by Tammyjo Eckhart

Created on: May 12, 2009

The 1988 movie "Vampire's Kiss" directed by Robert Bierman, ranks up there as one of the strangest vampire movies I have ever seen and I watch a lot of vampire movies. But strange isn't necessarily bad as I'll discuss below.

One reason that vampires can survive in a world ruled by mortals is that they have powers which allow them to hide among their prey. Jennifer Beals' vampire, Rachel, does just that by frequently night clubs where she meets our main character, Peter Lowe, played by Nicolas Cage. Her cover works so well that when Peter tries to tell people what Rachel is, they do not believe him leaving her free to continue her hunt though she returns to Peter a few times. His own therapist does not believe him but that relates to the big question I'll get to in a minute.

Another reason vampires survive is that they are able to manipulate the mortal mind. Rachel does this as well not only with some vampire mojo but also by keeping Peter off balance with her visits and treatment of him. While the viewer may find Beals sexy herself, her character here is more cold blooded than sexy.

Finally vampires are cruel and vicious creatures something we often forget with the advent of character like Nick Knight or Angel or Edward. Rachel is indeed cruel on several levels both in how she feed from Peter but also how she treats him and get others to treat him as his world spins out of control. This helps us feel sorry for Peter but as the story develops we also start to question him as those around him begin to doubt his sanity.

Of course that's the big issue with this movie.Do vampires even exist or is Peter simply losing his mind? The ending is a bloody out of control scene related to the subplot about Peter's secretary who he may have raped or bitten or who knows. This lack of an answer is very disappointing because it does not answer the big question at all. This leaves you, the viewer, feeling dissatisfied, or at least it left me feeling that way. Until that point I thought it was an interesting study of sanity and the possibility of vampires.

I'm not surprised given the general poor reviews this movie has gotten that Bierman has focused primarily on television work since. As I watched, I really enjoyed the sensation of also losing my mind with the confusing atmosphere that I think was lost on many people. I think it's an interesting movie that I'd watch again to see if I can make sense of the subplot and the Rachel-Peter dynamic more.

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