Living in the big city is enough to drive anyone bats, and the pressure of it proves too much for Peter Loew (Nicolas Cage, Con Air), At the peak of his career, yet in the depths of despair, his life is in turmoil until he meets Rachel (Jennifer Beals, Flashdance), the woman of his dreams. During their first night together, Rachel takes more than his heart – she takes his blood too – and from that moment on, Peter Loew believes he is a vampire. What is it about Rachel that makes him feel this way? Is she really a blood-lusting creature of the night? Or just a product of his fevered imagination? Because if it turns out he is really a vampire – then there’s more than just his life at stake!
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Video Quality
Vampire’s Kiss makes its return to Blu-Ray via the MVD Rewind Collection with a 1080p transfer after previously being available from Scream Factory in a two-pack with High Spirits. While I do not have access to that release, it is pretty likely this slightly older master is derived from the same source. While it could use some freshening up, the results are largely favorable with an organically filmic presentation that does not appear to suffer from any digital manipulation. There remains the occasional nick or scratch present in the print, but overall this is free of blatant damage that would distract.
The transfer is mostly clear and detailed, but you do have shots that run on the soft side or experience some fluctuations in density. The transfer does reveal some pleasing detail in the production design and texture of clothing. Colors pop well even at night or cloaked in shadow. It is hard to argue with the black levels as they stay pretty strong with a decent amount of depth that only reveals some crush and banding. This is a pretty enjoyable presentation for a film that has been fetching top dollar after going out of print.
Audio Quality
MVD Entertainment brings us this new Blu-Ray with an LPCM 2.0 track that does not falter at any point. The environmental effects are precisely delineated including the chatter of office workers and the sound of the urban sprawl. The dialogue holds up quite nicely, coming though clearly without being stepped on by the score or sound effects. The music never lacks in fidelity as it flows through the speakers. This track does not present with any glaring instances of age related wear and tear. This is a track that represents the film in a very pleasing way. Optional English (SDH), French and Spanish subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Nicolas Cage and Director Robert Gierman provide a fun commentary track in which they discuss how Cage almost passed on the film, why it is one of his favorite performances, how Judd Nelson almost played the lead role, the fundamental misunderstanding of the story from certain parties, how executives cut out some of Cage’s favorite moments, disagreements with teamsters, the wardrobe of the film, his reason behind the voice he uses, the heated arguments that stemmed from Cage’s method acting and much more. Cage is wonderfully self-aware and very insistent that audiences give the film a fair shake as he discusses his motivations behind the film.
- Photo Gallery: A collection of stills from the film, marketing materials, and more are provided here.
- Trailers: This disc provides the Theatrical Trailer (2:04) and a TV Spot (0:30) for Vampire’s Kiss. The disc also features trailers for other MVD releases including Miami Blues and Desperate Hours.
- Poster: A fold-out poster of the cover art is included in the case.
Final Thoughts
Vampire’s Kiss is a film with a notorious reputation thanks to the unhinged performance of star Nicolas Cage, but the bold swing is one that connects with us more than it does not. This may be partly due to the commentary track in which Cage himself lets you behind the curtain a bit to understand what he was striving to accomplish. The humor is utterly bizarre, but those who can jive on the same frequency with this one are sure to have a blast. MVD Entertainment has offered up a fine Blu-Ray with a good A/V presentation and a couple of special features. Fans of gonzo Nic Cage should not pass up this meme-worthy feature. Recommended
Vampire’s Kiss is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: MVD Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.