Near Dark (1987)

Before her recent success with modern warfare dramas (Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker), even before her initial breakthrough work in the 1990’s (Point Break, Strange Days), Kathryn Bigelow directed this oddball vampire movie. This movie could confidently be called a…dark-romance-action-horror-punk-western?? Bigelow displays expertise at mixing styles and genres even at this early date.

So, who is this movie for? Well for one, I would certainly recommend it to fans of vampire movies. I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys watching a particularly bombastic Bill Paxton go absolutely psycho. Honestly, despite the fact that I somewhat prefer Strange Days (Unfortunately for me, the only genres neglected here are science fiction and political thriller), I have to recommend giving this movie a watch if you’re at all a Kathryn Bigelow fan. Her versatility as a director really cannot be overstated, and what she’s created here is thoroughly entertaining.