Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40617 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-08-25
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 95 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The word "vampire" is never mentioned in Near Dark, but that doesn't stop this 1987 cult favourite from being one of the best modern-era vampire films. It put then-unknown director Kathryn Bigelow on Hollywood's radar and gave choice roles to Aliens costars favoured by Bigelow's ex-husband James Cameron--Lance Henriksen is the leader of a makeshift family of renegade bloodsuckers, nocturnally seeking victims in rural Oklahoma; his immortal gal pal is Aliens and T2 alumnus Jenette Goldstein; and Bill Paxton is the group's deadliest leather-clad ass kicker. Fellow traveller Jenny Wright lures Okie farm boy Adrian Pasdar into the group with a love bite and he's soon turning toward vampirism with a combination of frightened revulsion and relentless desire. With Joshua Miller as the youngest vampire, Near Dark is Bigelow's masterpiece of low-budget ingenuity--a truck-stop thriller that begins well, gets better and better (aided by a fine Tangerine Dream score) and goes out in a blaze of glory. --Jeff Shannon

DVD Description
Kathryn Bigelow's cult classic 1987 vampire movie. When country boy Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar) meets Mae (Jenny Wright) he immediately falls for her angelic charms. During their romantic encounter, Mae gives Caleb a nip on the neck before mysteriously disappearing. Alone and slightly confused, by the time dawn breaks, Caleb is suffering from severe stomach cramps and a serious aversion to sunlight. While struggling to make his way back to his father's farm, he is abducted by a group of strangers. The kidnappers turn out to be Mae's "family", a band of vampires who intend to feast on Caleb before he turns into one of them. Already desperately in love, Mae convinces her family to give Caleb the chance to prove himself as one of their own...

Special Features

• 45 min documentary Living In Darkness
  
• Behind-the-scenes stills gallery
  
• Audio commentary by Director Kathryn Bigelow
  
• Deleted scene with commentary by Director Kathryn Bigelow
  
• Theatrical trailers
  
• Talent biographies
  
• Poster and stills gallery
  
• Original storyboards

DVD Technical Information:

• Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
  
• Region Code: 2
  
• Running time: 95 minutes

Customer Reviews

near dark is near perfection
This is a masterpiece of a film from director Kathryn Bigelow. It has been described by Ms Bigelow as a story of two families, a daylight family and a night family; others have called it a cross between a horror film, an action film and a western. It is a recorded fact that Ms Bigelow had wanted to make a western, but because westerns weren't popular at the time, it was decided to turn it into a horror film with a basic western feel.

The story starts in a backwater Texas town where Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar) meets a young woman called Mae (Jenny Wright) outside the quiet town's ice cream parlour. Mae tells Caleb that she needs a ride home and Caleb, fancying his chances, agrees to give her a ride. Things, however, don't go his way when she nibbles his neck. Come morning and Caleb starts to feel sick in the sun.

He is staggering across the fields near his home when the occupants of an RV grab him and drive away, all this is witnessed by his little sister Sarah (Marcie Leeds). Caleb's father, Loy (Tim Thomerson), tires of waiting for the local police to do something to find his son, so decides that he and his daughter will go out and look for Caleb themselves.

Caleb has been taken by Mae and her vampire family - Jesse Hooker (Lance Henriksen), Severen (Bill Paxton), Diamondback (Jeanette Goldstein) and Homer (Joshua Miller). He doesn't want to kill, but his body now needs blood to survive and we watch as Caleb's internal fight what he knows is wrong and what his needs tell him to do.

As the film builds to its climax Caleb must make the decision between his two families, between day and night.

Whether James Cameron had an influence in the casting of the main characters (he was at the time that the film was made married to Ms Bigelow).

The vampire family consists of Lance Henriksen (Aliens' android Bishop), Bill Paxton (PFC Hudson from Aliens) and Jeanette (Vasquez) Goldstein all give excellent performances, but, once again, it is Bill Paxton who delivers the most memorable performance of the entire cast.

Having watched the film, both with and without the commentary I have to say that I would have preferred the ending that had been planned, rather than the one that we ended up with, but the one that we ended up with is satisfying all the same.

The two disc special edition is exactly that - special. The extras include interviews with the cast and crew, deleted scenes and behind the scenes stills gallery.

This film is thoroughly enjoyable. One of the greatest vampire movies ever, though interestingly the term vampire is never used in the film itself.

