Cage may not be a regular in horror films, but he is a frequent guest of the genre. We recall his iconic roles—from cult classics to those unknown to the general public.
The hit slow-burner Longlegs has been released in domestic theaters, garnering rave reviews from the press and an overwhelming box office performance. In this film, the role of the sinister antagonist is played by Nicolas Cage, whose career has been on the rise again after a long slump.
On this occasion, we invite you to check out a selection of our favorite horror films featuring the great, terrible, and meme-worthy actor.
Vampire's Kiss (1988)
Screenwriter Joseph Minion had already gained fame with the film 'After Hours' before working on 'Vampire's Kiss'. That cult film by Scorsese was about the misadventures of a yuppie in the unfamiliar world of bohemia and late-night diners. In 'Vampire's Kiss', it's about a yuppie again: this time, literary agent Peter Loew goes mad at his hated job, becomes a vampire, and decides to start drinking blood not only from his subordinates (though primarily from them). Cage in this role is the star of the film and its center of gravity. He overacts in every scene, and those episodes where he parodies Trump or Count Orlok at the edge of fall replace action in the film.
However, 'Vampire's Kiss' is still a bit more than a benefit performance for actor Cage. This is a film about everything that sucks the life out of people. A loathsome job, the impossibility of attachment, stupid searches for old documents in poorly sorted archives, a hated boss—all these are also vampires, no less than Nosferatu.
Loew's tragedy, however, is that he would like to drink someone else's blood, but late capitalism already does this much more successfully. As a result, Cage's character suffers rather than torments, and only ruins the life of his poor secretary. And for that, in general, you don't even need to be a vampire—just going to a job you hate is enough.
Ghost Rider (2007)
'Ghost Rider' for me is what is called a guilty pleasure. When I first saw it as a child, it scared me very much. But at the same time, I was instantly captivated by Nicolas Cage turning into a cool skeleton biker on fire (there's even no such thing!!!). Over time, I got acquainted with the comics and realized that the film might not be as good as it was imprinted in my childhood brain. And then Ghost Rider appeared in 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.', and I thought that overall it wasn't so bad in the film, because on a motorcycle the character is clearly cooler than in a car.
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Open materialI haven't rewatched the film itself for a long time, of course, but there is a good reason for that: I don't want to spoil my impression of it, like, for example, with 'The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl'. So let it, for now, remain in the category of 'favorite films'. Maybe in the future, viewers will see another film incarnation of the character with a more engaging story and development, but for now, Nicolas Cage confidently sits in the saddle of the fiery iron horse (even without competitors, but what difference does it make, really?).
Mom and Dad (2017)
An absurd but conceptually interesting idea about a virus that turns parents into killers of their own children is the perfect springboard for a crazy comedy horror. The humor here is, of course, black, but all the more biting for it.
The script by Brian Taylor (half of the duo that gave the world the equally insane 'Crank') does not bother with details of how and why parents suddenly go mad. The film lasts only 83 minutes, so there is no talk of any exposition or backstory. In other words, forget logic while watching 'Mom and Dad' and just enjoy the authors' creativity in terms of action.
The short runtime helps maintain a brisk pace, and Taylor's signature style of filmmaking perfectly underscores the inexplicable madness on screen. Wild cinematography combines with outrageous scenes featuring Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair. Special mention goes to the second half of the film, where the battle between parents and children takes place in the style of 'Home Alone', if it were a horror genre representative.
Mandy (2018)
A gloomy, ferocious poem of revenge, where every subsequent frame multiplies the already permanent madness and ultra-violence until the very finale. A breakthrough role for Nicolas Cage after a long stagnation in memes and debt-driven filming. Everything here is both beautiful and terrible: a growling and bloodied Cage, drinking from the bottle in his underwear, the atmosphere of psychedelic 80s with grainy film and the vibe of cheap Reagan-era horror, ominous crimson sunsets, battles with giant chainsaws, the viscous soundtrack by Jóhann Jóhannsson, and Cage's cringe-inducing smile in the finale. In this scene, he seems to have reached some other, completely unearthly level of physical on-screen madness. Only one person can possess such talent. And that is Nicolas Cage.
Color Out of Space (2019)
If Stephen King is the 'king of horror', then H.P. Lovecraft is the 'emperor'! However, there are far fewer film adaptations based on the latter's works than the former's. Lovecraft's text, often complex, overloaded with internal mythology and meticulous descriptions of everything, is indeed difficult to translate into the language of cinema. While King's horrors, despite sometimes fantastical plots, are still addressed to people's grounded fears, real phobias, and social triggers, the 'Lovecraftian horror' singled out as a separate subgenre is about the fear of the unknown, the cosmic, and what is beyond human reason.
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Open material'Color Out of Space', in my opinion, is so far the best adaptation of Lovecraft, and moreover, not too far from the original source in terms of meaning and content. The creative tandem of director Richard Stanley and producer Elijah Wood managed to create something truly creepy and at the same time beautiful, in the spirit and with references to Carpenter's 'The Thing'. A great success was also the choice of Nicolas Cage for the central role of farmer Gardner. Here he was again entrusted to play a character gradually losing his mind and descending into madness. And he coped with this task excellently!
Willy's Wonderland (2020)
The desire to adapt the game Five Nights at Freddy's appeared back in 2015, but before the film that brought back the franchise's popularity last year, there was another attempt to capitalize on bloodthirsty animatronics. In 'Willy's Wonderland', there is no story about child abduction and their spirits in exoskeletons; the film does not pretend to be a post-horror exploring psychology, that is, everything that made watching unbearably boring is absent here.
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Open material'Willy's Wonderland' would have remained an ordinary bloody trash film if the night guard had not been played by Nicolas Cage. His character, who does not utter a single word throughout the entire film, punctures a tire of a sports car on the outskirts of a small town, but due to a broken ATM, he is forced to pay by cleaning an abandoned family center. While the silent newbie cleaner drinks beer, plays ping-pong, and goes about his duties, the old animatronics come to life and begin to terrorize the hero. Cage's charisma, combined with the simplicity of the plot, stylish visuals, and music, perfectly come together in an effective slasher.
Dream Scenario (2024)
Personally, few things scare me as much as the 'crowd effect'—its spontaneity, fickleness—especially with the advent of social networks in the form we know them now, just as the supposed physical harm is frightening, so is the mental harm that the crowd can inflict, especially when a person did nothing to deserve it.
And in this sense, 'Dream Scenario' is indeed a very inventive (and funny!) horror film, which seems to me like 'A Serious Man' by the Coens meeting 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' by Craven, and if all this were directed by Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman. And it's impossible to imagine anyone other than Nicolas Cage in the role of Paul, who seems to never repeat himself in his craft.
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