Near Dark

Plot synopsis:
One night, Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar), a young man in a small town, meets an attractive young drifter named Mae (Jenny Wright). Just before sunrise, she bites him on the neck and runs off. The rising sun causes Caleb's flesh to smoke and burn. Mae arrives with a group of roaming vampires in an RV and takes him away. The most psychotic of all the vampires, Severen (Bill Paxton), wants to kill Caleb, but Mae reveals that she has already turned him. Their charismatic leader Jesse Hooker (Lance Henriksen) reluctantly agrees to allow Caleb to remain with them for a week to see if he can learn to hunt and gain the group's trust. Caleb is unwilling to kill to feed, which alienates him from the others. To protect him, Mae kills for him and then has him drink from her wrist.
Jesse's group enters a bar and kills or injures the occupants. They set the bar on fire and flee the scene. After Caleb endangers himself to help them escape their motel room during a daylight police raid, Jesse and the others are temporarily mollified. Meanwhile, Caleb's father (Tim Thomerson) searches for Jesse's group. A child vampire in the group, Homer (Joshua John Miller) meets Caleb's sister Sarah (Marcie Leeds) and wants to turn her into his companion, but Caleb objects. While the group argues, Caleb's father arrives and holds them at gunpoint, demanding that Sarah be released. Jesse taunts him into shooting, but regurgitates the bullet before wrestling the gun away. In the confusion, Sarah opens a door, letting in the sunlight and forcing the vampires back. Burning, Caleb escapes with his family.
Caleb suggests they try giving him a blood transfusion to attempt to cure him. The transfusion successfully reverses Caleb's transformation. That night, the vampires search for Caleb and Sarah. Mae distracts Caleb by trying to persuade him to return to her while the others kidnap his sister. Caleb discovers the kidnapping and his tires slashed, but gives chase on horseback. When the horse shies and throws him, he is confronted by Severen. Caleb commandeers a tractor-trailer and runs Severen over. The injured vampire suddenly appears on the hood of the truck, manages to rip apart the wiring in the engine. Caleb jackknifes the vehicle and jumps out as the truck explodes, killing Severen. Seeking revenge, Jesse and his girlfriend Diamondback (Jenette Goldstein) pursue him, but are forced to flee in their car as dawn breaks.
Not wanting Sarah to become another childlike monster, Mae breaks out of the back of the car with Sarah. Mae's flesh begins to smoke as she's burned by the sun but carries Sarah into Caleb's arms, taking refuge under his jacket. Homer attempts to follow, but as he runs he dies from exposure to the sun. Jesse and Diamondback, their sun-proofing ruined, also begin to burn. They attempt to run Caleb and Sarah over but fail, dying as the car blows up. Mae awakens later, her burns now healed. She too has been given a transfusion and is cured. She and Caleb comfort each other in a reassuring hug as the film ends.

Tags: comedy, dark, gothic, murder, neo noir, cult, revenge, violence, atmospheric, good versus evil, insanity, romantic, claustrophobic, suspenseful, sadist

Review:
One of the best modern vampire flicks around is this stylish, funny, and all around adventurous cult classic.Young cowboy is literally bitten by a beautiful stranger and ends up joining a band of blood-suckers who roam the American heartland.Although Near Dark is often over-shadowed by the ultra-hip vampire movie The Lost Boys (1987), Near Dark is a far more juicier treat for horror fans.
However it's young Bill Paxton who does most of the scene stealing (and the comic relief) as a scary, yet cheeky vampire thug.A modern vamp classic that delivers on all levels, Near Dark firmly remains a favorite of the genre and one of the most entertaining horror films of the 80's.**** out of ****.
I think that anyone who hasn't seen this film should give it a look, because it cleverly combines comedy, drama, horror and gore, but for people who are slightly sickened by the site of blood and horrific killings, be wary of Severens' spur to the neck slaughter..
Near Dark is my favourite vampire film and I am proud to be part of the cult following this film has gathered years since its release.The camera work is great, Bigelow does a really great job in the director's chair and always does her best to make a film look as visually impressive as possible; it's hard to believe this was a low budget movie.
I can see why Kathryn Bigelow and James Cameron ended up married briefly as they both have similar integrity when it comes to film making.The casting of the movie is its best point.
Kathryn Bigelow's dusty, ambient vampire western is a timeless classic for me, and a lived in genre entry with stellar performances, razor sharp writing (Eric Red power), and confident direction from Bigelow, at her very best when working in the pulpy realm of action, crime and horror.
That's not to say that Near Dark is only Paxton's movie, as Adrian Pasdar and the incredible Jenny Wright do well in the lead roles, as do the rest of the support players.
