5. Near Dark
Kathryn Bigelow might be best known for her Oscar-winning work on The Hurt Locker and her recent masterpiece The Hurt Locker, but once upon a time she deferred towards far pulpier fare, such as this classic vampire flick Near Dark. The film begins as protagonist Caleb Colten is transformed into a vampire and joins the local clan, which is all well and good until they decide that they also want to make a feast out of his sister. Given that vampire films had become rather fashionable in the early 1980s, Near Dark was an attempt to return it to a more serious trajectory, while melding the genre with that of the western to fashion a truly unconventional film quite unlike anything else you've ever seen. Gorgeously shot and presenting a far more involving love story than Twilight, Near Dark is well worth a watch for those prepared to go in with an open mind. Above all else, Bill Paxton is savagely good fun as the leader of the vampire clan, Severen.