Near Dark

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Near Dark

R

1987

1h 35m

Horror

Western

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

80 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Cowboy Caleb Colton meets gorgeous Mae at a bar, and the two have an immediate attraction. But when Mae turns out to be a vampire and bites Caleb on the neck, their relationship gets complicated. Wracked with a craving for human blood, Caleb is forced to leave his family and ride with Mae and her gang of vampires, including the evil Severen. Along the way Caleb must decide between his new love of Mae and the love of his family.

Critics Consensus

Near Dark is at once a creepy vampire film, a thrilling western, and a poignant family tale, with humor and scares in abundance.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Dec 1, 2022

4/4

As a kid, I was spellbound. As an adult, each revisit brings me new pleasures as I discover layers to Bigelow’s chilling horror masterwork I hadn’t noticed before.

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Henry Sheehan

Chicago Reader

May 10, 2022

3/4

The film’s purgation of terror is as vital and energizing as can be possible. This is one hell of a movie.

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Mike Daly

The Age (Australia)

Mar 26, 2021

An awkward blend of horror spoof and genuine shocker.

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Noah Berlatsky

Everything is Horrible (Substack)

May 1, 2026

Near Dark introduces us to a bland, worthless protagonist, and then spends an hour and a half gratuitously protecting him from the consequences of his own idiocy.

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Richard Freedman

Newark Star-Ledger

Jan 16, 2026

2/4

A stylish but silly vampire epic.

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Michael D. Reid

Victoria Times Colonist (B.C., Canada)

Jan 7, 2026

1/5

Bloody awful.

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Robert P

@Superbad 21 hrs ago

Near Dark = a *4* star Movie!

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Yoandris L

@RT65619832 3 days ago

This movie is outright just buns.

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Ben W

@Username618 Jul 4, 2026

Contrary to what you may have expected, this was actually very dull - though in fairness, perhaps more so owing to the level of expectation. Can remember someone bursts into flame in daylight. A much closer match, though one I have never seen, is the reflecting skin Philip Ridley, for this sort of thing. Or. It was directly inspired by.

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Kevin K.

@Ltpickles Apr 1, 2026

This was simply a cool movie that was similar to lost boys in that they make good vampires and they are likable and brutal at the same time.most vampire flicks just simply suck-but this one had bite. Now, if we can just get more solid werewolf movies besides American Werewolf.

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matthias S

@Thescreenasvor Mar 13, 2026

I’d had *Near Dark* on my watchlist for a long time. I’m usually a big fan of Kathryn Bigelow’s work, but this one honestly didn’t feel like her style at all. I kept comparing it to *The Lost Boys* since they’re kinda in the same vampire lane, and yeah… I just like *The Lost Boys* way more. This one felt really slow, and I never connected with the characters—some of them were actually kind of annoying. I get why it has fans, but it just didn’t click for me. In the end I can’t really say I enjoyed it, which was pretty disappointing.

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Gabriel T

@GabrielFagundes Feb 9, 2026

It's almost perfect. Maybe the neck-slashing spur was a mistake, and it definitely has an obvious example of a deus ex machina ending, but it's really good. It's quite tense for a vampire movie. The attack scenes were always thrilling. It never gets boring.

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Kathryn Bigelow

Director

Adrian Pasdar

Caleb Colton

Jenny Wright

Mae

Lance Henriksen

Jesse

Bill Paxton

Severen

Jenette Goldstein

Diamondback

Near Dark: Official Clip - You Could Kill Me If You Drink Too Much

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Near Dark: Official Clip - Bull's Eye!

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Near Dark: Official Clip - Check-Out Time

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Near Dark: Official Clip - She's Mine

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Near Dark: Official Clip - Sunrise Burns

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Near Dark: Official Clip - Finger-Lickin' Good!

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Near Dark: Official Clip - Horses Just Don't Like Me

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Near Dark: Official Clip - We Keep Odd Hours

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Near Dark: Official Clip - Capturing Caleb

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Near Dark: Official Clip - The Drink's on Me

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Synopsis

Cowboy Caleb Colton meets gorgeous Mae at a bar, and the two have an immediate attraction. But when Mae turns out to be a vampire and bites Caleb on the neck, their relationship gets complicated. Wracked with a craving for human blood, Caleb is forced to leave his family and ride with Mae and her gang of vampires, including the evil Severen. Along the way Caleb must decide between his new love of Mae and the love of his family.

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Producer: Steven-Charles Jaffe
Screenwriter: Kathryn Bigelow, Eric Red
Distributor: Paramount Pictures, Anchor Bay Entertainment, Image Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: Near Dark Joint Venture
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 2, 1987, Original
Release Date (DVD): Mar 7, 2006
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.5M
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Surround

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