NEAR DARK
A film review by Shane R. Burridge
Copyright 1995 Shane R. Burridge
(1987) 90 min
On the face of it, there seems little that is exceptional, storywise,with this reworking of the vampire myth. A young farmhand (Adrian Pasdar) meets up and falls in love with a young woman (Jenny Wright) who happens to belong to a clan of vampires. Once smitten (not to mention bitten), he finds himself dependent on their wiles to survive. Naturally, he resists. If this sounds like THE LOST BOYS, also released in 1987, then you'll probably realize why NEAR DARK became a victim of bad timing and lost attention at the box office.
NEAR DARK is, however, a treat for horror fans. The vampires are genuinely scary--not so much by dint of their supernatural powers as by their contemporary, thuggish attitudes towards violence (There's a bratty kid who, as in Anne Rice's INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, is bitter with the knowledge that he is doomed to eternal life and will never be able to "grow up"--he's like a social worker's worst nightmare). Other films in the vampire boom of the late eighties (e.g. FRIGHT NIGHT, VAMP, INNOCENT BLOOD) revitalized the myth by using urban American settings and putting a quirky spin on their stories. NEAR DARK is different in that it doesn't play for laughs, and has the notable distinction of avoiding nearly every image associated with vampires. There are no wielded crucifixes, bats, wooden stakes, bloodstained fangs--in fact, the word "vampire" isn't even mentioned--we are just expected from our knowledge of popular folklore to assume they are so. That they are creatures of the night is emphasized by their one true fear: daylight. The title of the film points out how their lives are dictated by the sunset-sunrise cycle. This is, for all intensive purposes, the only enemy these vampires have. They are too savvy to worry about stakes and crucifixes because they know that modern society has no time or belief invested in their legend. This group, roaring across-country in their blacked-out van, are successful survivors because they have transcended the old-world thinking (and portrayal) of traditional vampires and become the serial killer equivalent more befitting the psyche of the late 20th century. The arid desert setting and menace of the sun help us empathize with the vampires' thirst. Kathryn Bigelow's direction is broody and assured--the scene in which the vampires take their time dispatching of their victims in a diner will definitely be cut for television! Tangerine Dream contribute their customary one-size-fits-all score.
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