Near Dark (1987)

A small-town farmer's son reluctantly joins a traveling group of vampires after he is turned on 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:

vampire | rooster crowing | vampire clan | cure for vampirism | road movie | 

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Taglines:

Killing you would be easy, they'd rather 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:

1988 (Peru)

Also Known As:

Cuando cae la oscuridad

Filming Locations:

Eloy, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$3,369,307

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

Michael Biehn was offered the role of Jesse Hooker but turned it down because he was not satisfied with the script.

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Goofs

When Caleb runs from the bungalow with the blanket over his head, we see the bullet wounds to his legs. In the next shot we see the bullets being fired and entering.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in Wir sind die Nacht (2010)

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Soundtracks

MORSE CODE
Performed by Jools Holland
Written by D. Woody and P. Simmons
Courtesy of I.R.S. Records

User Reviews

One, two, four... BANG! Bullseye!

This is one of the best vampire flicks I've ever seen. These aren't your standard sharp fang having, flying, cool contact wearing, red cape sporting vampires. Rather these vampires look like nomads, leftovers from a roaming biker gang. They drive around in a trailer that has aluminum foil covering the windows to block out the sunlight. They drink blood. They spit out the bullets you shoot them with. They're a tad different than your classic vampire but different enough to keep them interesting. Fans of Cameron's Aliens take note, you have a triple score here with Lance Henriksen (Bishop), Jeanette Goldstein (Vasquez) and Bill Paxton (Hudson) teamed together again. Not too surprising being that Cameron and director Kathryn Bigelow have worked together several times on various films. Bill Paxton is hilarious in this, I have to say. Fans won't be disappointed. I really like this movie. It never gets old, the special effects/make up are pretty decent (nothing too fake looking) and the characters are more than one-dimensional, supported by satisfactory performances throughout. There's enough gore here to satisfy the modest gore-hound and it's entertaining throughout. Give this movie a shot if you're looking for something different. It's a hip vampire movie that works simply because it's not trying to be hip, you follow? Rating: **** out of *****.