Best Nicolas Cage Horror Movies

Summary

From Mom and Dad to Longlegs, Nicolas Cage shines in horror films with unhinged and captivating performances.
Willy's Wonderland showcases Cage as a competent and grizzly hero in a parody of the popular game Five Nights at Freddy's.
Mandy offers a surreal revenge tale that highlights Cage's underrated acting skills in a horrifying new light.

Nicolas Cage has always been a big name in horror and movies in general, infamous for movies such as Wicker Man, and renown for his roles in Con Air and Face/Off. Lately, he has proven he can really shine in the horror genre after appearing in the critically successful Longlegs, and even appearing in the multiplayer horror game Dead by Daylight as himself.

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By Kristy Ambrose

There are plenty of more horror titles in his expansive career, with most verging into more of a comedic horror. Nevertheless, fans can be assured Nicolas Cage will always give every role his best, as his passion as an actor cannot be denied. Here are the best of his roles in the world of horror, as fans await the next project that is undoubtedly already in the works.

6 Mom and Dad

An Unhinged Performance as a Deranged Dad

Director: Brian Taylor
Release Date: January 19th, 2018
Runtime: 83 minutes

Even the most picture-perfect nuclear family can run into their fair share of trouble, but Mom and Dad goes a little extreme with showing a fractured family. The already strained Ryan family hit rock bottom when a strange static starts transmitting through radios and TVs, which drives all the parents into murderous bouts of rage directed at their own children.

Brent Ryan, expertly portrayed by Nicolas Cage, was suffering from a midlife crisis prior to this phenomenon, but now his temperament is amped up to 100 as he wants nothing more than to murder his own children. He excels in this role, and his bloodthirst is so believable that viewers fear for the lives of the children. In an excellent twist ending, the grandparents of the Ryan's show up expressing the exact same desire to end their own bloodline.

5 Renfield

Watch Nicolas Cage's Take on the Legendary Count

Director: Chris McKay
Release Date: April 14th, 2023
Runtime: 93 minutes

Many actors have tested their acting chops by taking on the role of the legendary Count Dracula. Since becoming public domain, Dracula has appeared in various games, TV shows and movies, including Renfield, which casts Nicolas Cage in the role of the deadly and dangerous vampire.

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By Kath Leroy

In this movie, Dracula's thrall Renfield has grown weary of luring victims for the vampire to feed on and kill, as well as the abuse he endures, joining a 12-step group for those languishing in toxic relationships. Still bound to carry out his master's wishes, Renfield finds himself tangling with law forces. Though Nicholas Hault is definitely the protagonist of the show, Nicolas Cage steals the spotlight whenever he is on-screen, as his performance as Dracula is captivating, and a refreshing take on the charismatic vampire.

4 Color Out of Space

Based on the Lovecraft Story of the Same Name

Director: Richard Stanley
Release Date: January 24, 2020
Runtime: 111 minutes

Horror movie fans will undoubtedly think of The Thing when considering body horror movies, but now there is a new contender in the ring. It likely won't take The Thing's crown as the best and outright grossest body horror movie, but it is certainly one fans should check out for a good dose of gruesome horror.

A meteorite from outer space crashes into the frontier yard of the Gardner's farm, and they are afflicted by all sorts of maladies such as contaminated water and desiccated crops, which changes the family. The animals on the farm fuse into masses, as does the mother Theresa and her son Jack, who also grow violent in temperament. Witnessing the slipping of the family's sanity and some of their outright transformations into monsters is sheer terror, and Nicolas Cage's performance as the father certainly chills viewers as he turns against his own daughter.

3 Willy's Wonderland

The Five Nights at Freddy's Movie Fans Deserved

nicolas cage willy's wonderland — willys-wonderland-nicolas-cage

Director: Kevin Lewis
Release Date: February 12th, 2021
Runtime: 88 minutes

Before Blumhouse's Five Nights at Freddy's movie, there was the mascot horror movie Willy's Wonderland, which was clearly inspired by, and maybe even parodying, the popular horror game franchise. Nicolas Cage takes on the role of a very little-spoken janitor at the titular entertainment center, but he won't be the only one there, as a group of teens break in and come face to face with the hostile animatronics.

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By Hannah (Tyler) Dahlberg

Nicolas Cage makes a surprisingly competent and believable hero as he takes on the role of the protagonist that slays the animatronics, but he doesn't go out of his way to save the teens, even abandoning one mid-fight to take a break in one hilarious scene. As grizzly as it is comedic, Willy's Wonderland is animatronic horror done right.

2 Mandy

A Surreal Revenge Mission

Director: Panos Cosmatos
Release Date: September 14, 2018
Runtime: 121 minutes

Revenge stories are nothing new in the movie industry, as they have become the main crux for many action movies, such as the John Wick series. But, Mandy at least puts a very new and horrifying take on this, as Nicolas Cage's character Red will have his sanity put to the test.

Married to the titular Mandy, his wife becomes the target of a cult known as Children of the New Dawn, and is murdered before her husband's eyes. This sets Red off on a quest for revenge, the movie ending with a very chilling scene of the two driving through a surreal landscape, smiling maniacally at one another. This is a movie that will certainly stay with viewers long after the credits conclude, and demonstrate Nicolas Cage's underestimated skills as an actor.

1 Longlegs

One of the Most Chilling Horror Movie Villains

Director: Osgood Perkins
Release Date: July 12th, 2024
Runtime: 101 minutes

Longlegs took the horror movie industry by storm, securing itself as a legendary movie that will go down in history alongside titles such as Silence of the Lambs, and it is clear to see why. FBI detective Lee Harker is put on the case of tracking down the serial killer who calls himself Longlegs, portrayed as none other than Nicolas Cage.

Normally, Nicolas Cage finds himself with roles in horror comedy films, or unintentionally funny horror movies. But Longlegs helps him break out of these films, as Longlegs is one of the most chilling movies out there. His portrayal as the killer Longlegs is utterly chilling and captivating, proving that Cage is more than capable of starring in a more serious horror movie. This is undeniably his best role so far, and will hopefully open the doors for Cage to star in more outright terrifying horror films.