Near Dark review

The word "Lost" has plagued Kathryn Bigelow´s genre-busting Vampire film "Near Dark" since its theatrical release. First and foremost, "Near Dark" found itself going head-to-head with the higher budgeted and marketed "The Lost Boys." "The Lost Boys" was released on July 31st of 1987 and "Near Dark" bowed almost exactly two months later on October 2nd. "The Lost Boys" turned out to be a tremendous success and filled the moviegoers appetite for blood. When the all-around superior "Near Dark" had its time in the limelight, the audience practically ignored the film and "Near Darks" eventual box office take of $3.4 million was slightly more than half of "The Lost Boys" $5.2 million opening weekend.

The next encounter that Bigelow´s "Near Dark" had with the word was when reports circulated around the Internet that the film had been declared "lost." It was rumored that no salvageable print was in existence and the film had been out of video circulation for over half a decade. This was a great disappointment for the fortunate few who had embraced the film. "The Lost Boys" has seen a few video releases over the years and whereas the two Corey´s careers have become officially lost, it would live forever on video. Sadly, if what was being reported was true, "Near Dark" was gone and never to be properly appreciated again.

Fortunately, the demise of "Near Dark" was incorrect. Somewhere, somehow, Anchor Bay managed to find a quality print of the film and deliver it to the digital realm of DVD. If the film was "lost," it now has been found and perhaps can be found by legions of potential fans. It is truly sad that films are becoming "lost" because of poor preservation or lack of attention to source prints´ whereabouts. Being a fan of Bill Paxton, "Near Dark" was a film that I never had the opportunity to watch on LaserDisc or see theatrically. When I had originally heard it was lost, I was greatly disappointed. Imagine my satisfaction when the film finally arrived on my doorstep!

"Near Dark" is a vampire film. However, it is far from typical. Much has been said regarding the fact that the word ´vampire´ is never muttered in the film. Gone are many other staples of vampire films. Holy water, crucifixes, wooden stakes and winged rodents are not part of Bigelow´s picture. In fact, there aren´t even sharp pointy fangs as part of the bloodsucker´s dental structure. Aside from drinking blood and an extremely fatal physiological reaction with sunlight, the only carryovers to "Near Dark" from other vampire pictures are the concepts of greater physical strength and eternal life. The vampires of "Near Dark" are a roving band of outlaws who are more likened to gunslingers than they are to the romanticized depiction of Count Dracula.

In "Near Dark," Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar) is a young man trying to become physically acquainted with the attractive Mae (Jenny Wright). After placing Mae into a position where she must kiss him, Caleb is bitten in the neck and blood is drawn. Mae takes off and Caleb is left in his broken down pickup truck, which decides it doesn´t want to start. Caleb is left walking home and starts to feel the effects of sunlight on his transformed vampiric self. Within the view of his father (Tim Thomerson) and sister Sarah (Marcie Leeds), Mae´s family of vampires abducts Caleb. Led by Jesse (Lance Henriksen) and Diamondback (Jenette Goldstein), and including Homer (Joshua John Miller) and Severn (Bill Paxton), Caleb is given a week to become part of the group or to be destroyed.

Caleb is strongly attracted to Mae and it is with her help that he is given more than once chance to fulfill his needs and duties as a vampire. He is not a person that wants to kill and he quickly finds himself at odds with Severn. After an exciting massacre at a roadhouse, Caleb makes the mistake of letting a victim go and the group finds themselves under the attack of the local law authorities. Caleb places himself in great jeopardy to save the group, but his heroics prove successful and he finally finds himself befriended by the group. Still, Caleb is not a vampire at heart and his pursuing family places him in a situation where he must choose his destiny.

As far as vampire films go, "Near Dark" is one of the best. Bigelow is given a writing credit for the film and her story´s decision to make this film atypical works very well. This band of outlaws makes for a dynamic group that would be just as entertaining if they did not live on human blood. The roadhouse massacre scene is simply brilliance. The chemistry of the group and their views on what it is like to have the ´gifts´ they possess are quite different than anything I´ve seen in this subgenre of horror film. This film simply would not have worked if holy water was being spritzed. A band of complete badasses who happen to be vampires is unique and by removing most aspects of a vampire film, they are all the more unique.

I highly enjoy Bigelow´s "Strange Days," and "K-19: Widowmaker" was good, but underperformed in my opinion. "Near Dark" is far from perfect, and may not be her best technical effort, but this is her best film. The film starts slow and the introduction of Caleb into the band of bloodsuckers takes longer than necessary. The middle act that finds Caleb being forced to conform is where the film excels. The exploits of the group are pure entertainment and I cannot praise the roadhouse scene enough. The climax of the picture is more wishy-washy than it is action oriented and Bigelow strived harder to offer a wonderful new world for Caleb and Mae than she did in nailing the coffin shut on Jesse, Severn and the rest of the group. The strong cast helps bring a sense of reality to the tough composition of the vampires, but the story is strong enough it would have worked with a lesser group of actors. After watching the film, I don´t think I´d want to see it without Paxton and Henrikson.

At first, I was not blown away by "Near Dark." I enjoyed the film and liked it a great deal, but it did not seem like the ultimate vampire movie. After the second viewing, my appreciation for the picture only grew and I started to see what all of the fuss was about. While not a perfect movie, this is such a step away from everything that typically defines any movie of this genre. The opening and closing acts could have used some improvement and there could have been a slight rise in the level of carnage, as the bloodshed was remarkably low. Still, this is such an original story with great acting and a captivating storyline that it is hard to ignore. I´m overjoyed by the fact that "Near Dark" is not lost and though I have always liked "The Lost Boys," I now feel that this is the film that should have been the more memorable of the two. Bill Paxton and Lance Henrikson are still bankable faces. Where are the Corey´s today? Answer: Lost!

Video :
You are going to want to turn out the lights for this picture. Much of the film takes place slightly after or slightly before daytime. The imagery is dark and dreary. Cinematographer Adam Greenberg helped bring another vampire film, "Once Bitten" to life, but where that film was a jokey affair, he is also the man responsible for the look of "The Terminator" and its two sequels. His work on "Terminator" mirrors shows in "Near Dark." The films have a very similar style and look to them and Greenberg knows how to film scenes that take place when the sun is down. Part of the appeal of "Near Dark" is the grungy nighttime photography and this is a film that was designed to be watched in the dark and can only truly be experience by doing so.