Vampire's Kiss (1989)

In director Robert Bierman's modern comedic, over-the-top vampire film:

• the scene of bat vampire Rachel (Jennifer Beals) - a sultry figure wearing a garter belt, tight red dress and heavy mascara - entering the apartment of Manhattan yuppie literary agent Peter Loew (Nicolas Cage), biting his neck during love-making, and turning him into a vampire
• the scene of his abusive behavior towards new secretary Alva Restrepo (Maria Conchita Alonso) when he shouts and berates her on top of her desk: "How do you misfile something? It's all alphabetical! It's just A, B, C . . ."
• the scenes of Peter swooping through the streets while boasting: "I'm a vampire" (with fake teeth), eating a live cockroach and pigeon, attempting to put a wooden stake through his own heart, and converting his sofa into a coffin

Vanilla Sky (2001)

In director/co-writer Cameron Crowe's psychological thriller:

• the scene of wealthy millionaire publisher David Aames (Tom Cruise) running along an empty Times Square
• his consultations with psychiatrist McCabe (Jeff Bridges) about his face disfigurement
• the concluding scene in which his life passes before his eyes through a sonic-speed, bizarre pop-culture montage of classic album covers (i.e., Bruce Springsteen's "The River" album), landmark news stories and personal snapshots

The Vanishing (1988, Neth/Fr.) (aka Spoorloos)

In director George Sluizer's original and haunting Dutch thriller:

• college chemistry teacher and genial family man Raymond Lemorne's (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu) creepy preparations to abduct a woman (i.e., a sling with a fake, removable cast, chloroform, a log of his pulse rate after approaching various prospective female victims, a formula connecting "dosage" with "minutes unconscious" and "miles", etc.)
• the scene of the mysterious disappearance of Saskia Wagter (Johanna ter Steege) at a French gas station (by chloroforming her into unconsciousness, shown in flashback) while on a trip through France with lover Rex Hofman (Gene Bervoets)
• the chilling shock-ending finale three years later in which her abductor Lemorne plans a similar hideous fate for Rex by drugging him and burying him alive in a coffin under the earth

Vera Cruz (1954)

In director Robert Aldrich's western (produced by actor Burt Lancaster and one of Hollywood's first major pictures to be produced in Mexico) - a precursor to the 'spaghetti' westerns of Sergio Leone:

• the line of dialogue during a meal delivered by Danette (Henry Brandon) to n'er-do-well crude, and roguish adventurer Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster): "Be careful, senor. Some of it is getting in your mouth"
• the final shoot-out between American adventurers Benjamin Trane (Gary Cooper) and grinning amoral Joe Erin

Vertigo (1958)

In director Alfred Hitchcock's perplexing, necrophiliac-tinged thriller about obsession:

• the dazzling credits sequence
• the opening rooftop chase scene
• the dizzying trick camerawork (a reverse zoom, dolly-out) visualizing the vortex of vertigo and acrophobia (fear of heights) in opening shots and at the bell tower
• retired SF police detective Scottie Ferguson's (James Stewart) first view of ethereal blonde Madeleine (Kim Novak) in the restaurant
• Scottie's rescue of suicidal Madeleine at the Golden Gate Bridge and recovery at his apartment
• the last dialogue between Scottie and Madeleine at the mission and the sequence in the mission tower
• Scottie's vivid nightmares following Madeleine's death
• the scenes of Scottie's obsession with reshaping and remaking raven-haired shopgirl Judy (also Kim Novak) into Madeleine
• the magnificent dream-like scene in her hotel room when she emerges from the bathroom in a sickly neon green light - transformed completely into Madeleine as the camera swirls around them
• and later, Scottie's agonizing question as he drags Judy up the stairs of the tower: "Did he train you? Did he rehearse you? Did he tell you exactly what to do and what to say?"
• the second final terrifying sequence at the mission in the bell tower
• the last shot of a stunned Scottie standing on the belfry tower ledge as he stares down at Judy's dead body in the tragic ending

