Prolific actor Nicolas Cage has crafted an entire career out of creating unforgettable characters that often outshine the films themselves. From his unhinged, manic turn as Peter Loew in Vampire’s Kiss to pulling double duty in brand new movie The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (our review), the troubadour commits no matter the role.
This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to some of Nicolas Cage’s most memorable genre/horror performances, all demonstrative of his incredible range as an actor.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Mandy – AMC+, Plex, Shudder
Nicolas Cage is often so successful in his intentionally extreme performances that it can be easy to forget the impressive scope of his emotional range, restraint, and complex acting that led to award-winning acclaim outside of the genre space. Mandy serves as a potent reminder. His turn as Red Miller effectively marries both sides of Cage as an actor; the extremism and the raw emotion combined into one volatile, broken man forced into a quest for revenge. The primal grief that erupts in that pivotal bathroom scene stands out. Mandy gets directly referenced in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and includes prop replicas, making for an excellent double feature.
Between Worlds – Netflix
Nicolas Cage plays Joe, a lonely man still hung up on the loss of his family. He’s recruited by a mother to spiritually save her comatose daughter. They succeed, but Joe’s dead wife has taken over the woman’s daughter. Between Worlds ventures more into melodramatic soap opera territory than outright horror, creating many cringe scenarios in this weird love triangle tale. But for Cage fans, the supernatural movie delivers no shortage of memorable, meta moments, including Joe reading a book written by Nicolas Cage while having sex. It’s as outrageous as it sounds.
Bringing Out the Dead – Max Go
Director Martin Scorsese couldn’t have picked a better actor to portray his deeply haunted protagonist, Frank Pierce. Frank is a graveyard shift paramedic on a multiple-month streak of failing to save many of his patients’ lives. The narrative follows him over three nights, where his sanity gets tested by a severe lack of sleep and the psychological toll his career takes. Nicolas Cage plays that bone-tired, constantly on the edge state of mental weariness so well in this underrated genre-bending film.
Ghost Rider – Starz
To save his dying dad, stuntman Johnny Blaze makes a deal with the Devil. But the Devil is tricky, and poor Blaze winds up a bounty hunter for Hell, complete with a flaming skull. Leave it to Cage, a lifelong comic book fan, to take a different approach to a cinematic superhero role. Instead of playing it completely straight, Cage gives his Ghost Rider an Elvis-like swagger. More entertainingly, Cage eschews taking the character too seriously, pushing the envelope as far as possible in the sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (also available to stream on Starz). Remember that time Ghost Rider pissed fire? You can’t unsee that kind of bold madness.
Mom and Dad – Starz
If you want unrestrained Nicolas Cage in the best possible way, you want Mom and Dad. The premise revolves around a mysterious virus that exclusively renders parents homicidal toward their own children, and as infected dad Brent, Cage lets loose. Selma Blair holds her own against the actor as the mom, who’s equally unhinged, and the two are the sole reason to watch this B-movie romp. It’s entertaining and funny, and Cage and Blair bring the repressed rage of parental frustrations.