For our latest episode of THE BEST HORROR MOVIE YOU NEVER SAW, we take a look at the cult classic 1987 vampire-western NEAR DARK from writer Eric Red (100 Feet, Body Parts) and director Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break, Blue Steel), starring Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, and Bill Paxton.
NEAR DARK is a Neo-Western vampire film about a young farmboy Caleb (played by young Adrian Pasdar, of HEROES fame) who picks up a beautiful woman Mae (played by Jenny Wright), who turns out to be more than he bargained for when a fun night out leads to her biting him and turning him into an undead vampire.
He then gets snatched up by a group of roaming drifter vampires, including rambunctious Severen (played enthusiastically by Bill Paxton), momma bear Diamondback (played by Jennette Goldstein), old man stuck in a child’s body Homer (Joshua John Miller) all led by Jesse Hooker (played by Lance Henricksen). What ensues is a dark night of misadventures!
The film has the story and aesthetics of a Western, following a group of outlaws – hiding out, stealing, causing barfights – with the added supernatural layer of immortal vampires and horrific, bloody rampages. It’s a great marriage of the two genres that fit together like a glove! Discover or re-discover this unsung horror classic here!
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