Near Dark (1987)

Director:

Kathryn Bigelow

Writers:

Kathryn Bigelow (written by) and
Eric Red (written by)

Release Date:

2 October 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Farm | Blood | Vampire | Bar | Motel

Awards:

1 win & 8 nominations

Cast

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
James LeGros	...	Teenage Cowboy
Jan King	...	Waitress
Danny Kopel	...	Biker in Bar
Billy Beck	...	Motel Manager
S.A. Griffin	...	Police Officer at Motel
Bob Terhune	...	State Trooper
William T. Lane	...	State Trooper
Gary Littlejohn	...	State Trooper
Paul M. Lane	...	State Trooper (as Paul Michael Lane)
Eddie Mulder	...	State Trooper
Don Pugsley	...	Truck Driver #2
Neith Hunter	...	Lady in Car
Theresa Randle	...	Lady in Car
Tony Pierce	...	Highway Youth
Gordon Haight	...	Highway Youth
Leo Geter	...	Caleb's Friend
Gary Wayne Cunningham	...	Caleb's Friend

Directed by
Kathryn Bigelow

Writing credits
Kathryn Bigelow		(written by) and
Eric Red		(written by)

Produced by
Mark Allan	....	associate producer
Edward S. Feldman	....	executive producer
Steven-Charles Jaffe	....	producer
Charles R. Meeker	....	executive producer
Diane Nabatoff	....	associate producer
Eric Red	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Tangerine Dream

Cinematography by
Adam Greenberg

Film Editing by
Howard E. Smith

Casting by
Karen Rea

Production Design by
Stephen Altman

Art Direction by
Dian Perryman

Costume Design by
Joseph A. Porro

Makeup Department
Derek Howard	....	sfx makeup artist
Daniel Marc	....	hair stylist
Linda Nottestad	....	hair stylist
Davida Simon	....	makeup artist
Gordon J. Smith	....	special makeup effects artist

Production Management
Mark Allan	....	production manager
Joe Dishner	....	unit manager
Brent Sellstrom	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Guy J. Louthan	....	first assistant director
Ian McVey	....	first assistant director: second unit
John Scherer	....	second assistant director
Chuck Williams	....	third assistant director

Art Department
John Bucklin	....	set dresser
Findlay Bunting	....	set dresser
Jay Burkhart	....	scenic artist
Eduardo H. Esparza	....	set construction
James Monroe	....	set dresser
Alan Munro	....	storyboard artist
Brett Palmer	....	set dresser
Jennifer Pray	....	set dresser
Thomas P. Wilkins	....	scenic designer (as Tom Wilkins)
Eileen Winterkorn	....	scenic artist
Gregory R. Wolf	....	property master (as Gregory Wolf)

Sound Department
Lee Chaloukian	....	sound director (as Leo Chaloukian)
Holly Davis	....	sound effects editor
Ted Goodspeed	....	sound effects editor
Grover B. Helsley	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Grover Helsley)
F. Hudson Miller	....	foley editor
R.J. Palmer	....	supervising sound editor
Steve Rice	....	adr editor
Steve Rice	....	dialogue editor
Richard D. Rogers	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Richard Rogers)
Joan Rowe	....	foley artist
Steve Sollars	....	boom operator
Don Summer	....	sound mixer
Kelly Tartan	....	sound effects editor
Jerry Trent	....	foley artist
John Wilkinson	....	sound re-recording mixer (as John 'Doc' Wilkinson)
David Lewis Yewdall	....	sound designer

Special Effects by
Ray Beetz	....	special effects assistant
Al Broussard	....	special effects assistant
Edward J. Franklin	....	special effects assistant
Dale L. Martin	....	special effects coordinator (as Dale Martin)
Joseph C. Sasgen	....	special effects assistant (as Joseph Sasgen)

Visual Effects by
Bruce A. Block	....	matte cameraman
Bret Mixon	....	rotoscoping

Stunts
Mickey Alzola	....	stunts
Everett Creach	....	stunt coordinator
Bob Ivy	....	stunts
Mike Johnson	....	stunts
Paul M. Lane	....	stunts (as Paul Michael Lane)
William T. Lane	....	stunts
Mike H. McGaughy	....	stunts (as Mike McGaughy)
Eddie Mulder	....	stunts
Stevie Myers	....	stunts
Lee Poppie	....	stunts
Kristen Suzanne Raden	....	stunts (as Kristen Suzanne)
Michael Raden	....	stunts (as Mike Raden)
Bob Terhune	....	stunts
Jim Wilkey	....	stunts
Jerry Wills	....	stunts
William Yarbrough Jr.	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Chuck Colwell	....	director of photography: second unit
Alicia Craft	....	second assistant camera
Richard Crompton	....	grip
Gary Farr	....	still photographer
Ben Felthouse	....	electrician (as Ben Feldhouse)
Robert Gray	....	key grip
Khan Griffith	....	grip
Scott Howell	....	best boy grip
Jono Kouzouyan	....	lighting gaffer
Kyle T. MacDowell	....	best boy electric
Hugh McCallum	....	grip
Michael Ohrling	....	camera operator: second unit
George Palmer	....	electrician
Ron Phillips	....	still photographer
John Pierce	....	electrician
Vance Piper	....	first assistant camera
Lou Weinert	....	assistant camera
Jack Yanekian	....	best boy electric

