Near Dark
Amazon.co.uk Review
The word “vampire” is never mentioned in Near Dark, but that doesn’t stop this 1987 cult favourite from being one of the best modern-era vampire films. It put then-unknown director Kathryn Bigelow on Hollywood’s radar and gave choice roles to Aliens costars favoured by Bigelow’s ex-husband James Cameron–Lance Henriksen is the leader of a makeshift family of renegade bloodsuckers, nocturnally seeking victims in rural Oklahoma; his immortal gal pal is Aliens and T2 alumnus Jenette Goldstein; and Bill Paxton is the group’s deadliest leather-clad ass kicker. Fellow traveller Jenny Wright lures Okie farm boy Adrian Pasdar into the group with a love bite and he’s soon turning toward vampirism with a combination of frightened revulsion and relentless desire. With Joshua Miller as the youngest vampire, Near Dark is Bigelow’s masterpiece of low-budget ingenuity–a truck-stop thriller that begins well, gets better and better (aided by a fine Tangerine Dream score) and goes out in a blaze of glory. –Jeff Shannon
This is the best vampire movie ever made. No debate!
This film was released in 1987 I believe, around the same time as `The Lost Boys’ a far inferior vampire flick aimed at the MTV market. `The Lost Boys’ was box office candy raking in a fortune. `Near Dark’ however sank without trace albeit doing so with a smattering of positive plaudits and heading towards cult status.
Today, and certainly for the last few years, `Near Dark’ is rightly lauded as a film noir horror masterpiece.
Given the age of the film (now 20 years old) it has stood the test of time remarkably well. The portrayal of the characters are all pretty much flawless in their individual presentations although special praise must go to Bill Paxton’s hedonistic and sadistic vampire Severence and also to Lance Henrikson as the elder and leader of the pack, Jesse.
The story is great (though I do know that many view the ending as a little too saccharine!) the direction by Katherine Bigelow is excellent, and the photography is stunningly beautiful at times. There is a particularly memorable scene towards the end of the film when the youngest vampire combusts into flames which is truly breathtaking.
In fact this film has got it all. Everything that is except pointy teeth! I think this is one of the first films, if not the first , to portray vampires without fangs. They may in fact have fangs but you never actually see them even though the bloodletting is pretty much continuous throughout the movie.
`Near Dark’, though free with the blood, is not a particularly gory movie. It is the tension built around the vampire slaughters, particularly the bar room scene, which creates masterful horror.
Ultimately though, ‘Near Dark’ is more than a horror film which is why it is so good. It works on a number of levels not least in it’s exploration of the concept of relationships, family and alienation. This is a rewarding multi layered film worthy of repeated viewings and well worth purchasing.
Rating: 5 / 5
This blu-ray is the worst blu-ray I ever bought, and I deeply regret having bought it. Mostly all the details are blurry, even in the scenes brightly lit. All the night scenes (and there are many) are heavily posterized, like a .jpg compressed far beyond reason. Skin tones are melting before your eyes and not because of the fx, making the movie simply unwatchable because of the distraction. In comparison, the DVD picture looks grainy and slightly less detailed and contrasted on an HD screen (without any upscaling), but the skins or the shadows never show heavy posterization. The blu-ray does not include any bonuses nor even subtitles. Looks like Studio Canal Plus and Optimum (!) Home indulged themselves the luxury to disgust blu-ray buyers and missing watching their favourite movie back on a dvd-player. This is wrong.
Rating: 1 / 5
In 1987, two vampire movies were realesed head to head. The hollywoodish, teenage-orientated Lost Boys, and the dark, romantic and scary Near Dark. In terms of box office records, The Lost Boys was the winner of the two, but to this day, Near Dark stands out as the triumphant film, becoming a horror classic that is considered one of the best horror movies ever made.
Farm boy Caleb (Adrian Pasdar) is out one night trying to get rid of his bordem where he sees and is captivated by mysterious beauty Mae (Jenny Wright). Caleb takes Jenny for a ride and when the two share a passinoate kiss, Mae bites Caleb on the neck before running off into the night. In the day, Caleb finds himself burning in the sunlight before Maes “family” of vampires appear and take Caleb hostage. Caleb, now a vampire himself, is forced into a world of violence as he tries to earn the respect of the vampires in order to be with Mae.
Near Dark boasts very fine performances. Unusally for a horror movie, the entire cast is top notch in terms of acting. Pasdar and Wright are charming in their roles of star crossed lovers Mae and Caleb, Jenette Goldstein and Lance Henriksen shine in their roles as immortal vampires, but the film belongs to Bill Paxton whose performace as sadistic vampire killer Severen is funny, scary and brutal.
Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to ever direct a horror movie with Near Dark and although she would go on blockbusters like Point Break and K19: the Widdowmaker, Near Dark remains her finest movie, boasting a great stroyline and a refreshing revival of the vampire sub-genre.
Rating: 5 / 5
Just got my copy and had to watch it right away to see if the blu-ray transfer was as bad as some say and to be honest it is not bad, not bad at all considering the age of the original. Compared to “Highlander” which is unwatchable this is “I Robot” quality. I would recommend this blu-ray to anyone, fan or not, and I stand by that statement. All the grain haters (me included) rejoice, there is nothing to hate here. Oh yea by the way the story is great too. Viewed on Samsung 50″ 1080p, Panasonic DMP-BD80 blu ray player
Rating: 4 / 5
Near Dark marks a real change in Hollywood vamp flicks. Finally vampirism isn’t restricted to the aristocratic or well-off, but instead introduces a bunch of obnoxious rednecks with little regard for anyone else. Here is a near perfect vampire western genre hybrid…
Caleb [Adrian Pasdar], a farmboy, is seduced and bitten by a strange girl he meets, Mae [Jenny Wright], who relents and spares his life. He is then unwillingly dragged into the hectic life of a gang of nomadic vampires who roam the midwest. They don’t wish to be slowed down by him, and he is reluctant to kill, but it becomes clear he has to learn to satisfy his blood cravings. Despite his inability to pull his own weight, he eventually wins approval by saving the gang. Meanwhile Caleb’s father is on their trail, searching for his lost son, with Caleb’s sister in tow.
Most noteworthy of the vampires is the kid, Homer. He is a real monster who drinks, smokes, and uses cunning to lure and kill his victims. It is both unusual and very refreshing to see a child vampire portrayed as unrelentingly evil, “So you have any idea what it’s like to be 700 years old and stuck in a kid’s body? It”, and he has a few scene-stealing moments because of it. Seeing him running along the freeway screaming for his friend, burning in the sunlight, is unquestionably moving.
Mae and Caleb’s relationship is key to the film, as he becomes utterly dependent on her, feeding from her wrist to survive. Despite the fact this is largely a high-octane action film, it is intelligently directed, as the first time this happens the two stand in a large oil field, reciprocating the pumps as a metaphorical image for the sexual act and bloodflow. The image of the vampires racing across flat plains, trying to escape the rising sun are haunting and unforgettable. The bloody bar room sequence is disturbingly powerful but never exploitational. The shimmering nightime cinematography is beautifully filmed. And finally the daytime shootout is simply superb, with shafts of sunlight arcing across the room as each bullet is fired through the walls.
The standout performances definitely come from Lance Henriksen as the pack leader Jesse, and Jenette Goldstein as Diamondback, his moll. In fact, along with Bill Paxton’s Severen, three of the Aliens marines are reunited as vampires here! Interestingly the term “vampire” is never once spoken throughout the film, a technique used in a few movies around this period. These vampires are all evil, but our sympathy comes from the way we glimpse regular day-to-day life for them (not just the usual “seduce and kill” of most vampire flicks), forced to live as fugitives.
Near Dark suffers from what is generally accepted to be a terrible ending. However, given that the story never delves to deep into vampire mythology, prefering to look at the condition and the lifestyle forced upon its vampires, this is perhaps forgivable. Ultimately, Near Dark is a magnificently crafted vampire western hybrid and thoroughly refreshing and enjoyable to watch, taking such sharp turns away from the standard Hollywood fare, and is successful as a result.
Rating: 5 / 5