Quentin Tarantino Is the 'Hugest Fan' of This Vampire Hidden Gem From Point Break Director
And another acclaimed director loves it, too.
The 80s was a time when horror found its second wind. Slasher, the main subgenre of the time, filled the screens and producers and directors tried to find new forms that could scare the audience and empty their pockets.
But not only slasher movies flourished in the 80s, other horror genres did as well, and vampire stories were not left behind. One such story impressed Quentin Tarantino – once he admitted that he is the "hugest fan" of Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark, and we totally get it.
What Is Near Dark About?
A young man meets a charming girl who, upon closer inspection, turns out to be a vampire. Vampirism is an infectious disease, and after a passionate kiss, the guy is gradually forced to become a vampire, too.
The girl, as it turns out, is part of an entire vampire clan that travels the roads of Texas in an old van. During the day the vampires sleep in motels, at night they go hunting. The police are powerless against them, because a bullet won't kill them: they are only afraid of sunlight.
The vampires are willing to accept the guy into their clan, but he has to kill his first victim himself.
Near Dark Is a Modest Horror Movie that May Surprise You
The successful solo debut of director Kathryn Bigelow, Near Dark combines such diverse genres as horror, western, action and romantic drama, resulting in a perfect road movie with an unusual vampire theme.
There is not much suspense, more attention is paid to the drama of the character and his difficult moral choice. Bigelow nominally makes a teen movie, giving a caste of young people from subcultures the characteristics of something alien, hated by society – the vampirism of the characters creates a rather popular association with drug addiction.
If the term "quiet masterpiece" is still relevant, then this is it – a modest movie with equally modest ambitions that successfully sums up all the developments of the genre and tells perhaps the most heartfelt and spectacular story of human sin in the vampire movie format.
It Director Also Names Near Dark As One of His Favorite Horror Movies
But Quentin Tarantino isn't the only one celebrating Near Dark. After 2017's It became the highest-grossing horror film in history, Andrés Muschietti is counted among Hollywood's most successful directors.
Muschietti once brought up Near Dark while talking about horror films, noting that it was his favorite vampire movie.
Source: The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast