Starring: Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Released: 1987

Mood: If everything is going wrong and the only thing that could possibly pull you from your pit of misery is a movie about a cowboy vampire having a way worse week than you.

When you Google “best horror Westerns,” Near Dark is often near the top of the results. I can confirm that it’s is a justified placement.

This movie gave me everything I needed from an ‘80s vampire movie AND an ‘80s modern Western. It’s like if The Lost Boys, Young Guns, and Suburbia (1983 not 1996) had a baby.

It’s not super scary, because of course we’ve all now been exposed to CGI and gratuitously splatterific movies. Near Dark’s violence and gore IS pretty sadistic though, but it’s balanced by a love story and an underlying theme of chosen family.

The story is fast-paced, and it articulately weaves the common traits of punk rock and Westerns. If these things interest you, you WILL be entertained.

Near Dark begins with a small town cowboy named Caleb (Adrian Pasdar) meeting a mesmerizing drifter named Mae (Jenny Wright) outside a bar. Mae is evasive and ethereally beautiful, so obviously he can’t let her go.

But Mae is a vampire. Caleb really wants a kiss, and unknowingly threatens her life by pushing to get it when she’s trying to get home before dawn. She gives him a steamy smooch, then leaves him stranded with a stalled truck, a bloody neck, and a long walk home – in rising sunlight.

Just when it seems he’s going to burst into flames, he’s dragged into a blacked-out Winnebago packed with Mae’s vampire clan. But they are NOT fans of this vampire n00b.

They want him to prove he’s worthy of joining them by doing a bunch of murder. Not the minimal kind, either; these vampires don’t kill just to survive, they kill for FUN. Caleb desperately wants to go home, but he’s obsessed with Mae, and he kinda enjoys his new powers. What’s an attractive young cowboy vamp to do?!

Near Dark doesn’t follow the rules of vampire lore, other than sunlight being a flaming pain. There’s no reference to mirrors, no issues with garlic or crosses – in fact, vampire patriarch Jesse (Lance Henriksen) uses a pistol with a cross on it. It basically flips the finger at the ‘rules’ of vampire cinema.

You also never see fangs. Blood, burnt flesh, guts – but no pointy teeth. Caleb is bitten in that romantic ‘80s way where you see the moments before and after. The other vampires enjoy using literally every instrument at their disposal to kill people. You’ll see plenty of guns, knives, sharp objects, neck breaking, face slashing with spurs, and death by semi truck.

The actors were also deeply immersed in the physical and mental demands of their characters.

• Fun Fact #1: According to director Kathryn Bigelow, the actors had to create blackouts (of sunlight) in various environments used in the movie, like cars and motels, and were timed on their results to make their performances faster and more authentically skillful.
• Fun Fact #2: There are multiple stories of Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton making excursions from the set while in costume, and messing with nearby police and citizens. Henriksen also apparently prepared for the role of Jesse by driving across the States, picking up hitchhikers in costume with long nails and a wig.

Bill Paxton is a huge standout as the sexy, murderous, sociopathic vampire Severen, which feels like a totally natural progression from his brief but impactful appearance as a punk gang leader in The Terminator (directed by James Cameron, whose name is going to come up again in a few seconds).

Lance Henriksen is also crazy good as Jesse. He feels EXACTLY like a former Confederate soldier who has spent 100+ years killing people and is now an ‘80s vampire biker. Which, is the role.

And Jenny Wright spent her teenage years in New York City punk bars, which radiates through her basic outfits in Near Dark and gives Mae some edge and depth. A few years later Wright played the spunky whorehouse madam Jane in Young Guns II.

Near Dark was only the second feature film directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who has since given us a range of hits like the iconic Point Break, and The Hurt Locker. It was also her first solo directing job, shot in only 40 days. That is CRAZY to me, because despite the special effects limitations of the era, this movie ultimately feels like the work of a seasoned pro.

Bigelow also co-wrote the script. I’m thoroughly impressed by how many brilliant references and nuances are neatly tucked into the story. It seems like it was fated to be a brilliant mix of actors, story, and direction, because it kinda was.

• Fun Fact #3: Bigelow’s future husband, James Cameron, apparently suggested that she use the cast from his recent blockbuster Alien sequel, so Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, and Jenette Goldstein are all in Near Dark. And in an early town scene, Aliens is the movie displayed on the theatre’s ‘now playing’ marquee.
• Fun Fact #4: Michael Biehn, who later gave us Tombstone’s iconic Johnny Ringo, was the one Aliens actor who turned down the gig. He was offered the role of Jesse. Apparently Johnny Depp also auditioned for the part.
• Fun Fact #5: James Cameron has a sneaky uncredited appearance in the movie.

The movie has some hiccups and flaws, but overall this is so much fun. The soundtrack by German electronica pioneers Tangerine Dream is great at driving the mood. Overall, Near Dark is a must-have addition to any ‘80s horror fan’s collection.