milosprole9 It is one of the most modern vampire films of the decade. This is such stunningly awesome vampire film which never once uses the word "vampire". I found it very interesting, watchable and enjoyable, it's an excellent and absolute classic. Excellent atmosphere and cinematography! I can't describe anymore about it because it's not what a vampire film you think, it has across multiple genres than only horror. I'd give it a 9.5/10 and I highly recommend it!

Nick Duguay Interesting and atmospheric little vampire film. The soundtrack was provided by Tangerine Dream and is absolutely fantastic. Some of the dialogue, especially in the beginning, seems a little cringeworthy and trite but overall the script is well done. It really shines in the way that it gives us a humanistic approach to the vampires. The whole thing has a low key, yet powerful and poetic vibe. At times the humor seems to simply detract from this atmosphere instead of providing anything akin to comic relief or real laughs and I think it would have been a stronger film without the comedic elements. Overall this is quite an offbeat but good film and the soundtrack is amazing.

David Ferguson Greetings again from the darkness. It's always fun to take a fresh look at a cult favorite, especially after a quarter century since initial release. Near Dark is best known as Kathryn Bigelow's first solo directorial effort ... yes, the Oscar winning director of The Hurt Locker (plus Point Blank and Zero Dark Thirty). But that's not why this one has a loyal following. It's actually a very stylish vampire/road trip that focuses on family. And it's one of the very few vampire movies where the word "vampire" is never uttered.Ms. Bigelow co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Red, who also wrote The Hitcher. Similarities abound, yet this one stands on its own thanks to the photography and the performances. We can't help but notice three main actors come directly from James Cameron's Aliens ... Bill Paxton, Lance Henrickson, and Jenette Goldstein. Of course, Mr. Cameron and Ms. Bigelow were in a relationship that resulted in marriage (and later ended in divorce). Near Dark lost at the box office to another vampire movie released at the same time, The Lost Boys. Having its production company go out of business provided no marketing help and Near Dark has since experienced a rabid following thanks to cable, DVD and midnight showings.The basic story has a young local (rural Oklahoma) boy (Adrian Pasdar, who is married to one of the Dixie Chicks in real life) meeting a stranger in town (Jenny Wright, who played Rob Lowe's wife in St Elmo's Fire). Their initial sparks lead to necking .. get it? Next thing we know he is being dragged into a runaway Winnebago by Paxton, Henrickson, Goldstein, Wright and Joshua John Miller. We soon enough figure out it's a traveling troupe of vampires and Caleb (the young local boy) is in big trouble.There are a couple of well known/classic scenes: the sequence in the bar where we really get to see the personalities of each of this group, and the bungalow shootout where the bullet holes in the walls allow the deadly rays of sunshine to wreak havoc with the bloodsucking clan. Additionally, you will note some beautiful shots that confirm Ms. Bigelow's background as an artist - the backlit shot of the group in the fog, and Caleb's horse riding scene.For those accustomed to seeing the "cool" Bill Paxton, they will be surprised at his frenetic wild man act. You might also recall his stint in the The Terminator as one of the blue-haired punks that naked Arnold meets on his arrival. Jenny Wright is fun to watch here and it's a reminder of her talent, and a shame that she retired/disappeared from the acting world in 1998. Others in support include Tim Thomerson as Caleb's dad and (a very young) James LeGros as the frightened teenage cowboy playing pool in the bar scene. Caleb's sister is played by Marcie Leeds, who played young Sarah (Barbara Hershey's character) in Beaches.A sure sign of 1980's horror is the electronic score provided by Tangerine Dream. Sure, the score would be much different today, but it's very much a part of the film's fabric and style. In addition to the key actors coming from Cameron's film, you will also note Aliens on the town's theatre marquee.Bram Stoker published "Dracula" in 1897 and since then it's provided source material and inspiration for an amazing number of films. Some of the best known include: Nosferatu in 1922, Bella Lugosi in 1931, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), Frank Langella as Dracula (1979), The Hunger with Catherine Deneuve (1983), Francis Ford Coppola and Gary Oldman (1992), Tom Cruise in Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire (1994), Robert Rodriguez' From Dusk til Dawn (1996 with George Clooney), Blade (1998), and most recently the Twilight franchise, TV's "True Blood", the excellent Let the Right One In (2008) and the animated Hotel Transylvania (2012). Next up is a NBC series with Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the title role. For the undead, it's quite a family tree of entertainment and horror.

cultfilmfreaksdotcom Steamy vampire flick with terrific moments and memorable characters, including Jenny Wright as a shyly sensuous vamp who seduces farm boy Adrian Pasdar into her clutches. She bites him and, not yet transformed, he joins the family: a gang of rogue RV-riding bloodsuckers including Lance Henriksen as the brooding leader and hopped-up scene-stealer Bill Paxton as a bad boy brawler.The vibe throughout is spooky and intense, the starkly rural daytime setting giving a Spaghetti Western feel while the shadowy night shots channel Film Noir. But the camarawork, although making good use of light and shade, keeps too close on the actors, feeling more like a Gothic photo album than a suspenseful motion picture.Some of the music, seeming placed throughout to fill a soundtrack album, hinders what should have been more timeless otherwise. But an ultra-violent scene within a red neck bar, and a finale on a desolate street straight out of a demonic HIGH NOON, makes this a uniquely bloody ride.Although not as conventionally entertaining, there's a murkier depth than its successful competitor, THE LOST BOYS. And while Pasdar is a dependable – though somewhat wooden – lead protagonist, the best moments concern Paxton's daredevil lunacy or Jenny Wright's docile-doomed expressions as each inevitable dawn draws in.Perhaps NEAR LIGHT would have been a more fitting title, as these vamps are continuously playing time with loaded dice.