Greetings Ladies and Gentlemen
Tonight I would like to introduce some of you and reintroduce others to something being hailed as a 'cult classic' in the Vampire Genre...
Near Dark
Starring:
Lance Henrikson (Aliens, Millenium {tv series})
Adrian Pasdar (Top Gun, Mysterious Ways)
Bill Paxton (Aliens, Twister)
Jenette Goldstein(Aliens {as my favorite hard ass... Vasquez!!!}
Jenny Wright (who mysteriously dropped off the face of the planet sometime after
the original release and hasn't been seen since)
Tim Thomerson (whose b-rated flick list is too numerous to name in one sitting)
Music by none other than Tangerine Dream
Released by Anchor Bay Entertainment
Co-Written and Directed by Katheryn Bigelow whose work some of you might recognize from K-19: the Widowmaker, and Strange Days...
Released the SAME year as the ever popular pretty boy collection vampire flick "The Lost Boys", Near Dark received none of the glitz and glam fan fare it so richly deserved with its mostly veteran cast of actors and actresses...
Shot in the states of Oklahoma, Arizona and California, the movie setting is rural and rustic, giving one the feeling of a pro rodeo meeting Lost Boys and creating a love child or something...
The movie starts off at night (duh, like what good vamp flick doesn't) with Caleb (Adrian Pasdar) sitting outside a market place on his (again duh) pick up truck and suddenly laying eyes on the very beautiful (soon to be) love of his life Mae ( Jenny Wright). After a quick exchange of words, they decide to (to Caleb's testosterone filled mind) find a nice quiet place to park...
Through all the hushed talk and petting, Mae begins to panic and 'nips' Caleb and flees the scene...
Caleb tries in vain to make it home only to be noticed at a distance by his little sister and father Loy (Tim Thomerson) who begin a race to his rescue that is interrupted by an immense RV swooping in and snatching the now ailing Caleb from them.
Caleb's world is suddenly thrown upside down by the intervention of Mae's "family"... Let me introduce them for you... First we have the leader of the brood Jesse (Lance Henrikson) and his 'vein' squeeze... er um... main squeeze Diamondback (Jenette Goldstein who again, gets to play another kick butt take names kinda gal) and their... er... um... 'offspring' Severn (played by the ever loveable Bill Paxton... yes the one and same from the movie "Weird Science") and the constantly 'weird vibed' Homer (Joshua John Miller) who is ... "a man trapped in a child's body" (and needless to say, doesn't like jokes made about his name... ya know H- O- M.... most of ya know where it's headed, so I will leave it at that)...
ANYWAY... er...
Caleb is given a week to prove if he can cut the mustard as a vampire, or if he is gonna be left for the sun to burn to a crispy critter... Reluctantly, he feeds, but that isn't from anyone other than the person who 'turned' him... Mae... Making their connection grow stronger each time...
One thing leads to another and... Lo and behold!!! Loy and Caleb's little sister end up staying at the same run- of- the- mill hotel as the soon to be 'retired for the day' vampiric hodgepodge...
The rest, dear readers, I will leave for you to view for yourself...
All in all, with reviews such as "ultrastylish, ultraviolent and altogether brilliant" (Entertainment Weekly), and "outrageous and poetic" (The Washington Post) ....
You will see why Near Dark is one of my favorite movies in the Vampire Genre... But then again, I have always stated that I am kinda weird...
I give this movie a Big 4 1/2 stars... Out of a scale of 5
Until next time
Vitae Dominae
Belfazaar Ashantison