Near Dark (1987)

Before there was Twilight, there was Near Dark. The hard-to-find Kathryn Bigelow film tells the story of small-town farmer Caleb (Adrian Pasdar) who meets a beautiful drifter named Mae (Jenny Wright). The two flirt and fall in love that same night, but just before sunrise, she bites his neck and runs away, turning him into a vampire. Caleb is unwilling to feed, and Mae’s coven of vampires don’t like him one bit—they want him dead, and the most unhinged one in the bunch (played brilliantly by Bill Paxton) poses a threat to Caleb’s entire town.

Near Dark is sexy and gory and intense, a neo-Western meets vampire flick meets Shakespearean romance. Though this is just her second film, Bigelow’s talent in establishing a vibrant, vibey atmosphere and pulling incredible performances out of her actors is apparent—this could be one of Paxton’s best roles, and I absolutely adore the crossover between this film and James Cameron’s Aliens. Cameron (Bigelow’s ex-husband) suggested she use his ensemble of actors from the 1986 film in Near Dark, and history was made—the terrifying trio of Paxton, Lance Henriksen, and Jenette Goldstein play off of each other brilliantly and act as a fine, furious foil to the star-crossed lovers.

By the end of Near Dark, you want nothing more than Caleb and Mae to walk out into the sun together, unscathed. They walked so Edward and Bella could run. — Alyssa Mercante