Near Dark – Actually, It was Fully Dark
Near Dark is a 1987 film about a nomadic tribe of vampires that terrorize the American southwest when the sun goes down. One night, they bite young cowboy Caleb and turn him into a bloodsucker too – however, he keeps his morality and objects to their morally abhorrent behavior.
This movie was almost impossible to find. If you’d like to watch it, I wish you luck. It’s a shame it was so inaccessible, because it was quite fun!
The vibes of this movie are unlike anything I’ve seen. The vampires are portrayed as dirty, vile beings, yet they are framed in a positive, alluring way by the film. It’s as if the film wants you to root for the vampires as they massacre the mostly innocent patrons of a bar, but also wants you to feel bad about rooting for them. It’s a fine line that the movie manages to (mostly) get away with.
It’s almost always night time – until suddenly the sun is coming up and everyone has thirty seconds to get inside before they die. I think if I were a vampire, I’d invest in some sunscreen. Or move to the part of Norway where it’s always nighttime.
The story here is fine. It’s a fast paced film that doesn’t waste any time getting you where you want to go. It is incredibly tense at times, as the vampires are causing carnage and you never know how far they will go (usually pretty far).
As Bigelow’s first solo directed film, the style is unmatched. She moves the camera very well and you can clearly see the inklings of someone who will go on to win an Academy Award for directing.
I’m also fascinated by the vampire lore on display here. If they go in the sun they catch on fire for a few minutes and then explode like a bomb. Vampirism can be cured by a simple blood transfusion. When a vampire is shot, they can spit out the bullet like a sunflower seed. Overall, just fascinating stuff that you don’t tend to see in other pieces of vampire media. If I heard Twilight was like this, you best believe I’d be watching.
Bigelow Rankings:
This was a huge step up from last week!
- Near Dark
- The Loveless
Next week, I’ll review the police thriller Blue Steel (not to be confused with Derek Zoolander’s signature expression).
