Near Dark (1987)

Just as the vampire seemed to be losing its icy grip on the Horror film, the genre received the fresh new blood it needed from NEAR DARK in 1987. Caleb is overtaken by a beautiful stranger, Mae, whose kiss transforms him into a creature of the night. Just as dawn is about to break, Caleb and Mae are snatched up by the band of nomadic vampires that she calls 'family.' Caleb must now decide to either run with the pack or fight his deadly new disease on his own. NEAR DARK is more of a modernization than a reimagining of the classic vampire mythos. The standard rules still apply, and as we often see in the film, sunlight packs one hell of a punch against these gun-totting baddies. The Gothic trappings of the past have been dropped in place of an Action/Western hybrid with an emphasis on the Horror. NEAR DARK brings together the perfect cast of bloodsuckers, led by Lance Henriksen as the ruthless Jesse. ALIENS co-star Jenette Goldstein stars as his sadistic lover Diamondback, while Bill Paxton's wild antics as Severen turn out one of his most enjoyable performances ever. The carefully chosen title speaks to the characters of Caleb and Mae. Although they have been initiated into a world of darkness, they sit on the brink of good and evil, and still have hope for salvation. Of the many memorable scenes, the bloody bar fight between Jesse's vampire posse and the local shitkickers stands out the most, followed by the blazing gun battle with the police that nearly destroys the group as sunlight pours in from the bullet holes. NEAR DARK is a modern classic that, along with THE LOST BOYS from the same year, helped to usher in a new era of vampire films.

Rating: 9/10.

Movies like NEAR DARK:
SKINWALKERS, VAMPIRES, THE LOST BOYS.