Fortunately, Near Dark is not your typical "vampire" film. Although the term vampire is never even mentioned during the course of the 94-minute running time (also stakes, crosses and holy water are virtually non-existent) our main characters are most definitely without doubt creatures of the night. If co-scripter/director Kathryn Bigelow managed to do just one thing right, its reinvent the vampire sub genre. Near Dark is unlike any other horror film (or vampire film for that matter) that you have ever laid eyes on (and that's a good thing). Anchor Bay has rescued this incredible film from relative obscurity and respectfully presents it in a neatly packaged 2-disc special edition. This is one flick you're definitely going to want to sink your teeth into (quite often too I'd presume).

Upon the original theatrical release of Near Dark circa '87 the little film that could had trouble from day one. Originally backed by DeLaurentis Entertainment (on the fast track to bankruptcy at the time mind you) the film suffered from a theatrical release hot on the heels of another "little" vampire flick, The Lost Boys (you may have heard of it?). Well, needless to say Near Dark was lost in the shadows (pun intended) of Warner's huge release of The Lost Boys and hit the fast track to home video. Near Dark managed a quick cult following (and rightfully so) due to word of mouth and the ease of home video rentals, before it was deemed out of print in the early 90's. If you haven't had the pleasure of viewing Near Dark, you are in for a real treat, and for this I must say that I envy you.

Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar) is unwittingly drawn into a mysterious world courtesy of the ultra-cute and pixie like Mae (Jenny Wright). After a night of innocent flirtation, Mae inadvertently feeds off of Caleb, which in turn causes him to slowly turn. Caleb is forced into joining a group of renegade nightwalkers led by the fatherly if all too pompous Jesse (Lance Henriksen). Unfortunately this little happy family has no place to call home therefore they continually travel the southwest trying their best to enjoy the night and beat the day. Always looking for their next hide out when the sun is about to rise and someone to feed off of when the sun goes down, Caleb is now one of them... or is he? All the while, Caleb's father and younger sister join a frantic manhunt (shotguns in hand of course) for their missing relative.

The brilliance that is Near Dark stems from its unique story, crafty delivery, and deep-rooted character development. We are with these characters every step of the way and are able to identify. We're especially able to connect with our man about town Caleb. When Caleb is desperately trying to make shelter as the sun hits his sensitive skin for the first time we feel the burn along with him. When Caleb falls violently ill because he has to feed yet he just can't seem to bring himself to kill for the first time, we feel his pain right along with him. We even breathe a sigh of relief when Caleb is finally able to impress Jesse and earn his much-needed respect, as he slowly becomes a member of the family. Well written and executed Near Dark gracefully shines through its cloak of "B-Moviedom".

Near Dark features a fine supporting cast including the aforementioned Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton (he's never looked better) and Jenette Goldstein (the three had conveniently worked on Aliens together just prior to Near Dark). Also present is one of my all time personal favorites, little Joshua Miller as Homer (Teen Witch anyone?). Near Dark manages to hit near cinematic perfection on just about every level. Everything in and around this film is dead on and each note is hit to a near perfect pitch. Whereas The Lost Boys feeds off of black comedy and unique comic book styling. Near Dark manages to retain a deadpan attitude toward seriousness yet retains its confidence to remain flirtatious with a little bit of light comic relief now and then... and it works.

Near Dark is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio in an anamorphic transfer and the result is quite impressive. The film has always had a subdued color scheme (much of the film takes place at dusk or at dawn, go figure) so don't expect these images to be so lively and vibrant that they just leap off the screen (it isn't gonna happen, three strip Technicolor Suspiria this ain't). This DVD is an accurate representation of how Near Dark should look, and if I may be so blunt as to say it looks pretty darn good (pardon my language). There are a few instances of print damage (extremely minimal and to be expected) however, lucky for us grain rarely rears its ugly head. What we're left with is a nice sharp picture with accurate color definition. It's the next best thing to seeing Near Dark projected at the local AMC theater back in 1987.

We're presented with 3 audio options and lucky for us, one of our choices is the original 2.0 stereo mix (way to go Anchor Bay!). Other options include a DTS or 5.1 mix. Both digital tracks are comparable with the DTS track giving us a bit more punch or oomph if you will. There are a few instances in which the sound is a bit too artificial (a couple of car/truck explosions come to mind). The surrounds are effectively subdued and kick in when the time is just right. The incredible score by Tangerine Dream sounds fantastic. It would have been a really nice treat to have either an isolated score or a bonus CD soundtrack. Either way you go Digital or 2.0 you've got nice clear dialogue with no distortion, and a great music and effects track to back it all up.

One thing Anchor Bay didn't do is skimp on the extras. The first extra, which happens to be on the first disc, is a feature length audio commentary with co-scripter/director Kathryn Bigelow. The commentary is both informative and entertaining pretty much from the first frame down to the last. There are some unfortunate brief pauses, but for the most part she speaks throughout and goes into nearly every detail of the production of the film. The second disc is just chock full of extras and thankfully they are a lot of fun to go through. First up is a brand new 47-minute documentary entitled Living in Darkness. Interviewed here are much of the cast and crew including director Kathryn Bigelow along with co-stars Bill Paxton and Lance Henriksen (along with many others). Informative and entertaining, this documentary just proves once and again that shooting this film was a labor of love for all involved. Each participant seems to have fond memories as they each speak very highly of the film and its production. It's also brought to light that filming became a collaborative effort as actors were encouraged to improvise and were enabled to truly get into each of their characters and make them their own. A deleted scene (shot purposely in B&W) follows the documentary with narration by Kathryn Bigelow. This brief scene is followed by original storyboard slideshows for 5 scenes in the film (nicely laid out with some of that great Tangerine Dream soundtrack in the background) and 2 sets of still galleries. Next up, two theatrical trailers (which shamelessly display the odd marketing techniques that ultimately wound up leading to the films theatrical failure). The extras disc is rounded out with some interesting talent bios and DVD ROM content including the original screenplay and screensavers. I feel that it's also worth mentioning the interesting packaging, which includes a tri-fold digi-pak design. Also included within is a small color booklet containing an essay by AB exec Michael Felsher. The booklet also includes some alternate artwork designs and a cool list of 12 interesting facts pertaining to the film.

Near Dark is truly one of those rare gems and an incredibly entertaining cinematic experience. An extremely well made horror, western, love story hybrid you owe it to yourself to give Near Dark a look. The farthest thing from a horror throw away, Near Dark is a class act all the way. Fans of the film would be wise to pick up this 2-disc set and dig in. Newbies need to just take my word; it's time to feed.