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Vampire's Kiss is a 1989 American black comedyhorror film directed by Robert Bierman, written by Joseph Minion, and starring Nicolas Cage, María Conchita Alonso, Jennifer Beals and Elizabeth Ashley.^[3][4][5] The film tells the story of a mentally ill literary agent whose condition turns even worse when he believes he was bitten by a vampiress. It was a box office failure but went on to become a cult film.

Shadow’s Kiss is being developed by a group of games and entertainment professionals as a labor of love, looking to the community to crowd-fund and guide the design goals. This project involves creating a rich catalog of stories and art that will drive our interactive online world. You can kiss anywhere, or during any occassion in a full range of games running the gamut from Cinema Kiss (or Kissing in the Cinema, if you prefer), Love at the Lake, Kissing Rickshaw, and Park Bench Kissing to Christmas Kiss, Gym Love, and Valentine Night Kiss. Feel like going a little goth? Why not experiment with a little Vampire Love? Mystery Agency: A Vampire's Kiss for iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac & PC! Help Sarah find her missing friend, who was taken away by a dark being in the middle of the night, in this Hidden Object game!!

Plot[edit]

Vampire Kiss Games To Play

Peter Loew (Nicolas Cage) is a driven literary agent and an example of the stereotypical narcissistic and greedy yuppie of the 1980s: he works all day and club hops at night, with little in his life but alcohol, one-night stands and the pursuit of money and supposed prestige. However, he is slowly going insane and sees a therapist (Elizabeth Ashley) frequently. During these sessions, his declining mental health becomes clear through a series of increasingly bizarre rants which eventually begin to scare even the psychiatrist. After he takes home a girl he met in a club named Jackie (Kasi Lemmons), a rotund bat flies in through his window, scaring them both. At his next session he mentions to his therapist that the struggle with the bat aroused him, and after visiting an art museum with Jackie the next day, he ditches her, and she leaves an angry message on his phone.

Loew meets Rachel (Jennifer Beals) at a night club, and takes her home. She pins him down, reveals vampire fangs and bites him on the neck. He soon begins to believe that he is slowly turning into a vampire. He stares into a bathroom mirror and fails to see his reflection, he wears dark sunglasses during the day indoors and, when his 'fangs' fail to develop, he purchases a pair of cheap plastic vampire novelty teeth. All the while, Rachel apparently visits him nightly in his mind to feed on his blood. Shortly after, Loew experiences severe mood swings and calls Jackie back apologetically, asking to meet her at a bar. As he is about to leave, a jealous Rachel appears and beckons him back inside. A dejected Jackie eventually leaves the bar and leaves an angry note on his door asking him to leave her alone.

A subplot concerns a secretary working at Loew's office, Alva Restrepo (María Conchita Alonso). Loew constantly torments her by forcing her to search through an enormous paper file for a 1963 contract. When she fails to find the contract, he at first browbeats and humiliates her, then visits her at home and tricks her into coming back to work, and finally attacks and attempts to bite her at the workplace after hours. She pulls out a gun, and Loew begs her to shoot him. Since it is only loaded with blanks, she fires at the floor to scare him off. He eventually overpowers her and attempts to bite her on the neck, ripping her shirt open and knocking her down. He takes the gun and fires it into his mouth, but is not harmed by the blanks.

Thinking he has metamorphosed into a vampire, Loew goes out to a club wearing his novelty vampire teeth and moving around erratically like the character Orlok from the film Nosferatu with a crazed look in his eyes. He begins to seduce a woman, but when he gets too grabby she slaps him off, making Loew even more unhinged: he overpowers her (in the same manner as he did earlier to his employee Alva) and bites her neck, having taken out the fangs and using his real teeth. The woman is left seemingly unconscious and bloody. He then puts his plastic novelty fangs back in. Leaving the club, Loew has a brief, heated encounter with Rachel: she admits to knowing him, but gives the impression that they have not been in contact for a long period. He accuses her of being a vampiress, and is expelled from the club by security.

Alva wakes up with her shirt ripped open, possibly thinking she was raped, and eventually tells her brother Emilio (Bob Lujan) about the sexual assault, who is enraged and goes after Loew with Alva to seek revenge. Meanwhile, Loew is wandering the streets, disheveled in a blood-spattered business suit from the previous night, excitedly talking to himself. In a hallucinatory exchange on a street corner, he tells his therapist that he raped someone and also murdered someone else. Based on a newspaper, the latter appears to be true, as the girl he bit on the neck in the club is pronounced dead. As Loew returns to his now-disastrous apartment (which he'd been using as a sort of vampire's lair) Alva points out Loew to a waiting Emilio, who then quietly pursues him inside the apartment block with a tire iron.