Victor/Victoria (1982)

In Blake Edwards' screwball sex farce:

• the plan of opera singer Victoria Grant (Julie Andrews) and flamboyant cabaret singer Carroll "Toddy" Todd (Robert Preston) to pass Victoria off as "Count Victor Grezhinski" - a Polish drag queen (Victoria: "A woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman?")
• Victoria's show-stopping production number "Le Jazz Hot" in a black gown with stringy bat-wing sleeves and a rhinestone headdress when she reveals herself as alter-ego male Victor by ripping off her headdress
• the character of wild, uncontrollable, coarse, sex-starved Norma Cassady (Leslie Ann Warren) with her irksome voice ("Kiiiiiiiiing! Pooooooooookie!") and her malaprop explanation for why her mob associate boyfriend King Marchand (James Garner) is unable to have sex with her anymore: ("Before you know it, you are impudent")
• Norma's defiant reaction when cut loose by King, and forced onto a train by King's bodyguard Mr. Bernstein (Alex Karras) - she opens her robe to reveal her skimpy underwear, and yells: "You ain't seen the last of me yet! - causing a distracted porter to stumble off the platform
• Norma's aggressively sexy song-and-dance "Chicago, Illinois" with other showgirls in baby-doll underwear
• the scene of King sneaking into Victoria's hotel room to hide in her bathroom to voyeuristically see her true gender -- and the moment that King says to Victoria: "I don't care if you ARE a man", and kisses her passionately
• Victor's torch song "Crazy Life"
• Norma's hilarious one-liner when she thinks she is to be assaulted by clothes-stripping Victor: "Wait a minute...lock the door first" - and her screeching at King after she sees Victor's true sex: "You two-timing son-of-a-bitch! HE'S A WOMAN!"
• the hilarious miscast performance of "The Shady Dame of Seville" by Toddy ("Some hit show!")

Videodrome (1983)

In director David Cronenberg's terrorizing tale of erotic sci-fi and "body horror":

• the character of seedy cable TV director/producer Max Renn (James Woods) and his discovery of a pirated, ultra-violent underground snuff TV show called Videodrome
• his development of the ability to insert videocassette tapes into a body opening slot in his abdomen
• the scene of his assassination of political leader Harlan (Peter Dvorsky) by transforming his hand into a gun-grenade
• the killing of the head of Convex Optical Barry Convex (Leslie Carlson) by shooting him with an organic gun and causing tumors to erupt from his torso and skull
• also the bizarre scene of masochistic lover and self-help radio guru Nicki Brand (Deborah Harry or rock star Blondie) snuffing a burning cigarette out on her own breast ("Let's try a few things")
• the stupendous, surrealistic scene of Max kissing a hallucinogenic TV screen displaying a pair of giant seductive red lips that begins to suck him into the glass monitor

Village of the Damned (1960)

In director Wolf Rilla's scary B-movie horror film - loosely adapted from John Wyndham's sci-fi novel The Midwich Cuckoos:

• the group of hyper-intelligent, telepathic, blonde-haired, glowing-eyed kids (an alien race) born in the British village of Midwich during a mist
• resident scientist Professor Gordon Zellaby's (George Sanders) face-off against the deadly-staring, mind-controlling robotic children and their own son David (Martin Stephens) in a brick schoolhouse

Viva Las Vegas (1964)

In director George Sidney's best of the Elvis musicals:

• the many verbal duels, solos, and musical numbers during a Las Vegas talent show competition featuring the rockin' face-off song "C'mon, Everybody" between hip-swinging race-car driver Lucky Jackson (Elvis Presley) and shimmying red-headed bombshell swimming instructor Rusty Martin (Ann-Margret)

Voyage Dans La Lune (1902, Fr.) (aka A Trip to the Moon)

In French filmmaker Georges Melies' early silent film:

• the remarkable landing of the rocket ship projectile launched into the right eye of the pasty-faced Man in the Moon