Near Dark – Movie Review
ABC Film Challenge – Female Directors – N
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Writer: Eric Red, Kathryn Bigelow (Screenplay)
Cast
- Adrian Pasdar (Heroes)
- Jenny Wright (The Lawnmower Man)
- Lance Henriksen (Aliens)
- Bill Paxton (Twister)
- Jenette Goldstein (Terminator 2 Judgement Day)
Plot: A small-town farmer’s son reluctantly joins a traveling group of vampires after he is bitten by a beautiful drifter.
Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Near Dark starts when a young man Caleb (Pasdar) meets a woman at a bar Mae (Wright). However, he is left surprised by their night together as her gang takes him away. The leader Jesse (Henriksen), Severen (Paxton), Diamondback (Goldstein) and Homer (Miller) are vampires and travel around feeding.
Elsewhere, Caleb’s family Loy (Thomerson) and Sarah (Leeds) search for him. However, Caleb must prove his worth to the vampires as he learns to survive with his new condition.
Verdict on Near Dark
Near Dark is an action horror movie taking the vampire story in a new gritty direction. It makes the vampires feel like a bunch of bloodthirsty outlaws on the run and leaving trails of bodies behind them. As one young man does everything to escape their capture.
This is a standout vampire movie, before ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ and in the same era as ‘The Lost Boys’. Vampire movies had always been gothic feeling, that never managed to reach the next audience group. This feels gritty, it is fast-paced and the vampires feel monstrous with their strength. The fact the whole gang feels like developed characters helps, with the cold-hearted leader, the gung-ho member and the older person trapped in a small body. They feel more like traveling criminals than vampires and it is only the first step into a world which could have many more.
Where to Watch
JustWatch
Final Thoughts – Near Dark is an exceptional, must-watch vampire movie.
