Near Dark (1987)
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A young man in a small Oklahoma town becomes entangled with a nomadic family of vampires after being bitten by a drifter.
The story
One night, Caleb Colton, a young man in a small Oklahoma town, meets an attractive young drifter named Mae. Just before sunrise, she bites him on the neck and runs off. The rising sun causes Caleb's flesh to smoke and burn. Mae arrives with a group of roaming vampires in an RV and takes him away. The most psychotic of the vampires, Severen, wants to kill Caleb but Mae reveals that she has already turned him. Their charismatic leader, Jesse Hooker, reluctantly agrees to allow Caleb to remain with them for a week to see if he can learn to hunt and gain the group's trust.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being turned into a vampire by Mae, Caleb Colton is taken in by a nomadic group of vampires led by Jesse Hooker. Caleb struggles with the violence of their lifestyle, while Mae protects him by killing for him. The group's activities, including a bar raid and a motel escape, eventually lead to conflict when Caleb's father arrives searching for the group. During a confrontation, Caleb's sister Sarah is nearly turned, but the vampires are forced back by sunlight. Caleb later escapes with his family after a blood transfusion unexpectedly reverses his transformation. The vampires pursue him, leading to a final confrontation where Caleb kills Severen using a tractor-trailer. In the climax, Mae attempts to save Sarah but is burned by the sun. Jesse and his girlfriend Diamondback also perish in a car explosion. Ultimately, Mae is also cured by a transfusion and is comforted by Caleb as the film ends.
- First release year
- 1987
- Runtime (minutes)
- 95
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Kathryn Bigelow
- Writers
- Eric Red · writer; Kathryn Bigelow · writer
- Cast and characters
- Adrian Pasdar · Caleb Colton; Jenny Wright · Mae; Lance Henriksen · Jesse Hooker; Bill Paxton · Diamondback; Jenette Goldstein · Diamondback; Tim Thomerson · Severen
- Genres
- neo-Western; horror
- Themes
- outlaw mythology; family; transformation
- Tone and mood
- creepy; thrilling; poetic; gory; gorgeous
- Premise and plot tags
- vampire; western; biker; supernatural horror
- Content notes
- blood
- Reception
- Despite performing poorly at the box office, critic reviews were generally positive. Over the years, the film has gained a cult following. It was praised for its mix of genres and its ability to Americanize the vampire myth.
- Production trivia
- The film was a mix of Western and vampire genres because financial backing for a Western was difficult to obtain.; Michael Biehn turned down the role of Jesse Hooker because he found the script confusing.; A cinema in the background features an 'Aliens' marquee, and James Cameron appears as a man flipping off Severen.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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