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Summary: The price of immortality
Review: Ah yes, Near Dark. This was the film that got buried by The Lost Boys. If you're tired of the Anne Rice school of fashionable and hip Euro vampires, then 1987's Near Dark will be a welcome surprise. The film is a refreshing take on one of horror's most over-used tales. The story is simple: Farm boy Caleb meets girl, Mae. Caleb falls for Mae. Mae (a vampire) bites Caleb. Caleb now must become a member of Mae`s nomadic vampire family, roaming the Midwest in stolen autos, hiding from the sun, and doing their murderous feeding at night. Perhaps the films standout element would be its sense realism, something most other vampire films lack. We learn of vampires and their ways through the viewpoint of Caleb as he becomes a member of the group. And the vampires themselves are re-imagined, in ways that make them real. Near Dark remains Kathryn Bigelow's best film, suffused with style and anarchy that has a true feel for the irregular pulse of a very particular place and time. It's a western in the Southern Gothic tradition in a way. The performances, often weak in horror films, are simply great, with Paxton and Henriksen shining brightest. The atmospheric score by Tangerine Dream is perfect. In the end, Near Dark stands as one of the best vampire films in the last 25 years. It's great to finally have this on DVD.
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Summary: Perhaps The Best Vampire Movie Since Dracula
Review: This movie crept into the theaters and left immediately. Too bad because this was perhaps the best horror film to come out of Hollywood in decades. This film avoids every vampire movie cliche ever devised. Instead of throwing gallons of blood and gore at the audience, the movie spends 40 minutes developing its story and characters. This movie is so daring, the movie is halfway over before we see the first real vampire attack - and what an attack! Better yet, the movie deals with the possibility of vampires regaining mortality. It's a shame this film escaped most of its audience. Perhaps now, people can see this horror masterpiece.
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Summary: 'Bout time!!
Review: Wow...I have loved this movie for ages. It is about time they re-released it. It is a vampire classic! This movies shows a young country boy being lured into the big city life by vampires just traveling along...feeding. In the end...he finds love and a cure for vampireism. It isn't cheesy and has some really cool sceens. Like when the vampires cause some carnage at a bar. This is a MUST SEE!
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Summary: A Classic movie long overdue for a re-release
Review: I loved this movie when it first came out, it was such a cool version of the Vampire mythos, I thought they kicked serious [butt]! I've been waiting for years to get ahold of another copy ever since my tape bit the dust. I was disappointed to hear it was out of print until I just found out it was being re-realeased on DVD. A warning to Lost Boys fans, this is much darker. For instance Bill Paxton jumps up on the bar and slices open the throat of the bartender with his spurs, then grabs a mug to catch his blood so he could drink. Watch Lance Henriksen give a bullet back to the guy who shot him, after coughing it up!This movie was disturbing and really really cool. The music by Tangerine Dream was so ethereal, it was perfect. I think the only thing that held this movie back from mainstream acceptance was the amount of violence, it was pretty brutal what with all the bloodletting, shooting and general mayhem.
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Summary: near dark
Review: the best vampire movie ever. a perfect display of how modern day vampire's would live. without being spoiled by hollywoods and ann rice's mythos.
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Summary: A Whole New Meaning for Beware of Strangers
Review: Boy meets girl. Boy kisses girl. Boy gets abducted by the girl's family and learns he is now a vampire. Not the best way to start a relationship? A gang of vampires travel from town to town, murdering everyone who crosses their path. Their youngest recruit, a lovely young woman, meets the man of her dreams in a small town in the middle of nowhere and turns him into a vampire. This starts the trouble for the gang as the young man's father pursues his son's abductors relentlessly. Complete with a surprise ending, this movie is well worth watching if you're a fan of vampire films.
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Summary: Not bad, not bad....
Review: This is a rather unusual vampire story in that it takes place in Arkansas (?) and Oklahoma, rather than the usual spooky Gothic settings. The story moves along nicely, and it is always a delight to see former "Aliens" cohorts Henrickson, Goldstein and Paxton together again. Paxton in particular really lets it rip; he's definitely the most interesting, but I love all three of these characters.
My only real complaint here is the ending - it really leaves a lot to be desired and seems to have been hastily tacked on. Okay, two complaints: Henrickson, Paxton and Goldstein need to stop dying onscreen! :-) Let's keep their characters *around*!Severin can stop by for a drink anytime.... and oh yeah, WHERE'S THE DVD?!
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Summary: Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark
Review: Bigelow's revisionist vampire picture, cowritten with Eric Red, can be lumped in with all those other revisionist vampire pictures. Adrian Pasdar is an aw shucks cowboy in Oklahoma who hooks up with weird girl Mae, played by Jenny Wright (what ever happened to her?). She brings him home to meet the family, who all happen to be vampires. A little love nip gets Pasdar hankering for some blood, and he reluctantly goes along with the band of psychotic human hunters. Pasdar's dad, Tim Thomerson, tracks down Pasdar and takes him back home. A blood transfusion fixes Pasdar right up, but the pack of vampires follows him, kidnapping his sister. A fiery climax ends this weird little film. Lance Henriksen is the leader of the pack, and he is great. He has never received the recognition he deserved, and I wish "Millennium" was still on. Bill Paxton plays "the crazy one," the vampire who enjoys killing. In short, is seems to be the same role Paxton plays every other film or so. Pasdar and Wright are okay as the bloodstruck couple, but there is no real body heat between them (so to speak). My problem with this film is this vague lack of spark throughout the film. Everyone goes through the motions, but no one looks like they are really into this. Like Red's other notorious film, "The Hitcher," this film opens badly. I felt like I sat down in the middle of the film, not the beginning. Pasdar and Wright are not given enough time to generate this Romeo and Juliet kind of love they are supposed to be experiencing. The vampire "family" are all nuts, and are not given enough time to show any care for each other, which means we eventually do not care either. Thomerson as the veterinarian dad is very good, but again, in an underwritten part. The film certainly looks good. The special and makeup effects are great, especially the infamous scene of a little fifth grader-looking vampire running down a highway in sunlight and bursting into flame. Bigelow's direction is good, if a little sloppy. There are a couple of editing errors, but she does a good job of keeping things going. When you think things are finally clicking, the film makers throw in a silly scene that makes you rethink your previous joy at the film. The blood transfusions and the second kidnapping of Pasdar's sister (really dumb) just provide grist for the mediocrity. Throw in a completely inappropriate musical score by Tangerine Dream, and this film is a definite mixed bag. I recommend "Near Dark," but with some huge reservations. This is rated (R) for strong physical violence, strong gun violence, strong gore, strong profanity, some sexual references, and adult situations.
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Summary: Nomadic Sabbat Pack (if you know what I mean)
Review: This is such a fun vampire movie, and provides some fantastic ideas if you're into roleplaying games. I wish they'd release this on DVD, so I could add it to my collection. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because of the goofy, feel good ending. Not every movie has to have a happy ending, and this one shouldn't have.
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Summary: Near Dark DVD News
Review: Without a doubt one of the best new style vampire movies to come along. If some of it doesn't seem that original, it's because most of its more visible successors borrowed liberally from it. Quite a few of the cast members from ALIENS make this a delight to watch. At MegaCon, in February 2002, I had the opportunity to speak with Jeanette Golstein (Diamondback from the film) and she told me that she and most of the orginal cast had just finished working on the audio commentary for the DVD. Can't wait to see it.
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