Near Dark (1987)

A small-town farmer's son reluctantly joins a traveling group of vampires after he is turned by a beautiful drifter.

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 | vampire | blood | van | truck | 

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Taglines:

Vampires can only kill you once, but they can terrify you forever.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Horror | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 November 1988 (France)

Also Known As:

Aux frontières de l'aube

Filming Locations:

Eloy, 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

Was the last movie produced and released by DEG (DeLaurentiis Entertainment Group) as the studio went bankrupt. As a result, the film did not receive much publicity during its release in the fall of 1987 which lead, in turn, to its box office failure.

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Goofs

When Homer brings Sarah to the hotel room, it is night time, and Sarah makes reference to how late everyone is staying up. A minute later, Severen goes out and gets Loy, and it is still night. Two minutes later, when the Colton's flee the room, it is broad daylight out.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in The 17th Floor (2005)

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Soundtracks

FEVER
Performed by The Cramps
Written by Otis Blackwell (as John Davenport) and Eddie Cooley
Courtesy of I.R.S. Records

User Reviews

One of My Favorite Cult-Movies

In Phoenix, the young cowboy Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar) meets the beautiful Mae (Jenny Wright) late night in town and she asks for a ride to her trailer. It is near dawn and Caleb brings Mae that is in a hurry; he asks for a kiss and she bites him on the neck. Caleb's truck does not start and he walks home. However, when the sunlight hits him close to his farm, he starts to burn. His father Loy Colton (Tim Thomerson) and his sister Sarah (Marcie Leeds) witness a van that appears out of the blue and kidnaps Caleb. He is introduced to Mae's family: the leader Jesse Hooker (Lance Henriksen), his mate Diamondback (Jenette Goldstein), the cruel Severen (Bill Paxton) and the boy Homer (Joshua Miller). In common, all of them are predator creatures of night that need blood to survive. However, Caleb refuses to kill and Mae gives her own blood to him to keep him alive. 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. Mae and her family are never called "vampires" and they are very brutal and sadistic with their countless victims. Caleb is a family young man that is in love with Mae and is forced to live with these evil creatures. The plot blends romance, crime, violence, thriller and horror and the result is a great film. There is also dark humor in the lines and my favorite is when Severen says that he hates when his victims are not shaved. The soundtrack with the music of Tangerine Dream is another plus. I do not precisely know how many times I have watched this film but the previous time was on 30 December 2002. Unfortunately it has been only released on VHS in Brazil by Video Plus distributor and the image does not have good quality. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Near Dark – Quando Chega a Escuridão" ("Near Dark – When the Darkness Comes")

Note: Today (16 Oct 2010) I have seen "Near Dark" again, now on Blu-Ray that I have just bought. In the Extras, there is a 2002 documentary with the director, producer, lead cast and crew. Unfortunately Jenny Wright has not been located to participate in this nostalgic footage mandatory for any fan.

On 05 October 2013, I saw this movie again.