What Is Near Dark About & Where Can You Stream It?
"Near Dark" added a gristly, wry, and heartfelt note to the mid-'80s cinematic vampire resurgence. Centering itself around small town farmer's son Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar), "Near Dark" shows that sometimes good can triumph over evil.
Caleb's trouble begins when his nightly trip to a local honkey tonk ends with him being bitten by Mae (Jenny Wright). Caleb soon learns that Mae's a vampire, and that her bite has begun to turn him into one, too. Reluctantly, he leaves town with the traveling clan of southern-bred vampires Mae has joined. Caleb's refusal to feed on human blood puts him in direct conflict with the unprincipled Severen (Bill Paxton), who would do anything to kill Caleb and restore order to the centuries old band of bloodsuckers.
Unfortunately, it might be easier to buy an out-of-print DVD copy of "Near Dark" than it is to find a place to stream it. The film isn't available on any digital service or cable company as of press time; to buy or rent it in America, you're going to have to use a VPN. You can get your hands on "Near Dark" via Amazon Canada for $4.99 to rent and $5.99 to buy. You can also rent and purchase the film digitally at the same price points at the Canadian Microsoft Store.
Near Dark's uniqueness is what makes it so popular
"Near Dark" was not a popular film when it was released; it only made just over $3 million on a $5 million budget, technically making it a box office bomb. The subsequent professional successes of its director/writer and stars allowed audiences time to find it on cable and DVD. Subsequently, it's gained a cult following . Once you get ahold of the film, you'll see why it has such a high Rotten Tomatoes score.
"Near Dark" ended up becoming Kathryn Bigelow's first movie as a solo director, and it bears echoes of her career to come. The script – which she also penned – combines the interpersonal biker drama she examined in "The Loveless" with a classic western and a modern vampire flick. Using a cast that she by large caged from then-boyfriend (and future ex-husband) James Cameron's "Aliens," "Near Dark" distinguishes itself from the other vampire flicks of that time period by concerning itself with the humanity of our heroes, the pain and cost of their transformations, and the vulnerability of its grey-hatted characters. That moral ambiguity is what's made "Near Dark" one of the best vampire films of all time, and one that horror fans revere to this day.