The music by Tangerine Dream is right on cue as well, and it brings a surreal, trippy sensation to the proceedings, which emphasises the dream-like state that our hero has been put into.Near Dark is a vampire movie free of the usual clichés and one that makes it's own rules, which makes it must see for the vampire fan.
Meanwhile Loy and Sarah are looking for Caleb; when they meet each other in a motel, Caleb has to choose between his beloved family and his love for Mae."Near Dark" is earlier work of the Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow, an original and gore road-movie and one of my favorite cult-movies.
As to those who have placed this as the best vampire movie of all time, I can only truly hope and pray that you have a very very obtuse sense of humor and indeed are making a satirical joke.My advice, don't go anywhere near this DVD if you value a coherent story with even mildly intelectual characters..
Will Caleb pay the ultimate price for love and eternal life - or, will he find a way to defeat the evil growing inside him each night...?" Here is a "vampire" film which is a little disarming because it operates outside the range of (once upon a time) accepted, recognizable vampire rules.
And, Civil War veteran Lance Henriksen (as Jesse), bosomy girlfriend Jenette Goldstein (as Diamondback), sadistic pal Bill Paxton (as Severen), plus adolescent punk Joshua Miller (as Homer) set the screen on fire.******** Near Dark (10/2/87) Kathryn Bigelow ~ Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton.
As if the killing weren't senseless enough - more often than not - the gang fails to drink any of the blood they spill, making me wonder if they are really vampires or it's just an excuse.Bottomline: Near Dark is a good choice for a night of MST3K-style fun, but steer clear of those who take this movie seriously and like it..
I for one, however, believe that the best bloodsucker film to spring forth from the era of big hair and big money is Kathryn Bigelow's criminally underrated cinematic crown jewel, Near Dark.This compelling , overlooked vampire flick where the word vampire is cleverly not mentioned is my favorite vampire movie of all time!
Mucho praise should be showered upon Bigelow and co-screenwriter Eric Red for shunning some overused vampire movie clichés and injecting fresh blood into the often anemic genre.And praise to Tangerine Dream for providing a lush and moody, surreal Southwestern score that will capture your auditory senses.It's a shame that nearly twenty years later most people are still in the dark about Near Dark.
They are actually a band of vampire outlaws who has been on murder sprees for a long time as Caleb unwillingly becomes one of them once he craves for blood from the humans they murder but wants to find a way to be normal again, his father Loy (Tom Thomerson) searches for him as he is the only one that can be his cure.A brilliant, ultra-violent and original modern supernatural western horror movie from co-writer and director Kathryn Bigelow.
Also recommended: "Vamp", "The Lost Boys", "Vampire Hunter D", "Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust", "Fright Night 1 & 2", "Night of the Living Dead (1968 and 1990)", "The Devil's Rejects", "House of 1000 Corpses", "Interview with the Vampire", "The Hunger", "Lifeforce", "Dracula (1931, 1979, Jesse Franco and 1992 Bram Stoker)", "Let The Right One In", "Twilight Saga", "The Addiction", "Habit", "Immortality (a.k.a. Wisdom of Crocodiles)", "Bordello of Blood", "From Dusk Till Dawn", "The Forsaken", "Underworld Trilogy", "Blade Trilogy", "Cronos", "Horror of Dracula plus sequels", "Perfect Creature", "Daybreakers", "Embrace of the Vampire", "Thirst (2009)", "Def By Temptation", "Cat People (1982)", "The Howling", "Van Helsing", "An American Werewolf in London", "Dawn of the Dead (1978 and 2004)", "Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter", "The Vampire Lovers", "Countess Dracula", "John Carpenter's Vampires", "Vampyros Lesbos", "Innocent Blood", "Lair of the White Worm", "The Hitcher (1986)", "Scarecrows", "Vampire Circus", "Vampire's Kiss", "Central Park Drifter a.k.a. Graveyard Shift", "Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat", "Children of the Night", "Blood and Donuts", "Skinwalkers", "The Return of the Living Dead", "Embrace of the Vampire", "30 Days of Night", "The Monster Squad", "The Night Flier", "Queen of the Damned", "Zoltan: Hound-Dog of Dracula", "Once Bitten", "Love At First Bite" and "Sleepwalkers"..
"Near Dark" begins with young man named Caleb,who wants more than anything to leave Texas-until he meets beautiful yet mysterious Mae.Predictably,Mae is a vampire-and after Caleb attempts to score with her,she accidentally brings him across into the world of the undead.Now,while being hunted by his worried father and young sister,Caleb is forced to join a band of evil vampires,of which Mae travels with.Here it is-possibly the best modern vampire film ever made.I absolutely loved it!This film is amazing in every aspect-it has brilliant acting,truly mesmerizing score by Tangerine Dream and lots of gore.Bill Paxton is amazing as a sadistic vampire Severen.I love the scene in the bar-a total killing spree."Near Dark" is an excellent horror and I can safely say that Kathryn Bigelow never made a better film.Highly recommended.10 out of 10..
