Review of Near Dark (1987) by Vince K — 11 Feb 2010

Near Dark - the Kathryn Bigelow (Hurt Locker) directed '80s cult horror classic, and one of the top vampire films ever made. This is how vampires are SUPPOSED to be: brutal, violent, evil, murderous and wicked.

Not romantic, tortured, soulful, and loving. This is an early Adrian Pasdar film, he's the guy who went on to play the flying politician Peter Petrelli (R.I.P.) on the show Heroes, and you might remember him from the '80s in roles such as this and Solarbabies.

He looks so young as an innocent Texan cowboy farmer, who meets a beautiful blonde babe, named Mae, who is so turned on by him she can't help but bite his fucking neck open because she's an immortal vampire.

He soon changes and is abducted by her dysfunctional vampire family, led by Lance Henriksen in one of his most memorable roles. And even Bill Paxton has said in interviews that Near Dark is his favorite movie he's ever been in.

As the manic and outrageous vampire Severn, he steals every scene. The family gives Pasdar a week to make a kill before they dismember him, but he is far too reluctant to hurt anyone. This would be easy for me since their main victims are people such as mean-sumbitch black truckers, roadside rapists/murderers, and a bar full of dumb drunken hick redneck assholes.

The bar scene has to be the best. Since the vampires can't be hurt, they have no fear, and walk in like they own the place and start doing whatever they fucking want - which is having an absolute bloodbath.

When Henriksen orders a beer, why is he more interested in having the glass? To slit the waitresses throat and fill it with blood of course. When the bartender shoots Paxton with a shotgun, he takes his spurs to him, with a swift kick that severs his bloodline.

The lone survivor escapes by jumping through the window, but does not get very far. Yeah, these are the type of vampires I'd like to hook up with. I always wanted to party with Bill Paxton anyway, he's fucking awesome.

But when Caleb's (Pasdar) family comes looking for him, and are immediately abducted, he has to choose between his new family or old, which is not going to end well. SPOILERS - a blood tranfusion saves Caleb in the end and cures him of vampirism, and the happy ending includes the same being done for his girlfriend Mae.

They get married and live happily ever after, which was the theme of the spin-off sitcom - "Near Dark... With Children".