This Tuesday I place my second Kathryn Bigelow entry into ILC’s Overlooked Registry. It is (as my title indicates) Near Dark, the 1987 contemporary vampire thriller movie starring Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton. Over the years, has established quite a cult following.
Midwestern farm hand Caleb (Pasdar) meets up with a mysterious young woman Mae (Wright), who, it turns out is a vampire who before they part company, bites Caleb, thus initiating him into the realm of the undead. Mae rolls with a vicious cohort of fellow blood suckers led by Jesse Hooker (Henriksen) who reluctantly take Caleb under their wing.
In a parallel story, Caleb’s father (Tim Thomerson) and sister are in a desperate search for Caleb when it becomes apparent that he has been taken against his will.
Eventually the story threads merge into a denouement that one may not expect in a film such as this (at least in my mind anyways).
I will admit that this film is not for everyone (due to the level of blood and violence) and I left it knowing immediately it would require a re-watch on my part, so I can pick up on some of the details I missed in my initial viewing.
On another level I think that Near Dark is a good opportunity to see the early work of Bigelow, who is best known for her latest war films (Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty) and the FBI/Surfer Dude heist-er (Point Break).
Check out the trailer here:
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* Please be sure to check out other overlooked/forgotten films over at Todd Mason’s blog, Sweet Freedom.
le0pard13 says
A real gem, alright. Great selection, Iba.
iluvcinema says
Thanks Michael!
Patti Abbott says
Liked it at the time but my memory of it is slight. A good rental.
iluvcinema says
Very entertaining film. It was in my Netflix queue for a while and I only recently just got round to it.
jackdeth72 says
Hi, iluv:
Great selection!
‘Near Dark’ is a splendid little gem which made me a Kathryn Bigelow fan very early on. The pairing of Lance Henricksen and Bill Paxton was inspired. Also Jeanette Goldstein’s “Diamondback” just after she played “Vasquez” in ‘Aliens’. An absolute chameleon of a great actress.
iluvcinema says
Jeanette Goldstein is remarkable – she really does become who she is portraying.
ruth says
Been hearing about this film from various blogs, I really should give this a watch. Nice one Iba!
ruth recently posted..5 Films That Are Better Than the Books They Are Based On
iluvcinema says
Thanks Ruth. Hope you had a nice birthday!