Casting Department
Glenn F. Haines	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Michael Tereschuk	....	wardrobe assistant
Leslie Weir	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Sally Dixon	....	negative cutter (as Sally Dodge)
Vivian Hengsteler	....	negative cutter
Mary Ann Skweres	....	second assistant editor
Arthur Tostado	....	color timer (as Art Tostado)
Grace Valenti	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Jim Weidman	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Jeri Kelley	....	transportation captain
Fred Robbins	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Larry Bartels	....	double
Laura Cartwright	....	assistant production coordinator
Bundy Chanock	....	set medic
Kim Deen	....	production auditor
Lisa Etherington	....	assistant production accountant
George Herthel	....	location manager
Constance L. Hoy	....	script supervisor: second unit
Henry Humphreys	....	set medic
Carol Shapiro Janson	....	publicist (as Carol Janson)
Karen Altman Morgenstern	....	production coordinator
Connie Papineau	....	script supervisor
Wally Uchida	....	location manager (as Wallace Uchida)

Production Companies

• F/M
• Near Dark Joint Venture

Distributors

• Capital Cinéma (1988) (France) (theatrical)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)
• De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) (1987) (USA) (theatrical)
• Plånborg Film (1989) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Cinema Classics (video)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (video)
• Image Entertainment (laserdisc)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• M.I.B. (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Paramount Pictures (Canada)
• StudioCanal (2012) (Germany) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

94 min | Sweden:86 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

New Zealand:R16 | Portugal:M/18 | Argentina:18 | Singapore:M18 | Norway:18 | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (2003) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 (1987)

Filming Locations:

Casa Grande, Arizona, USA

Company:

F/M

Trivia:

When Severen and Jesse torch the motor home, Severen asks Jesse if he had remembered about a "fire that they had started in Chicago". It is assumed that they mean the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 that left more than 100,000 people homeless and destroyed businesses. Though apocryphal legend attributes the fire to a cow who kicked a lantern, the cause still remains a mystery.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Control cable visible during the car explosion.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 17th Floor (2005)

Soundtrack:

NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY

Best Vampire Flick Ever!

I hunted this film for ages and then it came out on DVD, so I had to buy it. Originally, it was purely due to the cast. I thought it would be good though and I was not let down, in fact, my expectations were well exceeded. Near Dark is my favourite vampire film and I am proud to be part of the cult following this film has gathered years since its release.

The camera work is great, Bigelow does a really great job in the director's chair and always does her best to make a film look as visually impressive as possible; it's hard to believe this was a low budget movie. The screenplay for the film is excellent and very original. Near Dark is very different to other vampire films and it really is refreshing to watch something so different. Where most vampire films bathe in Gothic undertones and romanticise themselves, Near Dark is much more subtle, even to the point where the word 'vampire' is not included within the picture. I can see why Kathryn Bigelow and James Cameron ended up married briefly as they both have similar integrity when it comes to film making.

The casting of the movie is its best point. The Aliens trio of Paxton, Goldstein and Henriksen were brilliant in this. Paxton and Henriksen are two of my favourite actors and I believe this is the best character Paxton has ever played, even Hudson does not compare to the mighty Severen! These three actors all excel at playing ruthless characters and do a great job at making Near Dark as entertaining as possible. In the midst of all the carnage, Adrian Pasdar and Jenny Wright do very well in bringing Near Dark down to earth. The chemistry between the two is very good and the characters are effective as they provide contrast between the other main characters.

I feel I must talk about the bar scene. As soon as that music kicks in, you know some on screen magic is about to happen. This is where the Aliens cast members really shine. Paxton is spitting out more clichés than he is blood. Also, as a big Terminator fan, I had to notice the bar patron as the T-2 'You forgot to say please' guy. I think he should stay away from bars from now on! This is what the film builds up to and this is the turning point of the film from a mainly character piece to a nail biting thriller. This is one of the most enjoyable and memorable scenes you will ever see.

Near Dark is a fantastic film, sadly overlooked due to people drawing too many comparisons between this and Lost Boys. This is far superior to Lost Boys as this has far more substance and more than one memorable character. With gruesome imagery, streams of blood and Bill Paxton and Lance Henriksen, this is the ultimate vampire film.