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Near Dark (1987)

7.0
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Ratings: 7.0/10 from 18,498 users  
Reviews: 195 user | 141 critic

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

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Title: Near Dark (1987)

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
Mae
...
...
...
...
...
Homer (as Joshua Miller)
Marcie Leeds ...
Kenny Call ...
Ed Corbett ...
...
Bill Cross ...
...
Cajun Truck Driver
Thomas Wagner ...
Robert Winley ...
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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. Written by Keith Loh <loh@sfu.ca>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

farm | blood | vampire | truck | bar | See more »

Taglines:

...pray for daylight. See more »

Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

2 October 1987 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Cuando cae la oscuridad  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$3,369,307 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

,  »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (cut)

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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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. See more »

Goofs

When Caleb approaches Mae for the first time. See more »

Quotes

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

Connections

Referenced in Fear in the Dark (1991) See more »

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.
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Howdy. I'm gonna separate your head from your shoulders. Hope you don't mind none.
9 August 2010 | by (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews

Near Dark is directed and written by Kathryn Bigelow with Eric Red also credited for the screenplay. It stars Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein & Bill Paxton. The score is provided by Tangerine Dream and Adam Greenberg is the cinematographer.

A small Oklahoma town and Caleb Colton (Pasdar) meets Mae (Jenny Wright), an attractive young drifter. They chat, they flirt and just before sunrise she bites him on the neck before running away. Welcome to your new vampire family Caleb……

It's now written in scripture that Bigelow's Vampire Western failed miserably at the box office and quickly vanished into the shadow of Joel Schumacher's popular Vampo piece, The Lost Boys. However, thanks to VHS interest, the film refused to shrivel up and blow away when the sun came up. Over the years the film has garnered a cult fan base and been reappraised by many of the front line critics to great reviews. So much so that now it's considered something of an enigmatic & poetic classic that's directed by a hugely talented female director.

With its core story the film offers nothing new to the vampire sub-genre. The blood as a drug/thirst motif was long ago penned by one Bram Stoker. But Near Dark is not interested in traditional vampire mythology, this is a modern spin where garlic, bats, crosses and stakes are neither needed or thought about. In fact the word vampire is never mentioned in the film. This is, all told, a film about the human side of the night dwellers, we hop inside their blacked out bus and hit the road; along with the confused and conflicted Caleb. What follows is touches of savagery and touches of ethereal beauty-beauty that comes not from Gothic touches, but from dusky Western surrounds. Photographer Greenberg blending oater stylings with moody horror atmospherics, his light work carrying a sexy sheen that dovetails smartly with the "family" and their life when the sun has gone from the sky. It's seductive, it's what Bigelow wanted and got, the mood created helps us to understand how easy it was for Caleb to be drawn to Mae in the first place.

That Bigelow chose to hire Greenberg {and to utilise him to the max} obviously aids the film no end. That she surrounded herself with quality character actors was something of a master stroke. This allowed her to focus on the tone and flow of the piece, safe in the knowledge that Messrs Henriksen (great character depth), Paxton (a bundle of film stealing energy) and Goldstein (savvy) were carrying the film safely to its Western style finale. Lest we forget the efforts of then unknowns Pasdar & Wright, both pretty and perky, for they too instill their characters with a warmth and tenderness that belies the blood shedding that surrounds their coupling. It's also noteworthy that we are not being asked to sympathise with the addiction plight of the "family," understand? Yes, but never sympathise. Even if the poetic noirish beauty of it all can lure you nervously into its seductive arms and make you feel at odds with your feelings.

Not many knew it at the time, but this was to be a hugely influential film. One that now still shows aspiring newcomers to the sub-genre how it should be done. 8/10


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Message Boards

Recent Posts
How it should have ended betelgeuse-5
Who's your favorite Near Dark character? SleepKills
What makes the Vampires of Near Dark so unique? celestialphoenixreborn
the infamous bar scene... endingtheworld
remake!!!????... avo4077
To bad they couldn't finish the film neon_bunny
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