NEAR DARK - DVD review

The word "Lost" has plagued Kathryn Bigelow's genre-busting Vampire film "Near Dark" since its theatrical release. First and foremost, "Near Dark" found itself going head-to-head with the higher budgeted and marketed "The Lost Boys." "The Lost Boys" was released on July 31st of 1987 and "Near Dark" bowed almost exactly two months later on October 2nd. "The Lost Boys" turned out to be a tremendous success and filled the moviegoers appetite for blood. When the all-around superior "Near Dark" had its time in the limelight, the audience practically ignored the film and "Near Darks" eventual box office take of $3.4 million was slightly more than half of "The Lost Boys" $5.2 million opening weekend.

The next encounter that Bigelow's "Near Dark" had with the word was when reports circulated around the Internet that the film had been declared "lost." It was rumored that no salvageable print was in existence and the film had been out of video circulation for over half a decade. This was a great disappointment for the fortunate few who had embraced the film. "The Lost Boys" has seen a few video releases over the years and whereas the two Corey's careers have become officially lost, it would live forever on video. Sadly, if what was being reported was true, "Near Dark" was gone and never to be properly appreciated again.

Fortunately, the demise of "Near Dark" was incorrect. Somewhere, somehow, Anchor Bay managed to find a quality print of the film and deliver it to the digital realm of DVD. If the film was "lost," it now has been found and perhaps can be found by legions of potential fans. It is truly sad that films are becoming "lost" because of poor preservation or lack of attention to source prints' whereabouts. Being a fan of Bill Paxton, "Near Dark" was a film that I never had the opportunity to watch on LaserDisc or see theatrically. When I had originally heard it was lost, I was greatly disappointed. Imagine my satisfaction when the film finally arrived on my doorstep!

"Near Dark" is a vampire film. However, it is far from typical. Much has been said regarding the fact that the word ‘vampire' is never muttered in the film. Gone are many other staples of vampire films. Holy water, crucifixes, wooden stakes and winged rodents are not part of Bigelow's picture. In fact, there aren't even sharp pointy fangs as part of the bloodsucker's dental structure. Aside from drinking blood and an extremely fatal physiological reaction with sunlight, the only carryovers to "Near Dark" from other vampire pictures are the concepts of greater physical strength and eternal life. The vampires of "Near Dark" are a roving band of outlaws who are more likened to gunslingers than they are to the romanticized depiction of Count Dracula.

In "Near Dark," Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar) is a young man trying to become physically acquainted with the attractive Mae (Jenny Wright). After placing Mae into a position where she must kiss him, Caleb is bitten in the neck and blood is drawn. Mae takes off and Caleb is left in his broken down pickup truck, which decides it doesn't want to start. Caleb is left walking home and starts to feel the effects of sunlight on his transformed vampiric self. Within the view of his father (Tim Thomerson) and sister Sarah (Marcie Leeds), Mae's family of vampires abducts Caleb. Led by Jesse (Lance Henriksen) and Diamondback (Jenette Goldstein), and including Homer (Joshua John Miller) and Severn (Bill Paxton), Caleb is given a week to become part of the group or to be destroyed.

Caleb is strongly attracted to Mae and it is with her help that he is given more than once chance to fulfill his needs and duties as a vampire. He is not a person that wants to kill and he quickly finds himself at odds with Severn. After an exciting massacre at a roadhouse, Caleb makes the mistake of letting a victim go and the group finds themselves under the attack of the local law authorities. Caleb places himself in great jeopardy to save the group, but his heroics prove successful and he finally finds himself befriended by the group. Still, Caleb is not a vampire at heart and his pursuing family places him in a situation where he must choose his destiny.

As far as vampire films go, "Near Dark" is one of the best. Bigelow is given a writing credit for the film and her story's decision to make this film atypical works very well. This band of outlaws makes for a dynamic group that would be just as entertaining if they did not live on human blood. The roadhouse massacre scene is simply brilliance. The chemistry of the group and their views on what it is like to have the ‘gifts' they possess are quite different than anything I've seen in this subgenre of horror film. This film simply would not have worked if holy water was being spritzed. A band of complete badasses who happen to be vampires is unique and by removing most aspects of a vampire film, they are all the more unique.

I highly enjoy Bigelow's "Strange Days," and "K-19: Widowmaker" was good, but underperformed in my opinion. "Near Dark" is far from perfect, and may not be her best technical effort, but this is her best film. The film starts slow and the introduction of Caleb into the band of bloodsuckers takes longer than necessary. The middle act that finds Caleb being forced to conform is where the film excels. The exploits of the group are pure entertainment and I cannot praise the roadhouse scene enough. The climax of the picture is more wishy-washy than it is action oriented and Bigelow strived harder to offer a wonderful new world for Caleb and Mae than she did in nailing the coffin shut on Jesse, Severn and the rest of the group. The strong cast helps bring a sense of reality to the tough composition of the vampires, but the story is strong enough it would have worked with a lesser group of actors. After watching the film, I don't think I'd want to see it without Paxton and Henrikson.

At first, I was not blown away by "Near Dark." I enjoyed the film and liked it a great deal, but it did not seem like the ultimate vampire movie. After the second viewing, my appreciation for the picture only grew and I started to see what all of the fuss was about. While not a perfect movie, this is such a step away from everything that typically defines any movie of this genre. The opening and closing acts could have used some improvement and there could have been a slight rise in the level of carnage, as the bloodshed was remarkably low. Still, this is such an original story with great acting and a captivating storyline that it is hard to ignore. I'm overjoyed by the fact that "Near Dark" is not lost and though I have always liked "The Lost Boys," I now feel that this is the film that should have been the more memorable of the two. Bill Paxton and Lance Henrikson are still bankable faces. Where are the Corey's today? Answer: Lost!

