Near Dark (1987)
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Staring Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, and Bill Paxton
Caleb Colton (Pasdar) meets a pretty girl named Mae (Wright). This attractive drifter gets along with Caleb just fine. But then she bites his neck. Caleb flees and as the sun rises, his skin begins to crackle and burn. He is rescued by Mae and the group she travels with, a rag tag outlaw gang. It is a small family of sorts consisting of the father figure Jesse (Henriksen), mother type Diamondback (Jenette Goldstein), creepy uncle Severen (Paxton), and little brother Homer (Joshua Miller). They bring along Caleb and Mae shows him the ropes. They kill, steal, and drain people of blood. The more Caleb sees, the more he knows he has to leave. But Caleb is like his captors now: he needs blood and has some particular issues with the sun. How can he escape their clan when he is one of them?
A vampire movie and a western blended together to great effect, Near Dark is an awesome experiment in combining genres. All the troupes of both genres are at play, influencing each other and changing your expectations along the way. There is an ambush at the gang’s hideout which follows a traditional western movie. The authorities show up and start shooting into the building, catching the outlaws of guard. But then the vampire movie comes into play. The gang is not in a lot of danger with bullets, but the holes they make in the walls bring in sunlight. Suddenly, the familiar stuff makes for something new. All the action scenes are done very well, showcasing Bigelow’s expert handle on action.
The scares are also handled very well. There is a scene in a bar highlights what makes these characters terrifying. They kill everyone in the place methodically, taking their time to thoroughly frighten each victim before the grisly end. The cast does great breathing life into their characters. The two shining examples would have to be Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton. Henriksen’s Jesse is a confident hunter and leader, instilling fear in all around him. Paxton is at his best with Severen, behaving like a raving maniac that feeds on scenery.
For the vampire enthusiast in search of something new, find a copy of Near Dark. It takes the monsters seriously and remembers to give them a human face. It balances action set pieces and scares quite well. The word "vampire" is never mentioned. Also, it has a soundtrack by Tangerine Dream. All of that and so much more make Near Dark a must for any horror fan.
9 out of 10