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UPDATE - it has been announced that they are to remake near dark

Near Dark - even rednecks can be vampires!
Near Dark marks a real change in Hollywood vamp flicks. Finally vampirism isn't restricted to the aristocratic or well-off, but instead introduces a bunch of obnoxious rednecks with little regard for anyone else. Here is a near perfect vampire western genre hybrid...

Caleb [Adrian Pasdar], a farmboy, is seduced and bitten by a strange girl he meets, Mae [Jenny Wright], who relents and spares his life. He is then unwillingly dragged into the hectic life of a gang of nomadic vampires who roam the midwest. They don't wish to be slowed down by him, and he is reluctant to kill, but it becomes clear he has to learn to satisfy his blood cravings. Despite his inability to pull his own weight, he eventually wins approval by saving the gang. Meanwhile Caleb's father is on their trail, searching for his lost son, with Caleb's sister in tow.

Most noteworthy of the vampires is the kid, Homer. He is a real monster who drinks, smokes, and uses cunning to lure and kill his victims. It is both unusual and very refreshing to see a child vampire portrayed as unrelentingly evil, "So you have any idea what it's like to be 700 years old and stuck in a kid's body? It", and he has a few scene-stealing moments because of it. Seeing him running along the freeway screaming for his friend, burning in the sunlight, is unquestionably moving.

Mae and Caleb's relationship is key to the film, as he becomes utterly dependent on her, feeding from her wrist to survive. Despite the fact this is largely a high-octane action film, it is intelligently directed, as the first time this happens the two stand in a large oil field, reciprocating the pumps as a metaphorical image for the sexual act and bloodflow. The image of the vampires racing across flat plains, trying to escape the rising sun are haunting and unforgettable. The bloody bar room sequence is disturbingly powerful but never exploitational. The shimmering nightime cinematography is beautifully filmed. And finally the daytime shootout is simply superb, with shafts of sunlight arcing across the room as each bullet is fired through the walls.

The standout performances definitely come from Lance Henriksen as the pack leader Jesse, and Jenette Goldstein as Diamondback, his moll. In fact, along with Bill Paxton's Severen, three of the Aliens marines are reunited as vampires here! Interestingly the term "vampire" is never once spoken throughout the film, a technique used in a few movies around this period. These vampires are all evil, but our sympathy comes from the way we glimpse regular day-to-day life for them (not just the usual "seduce and kill" of most vampire flicks), forced to live as fugitives.

Near Dark suffers from what is generally accepted to be a terrible ending. However, given that the story never delves to deep into vampire mythology, prefering to look at the condition and the lifestyle forced upon its vampires, this is perhaps forgivable. Ultimately, Near Dark is a magnificently crafted vampire western hybrid and thoroughly refreshing and enjoyable to watch, taking such sharp turns away from the standard Hollywood fare, and is successful as a result.

Excellent 'Vampire' Movie
I first heard of this movie in Empire magazine in around august and being intrigued by the excellent cast (Paxton, Henriksen, Goldstein) members from the best action movie ever, Aliens, decided to find out more.

I eventually bought it after reading many mixed Internet reviews and boy am i glad i did. This is a fantastic movie in all senses of the word. Combining action, romance and horror, as well as the western genre thrown in for good measure this movie is a pleasure to watch. Paxton and Henriksen especially, are excellent in their respective roles of Severin and Jesse, surely two of the best on screen 'vampires' ever. Paxton is hilarious and menacing and Henriksen is just utterley watchable.

The story goes as follows; Farm Boy Caleb(Adrian Pasdar), seeming fed up with countru life goes into town one night and meets up with some 'friends,' his life then changes when he sees a gorgeus girl down the street 'innocently' licking an ice cream. He approaches her and they seem to get on well, until Mae's (Jenny Wright) intentions are made clear. The dawn is rising and Caleb is refusing to take Mae home unless she kisses him, which she does as well as give him a bite on the neck. On the way home (his truck broken down) Caleb mysteriously starts burning when the sun comes up. Plus, just before he reached home he is kidnapped and subsequently meets Mae's 'family.' There the leader Jesse, his girl Diamondback, The sadistic Severin, the lovely Mae, and the childlike in appearence but very old Homer. Caleb is taken along with them and struggles to earn their trust as he wont kill people to feed, and what follows is just an excellent and intriguing journey of a movie.

Released at the same time as Lost Boys in 1987, this movie flopped, despite being the better movie. It has since become a cult classic however and thoroughly derserves its status. I hugely recommen this movie to anyone.