I woke up this morning to the news that one of my favorite actors passed away. Bill Paxton starred in Apollo 13, Aliens, Titanic, Twister, and my all-time favorite cult classic contemporary vampire movie, Near Dark (1987).
It’s an independent film directed by Kathryn Bigelow, who would later win an Oscar for Hurt Locker, and stars Adrian Pasdar, Jennie Wright, and Aliens alum, Lance Henriksen, and Jennette Goldstein.
I remember seeing this movie at the same time The Lost Boys and it bombed in the box office. Then we rented it (VHS days) and I probably replayed it so many times. There was something about the story that grabbed me, the anti-heroes who manage to wring out some empathy out of you even as they wreak havoc wherever they go, and the power of family and love.
If you like gritty vampire fare (not the ones who glitter), this is worthy to check out, but the clip below is an extra and contains spoilers. And as always, Paxton has so many wonderful lines.
Liz Durano 