In the midst of an abusive argument with an imaginary romantic interest (supposedly a patient of his psychiatrist) Loew begins to retch again from the blood he had swallowed, and crawls under his upturned sofa on the floor, which he sees as his 'coffin'. Emilio hears flatulent noises, finds him and upturns the sofa, and Loew holds a large broken piece of wood to his chest as a makeshift stake, repeating the gesture he had made earlier to strangers on the street when he had asked them to stake and kill him with the piece of wood from a pallet. Emilio, in a rage, pushes down on the wood and it pierces Loew's chest in a gruesome manner. Realizing he has committed a crime, a scared Emilio flees the apartment. As Loew dies, he envisions the vampiress Rachel staring at him one last time.

Cast[edit]

• Nicolas Cage as Peter Loew, a literary critic whose outlandish descent into madness leaves him increasingly isolated and irritant. The role, originally given to Dennis Quaid, was then passed on to Cage after the former dropped out to do Innerspace.^[1]
• María Conchita Alonso as Alva Restrepo, Secretary to Loew and constant victim to his rants and impatience.
• Jennifer Beals as Rachel, the seductive vampire that haunts the dreams of Loew and pushes him into his vampire-like state. Cage and Beals reportedly didn't get along on set with their friction most likely stemming from the part of Rachel not being cast to Cage's then girlfriend, Patricia Arquette, and instead going to Beals.^[1]
• Elizabeth Ashley as Dr. Glaser, the therapist of Loew's real world and imaginary, who listens to his recounts of sexual experiences.
• Kasi Lemmons as Jackie, a romantic interest of Loew which he later stands up in favor of a night with Rachel.
• Bob Lujan as Emilio Restrepo, the protective brother of Alva who supplies her with a gun and blank ammunition.
• Jessica Lundy as Sharon
• Johnny Walker as Donald (as John Walker)
• Boris Leskin as Fantasy Cabbie
• Michael Knowles as Andrew
• John Michael Higgins as Ed
• Jodie Markell as Joke Girl
• Marc Coppola as Joke Guy
• David Hyde Pierce as Theater Guy (as David Pierce)
• Amy Stiller as Theater Girl
• Christopher Sluka as Hanger Out
• ESG in a cameo appearance

Production[edit]

Written 'as darkly comic and deft as its bizarre premise,'^[3] 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. Dealing with themes of isolation, loneliness, and domination, Zitwer, who would come on as a producer for the film, found the final product to be 'horrifying.' The story was extremely emblematic of their relationship together and Minion's depiction of Zitwer as a 'vampire and destroying him,'^[1] was clear foreshadowing to their end of their relationship during production. Known previously for having written After Hours, directed by Martin Scorsese, Minion sought to keep the 'grim view of the Manhattan nightlife,'^[1] found in the aforementioned film central to his newest work.

Originally intent on taking the helm of directing the project, Minion soon gave the position up stating that the “darkness of it,”^[1] was too much for him to bear. Instead, the film was lead by British newcomer Robert Bierman who held previous experience working on commercials and short films such as The Rocking Horse Winner and The Dumb Waiter. This sudden departure however also prompted the then cast Nicolas Cage to drop out after his agent pressured him stating 'this was not a good movie to make after Moonstruck.'^[6] His departure was short lived however and Cage's 'outrageously unbridled performance,'^[7] was destined for the screen.

An enthusiastic employer of the Method Acting technique, Cage 'took a highly surrealistic approach,'^[1] to Loew. Apart from his “pseudo-Trannsylvanian dialect,”^[3] 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.'^[6] This shock was further extended to a couple of real homeless people who Cage ran into on the streets of Manhattan 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 in several terrifying scenes sought to see 'how big [he] could get [his] eyes.'^[6] 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.'^[1]

While many such as Hal Hinson of The Washington Post criticized this style of 'scorched-earth acting,'^[8] it cemented the film as a cult classic and become the source of many internet memes.

