Near Dark (Kathryn Bigelow, 1987)
Fantastic little genre and gender bender from Bigelow, visiting many of the themes and devices that she would develop in her later works. The tone is set with grungy motels, truck and bus stops, and redneck dive bars. This is not European decadence, but all-American utilitarian splendour. There is blood, although not that much, and it seems to be there more to signify the dependence of Caleb on Mae (a lot like Johnny Utah and Tyler in
Point Break), than any gory indulgence. I'm sure there's an AIDS subtext going on, what with it being 1987, the blood swapping, and unnamed vampiric infection of just being "sick", as Caleb put it.
I love how they constantly seem to be living on the edge, as witnessed by the constant silhouette of the wide horizon during sunset and sunrise, and the group moving from one location to another. Constant nomads, immortally prowling (or crawling) from place to place. The consistency of tone is also great, considering Bigelow moves between noir, Western, horror and all that.
The performances, eh, not so much. Caleb and Mae are a little half-a**ed. Paxton is great, chewing the scenery and getting the best lines (and there are
so many memorable lines in this film!), but considering we're meant to really get into the world and mindset of these outsiders, very little is done outside of stock characterisation. The creepiness of Homer, the really old "vampire" stuck in a young boy's body, ogling Caleb's little sister, was a great moment. Icky, when you think about it, but still great. Tangerine Dream rocks it, but not as splendiferously as
Manhunter.
So, some mega-80s-ness, a lot of cheese and you have an enjoyable meditation on living on the margins. Glorying in the night, fearing the purifying fire of the sun.