a company secretary, until she finds it. But by then it is ‘too late’, as his strangeness steps over the line from tense but nevertheless comedic neurosis, to tragic psychosis.
The story is interwoven with visits to his therapist, and as Peter’s behaviour becomes more erratic and disturbed, it becomes harder to tell what is real and what is a hallucination for Peter.

Trailer:

Nicolas Cage movie quote:
“Vampire’s Kiss was sort of my experimental laboratory
where I tried things out, facial expressions and attitudes.”
“When I was eight years old, I used to watch those silent German expressionist films like Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – well, you can imagine the effect they had on me. They were much more horrifying than anything today – claustrophobic and really spooky. I would have nightmares about them. With Vampire´s Kiss, I saw an opportunity to say, Well, this man is insane, and so I have a right to do what I want; I can use some of those old German facial expressions and hand gestures and combine it with sound. That´s why I was so excited about it.”

Interesting Facts:
Nicolas Cage famously ate a live cockroach for this role. Twice.

Awards:
Nominated: 1990 Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Male

Cagealot Castle Review:
The Vampiric Ways Of Nicolas Cage

DVD info:

The region 1 Vampire’s Kiss DVD has a detailed audio commentary with Nicolas Cage and director Robert Bergman. Check out our Vampire’s Kiss Audio Commentary Transcript