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Near Dark (1987)
Vampire movies don't get much better than Near Dark. That this movie is so underseen, hard to come by - it's still not streaming - and that it did badly at the box office is criminal. I like the many ways that director Bigelow proves Billy Corgan's classic lyric "the world is a vampire" from a mosquito to a shot of oil derricks, thus confusing the antics of Mae, Homer, Severen et al with surviving. I, like Caleb, considered this dilemma throughout the movie, mostly because Pasdar's very good performance and Bigelow's use of close-ups really let you get inside his head. Thankfully, Pasdar's career is still going strong, but he may have been a bigger star had this movie been more successful. I was also very impressed by Bill Paxton's work as Severen, this member of the coven who's clearly enjoying himself the most, for how he made me laugh at one moment and sent chills down my spine the next. Bigelow's raw, natural direction and the performances that result is ideal for horror and make me wish she would work more often in the genre, especially for the scene at a bar where you see the coven at their worst. Regardless, Near Dark is also very much a love story, and while the sun is no friend to these vampires, Caleb and Mae's love and the love of Caleb's pursuing father and sister are their true foes.
By the way, how do I post half popcorn and empty popcorn?
Vampire movies don't get much better than Near Dark. That this movie is so underseen, hard to come by - it's still not streaming - and that it did badly at the box office is criminal. I like the many ways that director Bigelow proves Billy Corgan's classic lyric "the world is a vampire" from a mosquito to a shot of oil derricks, thus confusing the antics of Mae, Homer, Severen et al with surviving. I, like Caleb, considered this dilemma throughout the movie, mostly because Pasdar's very good performance and Bigelow's use of close-ups really let you get inside his head. Thankfully, Pasdar's career is still going strong, but he may have been a bigger star had this movie been more successful. I was also very impressed by Bill Paxton's work as Severen, this member of the coven who's clearly enjoying himself the most, for how he made me laugh at one moment and sent chills down my spine the next. Bigelow's raw, natural direction and the performances that result is ideal for horror and make me wish she would work more often in the genre, especially for the scene at a bar where you see the coven at their worst. Regardless, Near Dark is also very much a love story, and while the sun is no friend to these vampires, Caleb and Mae's love and the love of Caleb's pursuing father and sister are their true foes.
By the way, how do I post half popcorn and empty popcorn?
Last edited by Torgo; 10-16-20 at 12:19 PM.
