Near Dark (1987)

A small-town farmer's son reluctantly joins a traveling group of vampires after he is bitten 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 | cure for vampirism | horror directed by woman | farm | rooster crowing | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Caleb lets the young cowboy from the bar get away, a billboard can be seen in the background spray paint with "Bill + Louise". Bill Paxton, who plays Severen, was married to Louise Newbury.

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Goofs

When Homer is on his knees in the middle of the road the station wagon with Diamond Back and Jesse is seen driving in the opposite direction. In the very next shot the station wagon is driving directly toward Caleb.

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Quotes

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

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Alternate Versions

In 2003 the BBFC waived all the above mentioned cuts.

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Connections

Referenced in Sean Bradley Reviews: Detroit (2017)

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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

The film is shot too much in the dark and the daylight motel escape scene looked like a piece of cake.

I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs. This film came out aft the successful Fright Night n Lost Boys n I enjoyed all the three then. Aft revisiting this recently, I found it ok. The star cast is top notch n the blonde babe gorgeous. Also, nowadays I dont enjoy movies where they show the romance between human and vampire characters. Ther is nothing western about this film apart from the guy riding a horse, the spur strapped boots n those hats. Bigelow did a terrific job with Point Break but not this.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1988 (Peru)

Also Known As:

Near Dark

Filming Locations:

Eloy, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$635,789, 4 October 1987

Gross USA:

$3,369,307

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$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