Release[edit]

Vampire's Kiss was released June 2, 1989. It grossed $725,131 in the U.S.^[2] It was released on home video in August 1990.^[9]MGM released it on DVD in August 2002,^[10] and Scream Factory released it on Blu-ray in February 2015.^[11]

Reception[edit]

Vampire's Kiss was considered a commercial flop upon its initial release but has developed a cult following since that time.^[12][13]Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 61% of 23 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 5.89/10. The site's critical consensus reads: 'He's a vampire! He's a vampire! He's a vampire!'^[14]Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 31 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating 'generally unfavorable reviews'.^[15]

Variety 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.'^[16] Caryn James of The New York Times wrote, '[T]he film is dominated and destroyed by Mr. Cage's chaotic, self-indulgent performance.'^[3]Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it 'a sleek, outrageous dark comedy that's all the funnier for constantly teetering on the brink of sheer tastelessness and silliness.'^[4] Hal Hinson of The Washington Post called the film 'stone-dead bad, incoherently bad', but said that Cage's overacting must be seen to be believed.^[8] Carrie Rickey of The Philadelphia Inquirer called it an 'imaginative, if warped, black comedy' that 'succeeds as a wicked allegory of What Men Want'.^[5] Reviewing the film on Blu-ray, Anthony Arrigo of Bloody Disgusting 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.'^[17] Furthermore, Peter Travers from the Rolling Stone argues that the film doesn't need further criticism but rather “a stake through the heart.”^[18]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcdefghSchonfeld, Zach (June 13, 2019). 'Truly Batshit: The Secret History of 'Vampire's Kiss,' the Craziest Nicolas Cage Movie of All Time'. The Ringer. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
2. ^ ^ab'Vampire's Kiss'. Box Office Mojo.
3. ^ ^abcdJames, Caryn (June 2, 1989). 'Vampire s Kiss (1989)'. The New York Times. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
4. ^ ^abThomas, Kevin (June 2, 1989). 'MOVIE REVIEW : 'Vampire' Sinks Fangs Into Big-City Nastiness'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
5. ^ ^abRickey, Carrie (June 3, 1989). ''Vampire's Kiss': Nicolas Cage Goes Batty'. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
6. ^ ^abc'47 Things We Learned from Nicolas Cage's Vampire's Kiss Commentary'. Film School Rejects. February 9, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
7. ^Rosenbaum, Jonathan. 'Vampire's Kiss'. Chicago Reader. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
8. ^ ^abHinson, Hal (June 2, 1989). ''Vampire's Kiss' (R)'. The Washington Post. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
9. ^Smith, Mark Chalon (August 23, 1990). ''Vampire's Kiss': A Metaphor With Bite'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
10. ^Cressey, Earl (August 1, 2002). 'Vampire's Kiss'. DVD Talk. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
11. ^Miska, Brad (January 6, 2015). 'Scream Factory: Spirits, Vamps and New Year's Classics On Blu-ray!'. Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
12. ^'The Film Journal, Volume 92, Issues 7-12'. The Film Journal. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
13. ^Tobias, Scott. 'Vampire's Kiss features one of Nicolas Cage's best, most out-of-control performances'. AV Club. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
14. ^'Vampire's Kiss (1989)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
15. ^'Vampire's Kiss Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
16. ^'Review: 'Vampire's Kiss''. Variety. 1988. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
17. ^Arrigo, Anthony (February 9, 2015). 'Vampire's Kiss / High Spirits (Blu-ray Double Feature)'. Dread Central. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
18. ^Travers, Peter (June 2, 1989). 'Vampire's Kiss'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 1, 2020.

External links[edit]

• Vampire's Kiss at IMDb
• Vampire's Kiss at Box Office Mojo
• Vampire's Kiss at Rotten Tomatoes

How to play:

1. Player will place the cookie on his forehead.

2. Cookie must stay in contact with the face until it reaches the mouth.

3. Player to get 3 cookies in their mouth within 60 seconds wins!

Items Needed:
3 cookies

How to Play:

1. Two players per team.

2. Player 1 sits in a chair while player 2 holds the pack of post-it-notes.

3. Player 2 sticks one post it note at a time on Player 1’s face to create a mask.

4. The team with the most post-it notes used in 60 seconds wins!

Items Needed:
package of post-it notes

Become A Vampire Game

How to Play:

1. Two players per team.

2. Player 1 wraps the paper around spinning player 2. If it breaks just keep going!

3. The roll of paper must be empty within 60 seconds. First team to empty wins!

Items Needed:
roll of crepe paper or toilet paper