Near Dark (1987)

A young man reluctantly joins a travelling "family" of evil vampires, when the girl he'd tried to seduce is part of that group.

Director:

Kathryn Bigelow

Writers:

Kathryn Bigelow, Eric Red

Stars:

Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen

1 win & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adrian Pasdar	...	Caleb Colton
Jenny Wright	...	Mae
Lance Henriksen	...	Jesse Hooker
Bill Paxton	...	Severen
Jenette Goldstein	...	Diamondback
Tim Thomerson	...	Loy Colton
Joshua John Miller	...	Homer (as Joshua Miller)
Marcie Leeds	...	Sarah Colton
Kenny Call	...	Deputy Sheriff
Ed Corbett	...	Ticket Seller
Troy Evans	...	Plainclothes Officer
Bill Cross	...	Sheriff Eakers
Roger Aaron Brown	...	Cajun Truck Driver
Thomas Wagner	...	Bartender
Robert Winley	...	Patron in Bar

Storyline

A mid-western farm boy reluctantly becomes a member of the undead when a girl he meets turns out to be part of a band of southern vampires who roam the highways in stolen cars. Part of his initiation includes a bloody assault on a hick bar.

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Plot Keywords:

farm | blood | vampire | truck | bar | 

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Taglines:

Killing you would be easy, they'd rather terrify you...forever.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 October 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cuando cae la oscuridad

Filming Locations:

Casa Grande, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$3,369,307 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

F/M, Near Dark Joint Venture

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min 86 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Kathryn Bigelow one ending considered was for Caleb's younger sister Sarah to follow him and May into the sunlight only for her hand to start burning, implying she was bitten by Homer during her abduction and is now infected. However this was eventually dropped as it would have had little impact given she could be easily cured via blood transfusions.

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Goofs

In the bar, when Jesse is igniting bottles to torch the place, we see several of the bottles shatter in their hands prematurely before they're thrown, obviously break-away props gripped too hard by the actors.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Caleb Colton: [crushing a mosquito] Dumb suck.

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Connections

Referenced in The Jay Leno Show: Episode #1.88 (2010)

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Soundtracks

"NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY"
Performed and written by John Parr
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products
Polygram International Music B. V.

User Reviews

Bite the Dust

"Country boy Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar) whittles away the quiet rural nights hunting local girls - but, when he falls prey to the mysterious and beautiful Mae (Jenny Wright), Caleb unknowingly becomes the hunted. Mae is no ordinary girl, Caleb soon learns; she is part of an outlaw band of vampires, and their love is about to lure him into a terrifying world of blood-lust, mayhem, and absolute horror. 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. These bloodsuckers do not bare fangs, avoid garlic, or shun the Christian cross. In a sense, the "Near Dark" vampires are a continuation of the genre's evolution - cousins of wrist-suckers like Jonathan Frid's "Barnabas Collins" and Anne Rice's "Vampire Lestat". Interestingly, "Barnabas" and the similarly reluctant vampire "Caleb" are changed by the presence of an innocent little sister named "Sarah".

Director Kathryn Bigelow, with assist from Eric Red, does a bang-up job with her vampires; slow moody shots and explosive action sequences are almost equally spellbinding. The film is paced beautifully, and is forgiven for some moments where it becomes difficult to suspend disbelief. The young leads are very attractive. 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