Near Dark

One of the greatest horror films ever made, Near Dark follows the story of a loner named Caleb, whose chance encounter with beautiful vampire Mae leaves him with an insatiable craving for human blood. As he tries to fight off the impending transformation inside of him, a harrowing, thought-provoking and eerily effective story unfolds. Thanks to the strength of the writing and the caliber of the actors (including Bill Paxton, Adrian Pasdar, Tim Thomerson , and genre favorite Lance Henricksen), the characters are believable, sympathetic and well-defined. The balance of romance, thriller, horror - and even western, are perfectly blended to make for a fully-immersive (and often times scary), viewing experience.

Upon its initial release, it was overshadowed by the release of the now-classic, The Lost Boys, which opened around the same time to a much wider audience and benefitted from a more “teen-friendly” cast (ironically, Near Dark is a much better film – go figure). Quickly disappearing into the shadows, its home video release was even shorter. Having been released only once on VHS by HBO Video in the late 1980s, the title soon went out of print and well-worn copies eventually started disappearing from local video stores. For what seemed like an eternity, the title was extremely difficult to find – and the copies that were available fetched enormous price tags. The movie had become little more than a legend whispered about in “die-hard” horror fan circles.

Thankfully, the film is back in circulation again on DVD, albeit probably for a short time – given its erratic distribution history. I strongly advise anyone to pick up a copy of this brilliant movie while they are still able. While I am not a prude by any sense of the word (the “Saw” franchise still remains one of my personal favorites), it is refreshing to see a vampire horror film that avoids any major bloodbaths (save for one bar scene) and has absolutely no sex or nudity. Both genre and non-genre fans alike will undoubtedly enjoy this masterpiece.   

Near Dark is one of those rare movies that is absolutely flawless in its execution – there is not one false note or shortcoming throughout the picture.  This is quality movie making at its best. The fact that it comes from the critically-lambasted “horror movie 80s” just makes it that much more special.

My Rating - 10 out of 10