Video :
You are going to want to turn out the lights for this picture. Much of the film takes place slightly after or slightly before daytime. The imagery is dark and dreary. Cinematographer Adam Greenberg helped bring another vampire film, "Once Bitten" to life, but where that film was a jokey affair, he is also the man responsible for the look of "The Terminator" and its two sequels. His work on "Terminator" mirrors shows in "Near Dark." The films have a very similar style and look to them and Greenberg knows how to film scenes that take place when the sun is down. Part of the appeal of "Near Dark" is the grungy nighttime photography and this is a film that was designed to be watched in the dark and can only truly be experience by doing so.

It may have been considered "lost" at one time, but Anchor Bay apparently had no issues with finding a nearly pristine print and they have given the film its dues by delivering a stunning 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The dark presentation of the film exhibits very strong black levels and shadow detail. Even during the darkest scenes, detail is not lost. I had just watched a "DVD" of "Blood of Heroes" and that DVD was subpar when even compared to poor VHS and dark scenes approached becoming a complete blur. It was literally night and day between watching these films back to back. Grain, scratches, dirt, edge enhancment and anything else you can think of that could plague a DVD transfer is abolished from this transfer. For a film that has just celebrated its fifteenth birthday and came from a very modest budget, "Near Dark" looks incredible.

Audio :
If there comes a low point in the experience of watching "Near Dark," it is in the Eighties conceived theatrical score. Thank the maker that synthesizers have nearly been abolished. The soundtrack to "Near Dark" is just grating at times, especially when romance is in the air. Was these noises actually supposed to inspire a feeling of love and affection? Or, was this music supposed to inspire a complete feeling of horror? I suppose that fifteen years ago, this low-budget soundtrack was passable, but in today's society we have shown some social progress and I'm sure passed laws and signed accords that stipulate a "Near Dark" like soundtrack can never again be created.

What makes it worse is the very good acoustic treatment Anchor Bay has given "Near Dark." DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 surround mixes are all readily selectable. The two 5.1 multi-channel surround tracks are nearly identical, with the less capable stereo surround mix sounding ancient compared to the six channel offerings. Bass response is good and dialog is clear. The horrendous synthesized score is nicely rendered. About the only complaint I have (aside from the music) is the lack of usage in the rear surrounds. Though much of the film they are noticeably quiet, but for a fifteen-year-old film, I was pleasantly surprised.

Extras :
"Near Dark" is not publicized or marked as a special edition. However, the highly attractive and shiny casing and its contained 2-discs speak and ten page booklet speak otherwise. This is a worthwhile special edition treatment. Most of the supplements are contained on the second disc of the set, but the first DVD does feature an Audio Commentary by Kathryn Bigelow. Having just listened to a very good Bill Paxton commentary on "Frailty," I was hoping for his involvement in this project, but only director Bigelow lends her time. This is unfortunate; it is quite the tedious and boring affair to listen to her discussing this movie. Perhaps only the Norman Jewison commentary on "Rollerball" is worse. Bigelow does offer a few significant tidbits, but she is not somebody who is easy to listen to and there is a lot of dead air coming from her microphone. Only die-hard fans will want to subject themselves to this commentary.

Disc two springs to life with some very nice supplements. First up to bat is a brand new documentary, Living In Darkness. Running for slightly longer than forty-seven minutes, this documentary is exceptionally well done. Much of the principle cast and crew has been gathered for reflection on the experience of making "Near Dark" and what they have to say is worthwhile. Their fond memories are told in an organized manner that also lends some juicy tidbits on the making of the film. The films origins, box office failure and eventual cult status are all covered nicely. "Living In Darkness" is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen.

I had certainly hoped that Anchor Bay would not subject us to a CD of the cinematic score as they did with "Night of the Living Dead" or include any of it in the supplemental materials. Unfortunately, they did. Original Storyboards terrorizes viewers for nearly a half an hour with the Tangerine Dream soundtrack and animated storyboards of five scenes selected from the film. Even the much-loved "Roadhouse Slaughter" is reproduced in storyboard film and I felt compelled to endure the sonic torture long enough to watch it. Other scenes shown in storyboard form are "Caleb's Tansformation," "A Taste of Blood," "Feeding," and "Motel-Shoot Out." I suppose the soundtrack isn't so bad that you should avoid this inclusion, but it makes for a challenging half an hour.

But wait! There's more! And this time there is no Tangerine Dream. A Deleted Scene runs for 1m:19s and features a touching minute between Caleb and Mae. Shot in black and white and featuring no audio, a Kathyrn Bigelow commentary is provided. A set of Still Galleries shows behind-the-scenes and promotional stills pertaining to the film. Talent Biographies and two Theatrical Trailers end the list of basic DVD features. Additional DVD-ROM supplements include a complete copy of the Original Screenplay in Adobe PDF format and two Screensavers.

Summary :
There is a lot to be thankful of with this Anchor Bay release of "Near Dark." The first and most important thing is the sheer existence of the picture. It was rumored to have been "lost" forever. That has proven to not be true and the extremely good DVD presentation of this picture and the collection of supplemental materials should be enough to attract more fans to this wonderful little tale of gunslinging vampires and more than please the loyal fans that have embraced it over the past fifteen years. "Near Dark" is a vampire film that is only classified as such because if features near immortal beings who have a seriously bad allergic reaction to sunlight and require human blood as nourishment. Aside from that, it functions more like a western than it does a horror film. If you enjoyed the opening moments of the second half of "From Dusk Till Dawn," you haven't seen anything. This reviewer highly recommends this DVD.