Another moment that just grinded my nerves like nails against chalkboard.-- Let's face it, there is only a couple of good vamp movies, Dracula, The Lost Boys, and Interview with a Vampire.
A great ensemble cast of actors if I've ever seen one: Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Tim Thomerson, James LeGros, Jenette Goldstein and especially Jenny Wright and Adrian Pasdar, who make a great young couple.
Adrian Pasdar's character's ambivalence in killing people in order to live, which is the central theme to the film's narrative, is completely nullified because of director Kathryn Bigelow's love for violence, killing and gore.
Just because it was made in the 80s and it has Lance "The Man" Henriksen, doesn't make it any type of a classic flick.Near Dark is about a dude who by chance hits on a vampire, and again by chance, successfully swoons the lovely vamp.
There is a cheesy 1980's feel to the film and some of the scenes with Bill Paxton trying to act like a crazy vampire are downright laughable.
Put simply, this is the most sensual portrayal of the vampire myth in recent cinematic history, and it does a neat turnaround of the roles, since most renditions have a sweet, innocent young woman seduced by a dark, handsome bloodsucker.Instead, Jenny Wright is the ethereally beautiful, seductive, mysterious stranger who initiates Adrian Pasdar (as farm boy Caleb Colton, whose openly displayed lust is kind of amusing for a minute there) into the mysteries of her night-focused world.
Her performance as Mae in "Near Dark" was chilling -- and admirable.Caleb is on a sort of probationary vampire status, and he finds it impossible to kill (which is a requirement, since according to Mae, "The night has its price.") And yes, the end is probably not what the readers of Fangoria would have preferred, although they probably would've bailed on this anyway once they learned the only real gore was in the bar room scene.Terrific supporting cast, especially Bill Paxton, who stole every scene he was in.
But it grips you and holds you till the end, which actually against all odds manages to be a "happy" one...Some of the scenes are really impressively violent and raw and have some kind of dark attraction.If you add to these ,the existential dilemma of the desperate and seemingly hopeless hero of the film and his romantic relationship with the beautiful enigmatic girl vampire who tries to save him, then you understand why the viewer is hooked.
What you have are these vampires who travel from town to town looking for pray (although the word vampire is never used in the film) they come across like outlaw gypsies, the whole film has a western feel to it, Kathrene Bigelow along with cinematographer Adam Greenberg has created a dark moody, modern day vampire road movie.
The wild flamboyancy of Paxton's character, the understated malice of Henriksens, an awesome story, and the chemistry between Caleb and Mae, all make this film one of, if not THE, BEST vampire movie ever made.
From the great score, to the superb bar scene, to the thrilling ending, and everything in between, I just plain love this film.My Grade: A 2 Disc DVD Extras: Disc 1) Commentary by Kathryn BigelowDisc 2) The 47 minute documentary "Living in Darkness"; a deleted scene with commentary by Bigelow; poster & stills galleries; Cast & crew bios; storyboards; and 2 Theatrical trailers DVD-ROM: 2 Screeensavers and the Screenplay.
It's low budget enough although it's shot on 35mm film and does have some decent pyrotechnics and stunt work that elevate it beyond the usual dreck that came out in the 80s.Caleb (Adrian Pasdar) takes a Mae (Jenny Wright) home from a bar one night and get more than he bargained for.
He get's bitten by Mae and becomes one of "them", a band of roving vampires led by the evil, twisted Jesse (Lance Henriksen) and with Bill Paxton and little Joshua Miller added to the mix, you have a first-class trio of demented sickos, ready to spread more bloodthirsty mayhem throughout the Southwest.Anchor Bay gave this one the star treatment with a re-mastered, wide-screen THX version that will probably become the definitive record of this film.
Ask most teens about their favourite vampire film and they will answer with the latter.Although the two are similar, it's unfair to compare them, mostly due to the fact Near Dark is, well, darker, much more violent, much more intelligent and generally of a higher standard.We are introduced to a young man, and he is soon introduced to a group of bloodsuckers, the most dysfunctional family unit one could imagine.
Lance Henriksson and Bill Paxton are extremely menacing and I have rarely seen them this good/insane.The film plays as kind of a cross between a western and a horror film, and as Kathryn Bigelow likes to play with postmodern imagery and form, it's well worth your time if you're a film nut or simply after a little action..
Adrian Pasdar and Jenny Wright do a passable job as the more "humane" vampires who cling to their humanity, but it's really their contrast with the cruelty of Paxton, Henriksen, and the other vamps that makes me feel for their characters.Not sure how I never saw this film until 2018 but I can say I will be revisiting it, and am curious to know how my appreciation for it will change with multiple viewings.
Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark is one of the best Horror and Vampire films ever made that greatly mixes Horror,Western,Vampires and Action.
Filled great direction,excellent cast and a wonderful score,Near Dark is not only one of the great Horror classics of the 80s,but one of the great Horror classics of all time.Near Dark tells the story of a young farm boy named Caleb(Adrian Pasdar)who sees and falls for a beautiful,but mysterious girl named Mae(Jenny Wright).
Where would other excellent and very memorable Horror/Vampire Action films with Western styles like John Carpenter's Vampires and From Dusk Till Dawn be without Near Dark's influence.
The screenplay by Kathryn Bigelow and Eric Red is truly amazing,giving the film small but brilliant dialog and making the characters,including the Vampires great and very memorable.
Joshua Miller is excellent as Homer an old man trapped in a little boy's body.(Ironically,Miller's older brother is Jason Patric who starred in The Lost Boys the same year.)Tim Thomerson and Marcie Leeds give great performances as Loy and Sarah,Caleb's Father and Sister.Kathryn Bigelow's direction for the film is masterful with Bigelow giving a unique visual style and tone which is at times beautiful and gritty.
All of the songs which were used in the classic Bar scene.In final word,if you love Horror films,Vampire films,Action films,Western films or films in general I suggest you see Near Dark a Horror classic that will stay with you watch and a film that will live on forever.
The vampires use other people for food.But the fundamental difference between the typical Western and "Near Dark" is the way the film shows us the lifestyles of both the good and the bad.
The amazing thing about this film is that it manages to portray both of these families sympathetically, but without over-romanticizing the vampire lifestyle (which virtually every vampire movie does).People who criticize "Near Dark" for it's seemingly simple-minded cure for "vampirism" (a blood transfusion) are missing a much larger point.
The screenplay by Eric Red and Bigelow is imaginative in its use of the vampire genre, giving us a new perspective to a widely rehearsed subject.Like the more popular 'The Lost Boys', which shares the same themes and oddly enough came out the same year, it is a stylish piece of film-making.QUOTE: Jesse: "Let's just say I fought for the South.
The bad vampires burn up in the sun after only a few seconds, the good vampires last for weeks, Caleb blows up a truck but pulling a handbrake, a simple blood transfusion administered by a farmer cures our hero of his carnivorous tendencies and the once powerful uber-vamps cannot seem to kill a little girl and her teenage brother no matter how hard they try.Overall Near Dark deserves praise; the evocative atmosphere is second to none, the action is brutal and stylish.
Near Dark lost at the box office to another vampire movie released at the same time, The Lost Boys.
No, this is not some western, but a tale of drifters in the west that just happen to be children of the night.Kathryn Bigelow directed a winner her with familiar stars such as Adrian Pasdar from Heroes, who falls in love with a vampire played by Jenny Wright.
When asked what my favourite vampire movies of the 80s are, I usually answer The Lost Boys, Fright Night and Vamp; I guess I just prefer my 80s bloodsuckers to obey the recognised rules of the genre and deliver a touch of fun along with the horror.
However, if it is a more sober and unconventional approach to vampirism that is desired, I suggest giving Near Dark a try: it ain't perfect, despite what the film's more ardent fans would have us believe, but it does score highly on originality, style, and brutality.The directorial debut of Kathryn Bigelow, Near Dark mixes road movie, western and horror, the action taking place on the same long, dusty, desolate stretches of sun-baked highway that made screenwriter Eric Red's earlier effort The Hitcher such an impressively atmospheric picture; this bleak location perfectly complements the harsh, emotionless, and seemingly endless existence of its antagonists, with the sense of desolation further enhanced by a brooding synthesiser score from Tangerine Dream.
The film also benefits from an excellent cast that includes a trio of actors from Aliens (Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, and Jenette Goldstein), cult child actor Joshua Miller, Tim Thomerson, and the pretty little package that was Jenny Wright.Red's script largely ignores the expected clichés: the likes of crosses, garlic, stakes, and holy water certainly play no part in proceedings, the killers do not have fangs and lack many of the supernatural abilities usually associated with vampires, and towards the end of the film, it is even revealed that their condition can be reversed by a blood transfusion.
A first-rate vampire picture!Whereas a movie like "Bram Stoker's Dracula" is all costumes and sets, "Near Dark" is closer to "Road Warrior" and "The Terminator".The director was Kathryn Bigelow, who has yet to disappoint me, with work behind her such as "Point Break", "Strange Days", and "Blue Steel".
"Near Dark" is one of the greatest vampire movies ever made it ranks right up there with "The Lost Boys" and "Fright Night".
The rural setting and realness of the characters gives it that quality.I think "Near Dark" is the coolest vampire movie out there.
Near Dark is an unusual approach to a vampire movie, but a good one at that.