"Near Dark" Don't call it B grade! Origin of strong director Kathryn Bigelow

Behind the innovative vampire movie lies the shadow of a famous director

Bigelow said that collaboration with the actors and staff was essential to making "Near Dark" an original story. Adrian Pasdar, who played the main character Caleb, was an actor on the rise at the time, having just made his debut as Chipper in " Top Gun " (1986). His delicate personality made the role of Caleb convincing. Jenny Wright, who played Mae, and child actor Joshua Miller, who played a member of the vampire family who was eternally born in the form of a child, also shine with their eerie presence.

Other actors who played the vampire family were Lance Henriksen as Jesse, Jennette Goldstein as his partner and mother figure to the group, and Bill Paxton as the violent vampire Severine. Many movie fans will be surprised by this casting, as the three had co-starred in the previous year's film, " Aliens " (1986), directed by James Cameron. When Bigelow cast them, he contacted Cameron and asked for his permission. Cameron readily agreed, and they became close after that, marrying in 1989, but divorced two years later...

"Near Dark" (c) Photofest / Getty Images

There are other influences from Cameron's work on this film as well. Cinematographer Adam Greenberg is a master who gained attention for his work on The The Terminator (1984). Impressed by the night scenes in that film, Bigelow wanted to use him for this film, which also has many night scenes, and selected him as the cameraman. The effect was tremendous, and the images, which make use of neon and street lights, give off a sensual glow and give a unique beauty to the vampire film genre. "It's beautifully blurred, like a Cezanne painting," she praises Greenberg's skills.

The German electronic music group Tangerine Hidden Figures provided the sometimes lyrical, sometimes violent music to accompany the beautiful images. Since their foray into film music with director William Friedkin's " The Wages of Fear " (1977), they have provided scores for many Hollywood productions, including " The Risky Business " (1983) starring Tom Cruise. "Their music is consistently permeated with a provocative, memorable and lively sound," says Bigelow.

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