For centuries, vampires have remained some of the most popular and iconic monsters, both in folklore and literature. While many stories have been written about vampires, probably the most famous vampire story ever written was Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Written in 1897 and loosely inspired by Vlad the Impaler, Dracula helped lay the groundwork for traditional vampire lore. With the introduction of film in the early 1900s, soon enough there would be movies based on vampires. The oldest surviving vampire film is Nosferatu from 1922, itself a loose adaptation of the book. More adaptations soon followed, the most famous being the Universal Dracula from 1931 with Bela Lugosi. Over the next few decades, vampire movies came and went, and it started to die out. That is, until the mid to late 80s, when fresh new takes on the vampire mythology were introduced. One of those was the vampire western, Near Dark.
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Caleb (Adrian Pasdar) is a simple country boy out with friends when he spots a girl named Mae (Jenny Wright). The two seem to hit it off pretty well, that is until she accidentally bites him on the neck. As Caleb returns home, he starts to get weak and burn as the sun rises, smoke coming off his coat. Suddenly, he’s picked up in an RV where he meets Mae and her “family” of sorts. He’s introduced to Jesse Hooker (Lance Henriksen), Diamondback (Jenette Goldstein), Severen (Bill Paxton), and Homer (Joshua John Miller). Turns out they’re all vampires, and Caleb has just been made one, so now he’s strung along for the ride. Meanwhile, his father Loy (Tim Thomerson) and sister Sarah (Marcie Leeds) are traveling cross country to find him. Now a creature of the night, Caleb has to learn to kill lest he wither away and die.
That is a very basic summary of what happens here, but oftentimes, the simplest plots are the best. This film works incredibly well as a horror film, a western, and a sort of dark romance. Despite coming off somewhat misogynist at first, Caleb is a very likable guy who you really feel for. Adrian Pasdar really helps give the character some humanity, and he has great chemistry with Jenny Wright. But of course, the real stars of the show are Henriksen, Goldstein, and especially Paxton, easily the most memorable actors. As the leader, Henriksen is insanely charismatic and just plain cool to watch and listen to. Goldstein is just as fierce and fiesty as she was in Aliens, and she and Henriksen make a good pair. However, Bill Paxton truly steals the show, playing such an unpredictably energetic lunatic who is having a blast playing Severen.
Given that this was Kathryn Bigelow’s first solo directing job, the film looks fantastic despite its low budget. Many of the shots look like they’re straight out of a western, even with tumbleweeds rolling in the distance. The score from Tangerine Dream really helps to give it that dreamlike quality, and it’s easily some of their best. However, the one thing that holds this movie back is a plotpoint that happens towards the last half hour. Without giving too much away, a blood transfusion cures vampirism, which really feels like a cheap cop out. Traditionally, once you’re bit, you pretty much remain a vampire for eternity, so this “cure” they introduce is really weak. Despite that, it’s a really underrated film that shows how to do vampire romance the right way. Overall, Near Dark is a near perfect film with a great cast, great visuals, and a pretty awesome finale.
