Aux frontières de l'aube

A vampire road movie before Dusk Til Dawn.

This movie is really great fun and 90% of that fun is provided by Bill Paxton. This movie was perfect for him and his over the top flamboyant personality.

Henriksen also broods his way nicely through the movie.

Plenty of atmosphere, fun story and a good time to be had!

Watched last night, it's reminiscent of the first terminator film in some ways. Bill Paxton nails every second of screen time that he has, definitely worth watching for just for him.

Near Dark is directed and written by Kathryn Bigelow with Eric Red also credited for the screenplay. It stars Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein & Bill Paxton. The score is provided by Tangerine Dream and Adam Greenberg is the cinematographer.

A small Oklahoma town and Caleb Colton (Pasdar) meets Mae (Jenny Wright), an attractive young drifter. They chat, they flirt and just before sunrise she bites him on the neck before running away. Welcome to your new vampire family Caleb……

It's now written in scripture that Bigelow's Vampire Western failed miserably at the box office and quickly vanished into the shadow of Joel Schumacher's popular Vampo piece, The Lost Boys. However, thanks to VHS interest, the film refused to shrivel up and blow away when the sun came up. Over the years the film has garnered a cult fan base and been reappraised by many of the front line critics to great reviews. So much so that now it's considered something of an enigmatic & poetic classic that's directed by a hugely talented female director.

With its core story the film offers nothing new to the vampire sub-genre. The blood as a drug/thirst motif was long ago penned by one Bram Stoker. But Near Dark is not interested in traditional vampire mythology, this is a modern spin where garlic, bats, crosses and stakes are neither needed or thought about. In fact the word vampire is never mentioned in the film. This is, all told, a film about the human side of the night dwellers, we hop inside their blacked out bus and hit the road; along with the confused and conflicted Caleb. What follows is touches of savagery and touches of ethereal beauty-beauty that comes not from Gothic touches, but from dusky Western surrounds. Photographer Greenberg blending oater stylings with moody horror atmospherics, his light work carrying a sexy sheen that dovetails smartly with the "family" and their life when the sun has gone from the sky. It's seductive, it's what Bigelow wanted and got, the mood created helps us to understand how easy it was for Caleb to be drawn to Mae in the first place.

That Bigelow chose to hire Greenberg {and to utilise him to the max} obviously aids the film no end. That she surrounded herself with quality character actors was something of a master stroke. This allowed her to focus on the tone and flow of the piece, safe in the knowledge that Messrs Henriksen (great character depth), Paxton (a bundle of film stealing energy) and Goldstein (savvy) were carrying the film safely to its Western style finale. Lest we forget the efforts of then unknowns Pasdar & Wright, both pretty and perky, for they too instill their characters with a warmth and tenderness that belies the blood shedding that surrounds their coupling. It's also noteworthy that we are not being asked to sympathise with the addiction plight of the "family," understand? Yes, but never sympathise. Even if the poetic noirish beauty of it all can lure you nervously into its seductive arms and make you feel at odds with your feelings.

Not many knew it at the time, but this was to be a hugely influential film. One that now still shows aspiring newcomers to the sub-genre how it should be done. 8/10

One of the best modern vampire flicks around is this stylish, funny, and all around adventurous cult classic.

Young cowboy is literally bitten by a beautiful stranger and ends up joining a band of blood-suckers who roam the American heartland.

Although Near Dark is often over-shadowed by the ultra-hip vampire movie The Lost Boys (1987), Near Dark is a far juicier treat for horror fans. Eric Red, who also wrote The Hitcher (1986), gives us a seemingly old-fashioned tale of struggle between human nature and savage lust with a nicely spun sense of modernism. Not to mention plenty of touches of dark humor. It's a story that does well with avoiding the obvious clichés of the vampire genre. Director Kathryn Bigelow gives this film terrific style, not only adding scenic beauty but sharply creating plenty of intense action sequences. Near Dark also packs some great makeup FX and occasional gore. The entire sequence in the bar has became a favorite among many. Adding even more to the film is the beautiful music score by Tangerine Dream.

The cast is quite good. Adrian Pasdar is believable as our formerly-human hero. Lance Henriksen is genuine in his role as the leader of the vamp' band. However it's young Bill Paxton who does most of the scene stealing (and the comic relief) as a scary, yet cheeky vampire thug.

A modern vamp classic that delivers on all levels, Near Dark firmly remains a favorite of the genre and one of the most entertaining horror films of the 80's.

**** out of ****

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.