20 Things You Didn't Know About Near Dark
4. Lance Henriksen Gave Jesse A Backstory
In the mini documentary attached to the DVD release in 2002, Lance Henriksen explained his vision for the character of Jesse, in which he created a history for the vampire:
"I wanted to be from the Deep South, from the Confederate Navy... there was a fight on the Chesapeake... and my ship got pounded bad, the cannonballs are hitting the deck and splinters of wood were hitting all the men and killing them. The ship is drifting with all the men dying and moaning on the deck, into the marshes and these Harpies, like shadow creatures, are feeding on the dying men. My character is lying there with his chest open, steam going out into the night air and this Harpie comes over and takes pity on him and turns him... "
This level of devotion to the craft demonstrates the commitment Henriksen had for this movie; eagle eyed viewers might even notice the Confederate flag he hand stitched into the lining of his own coat. The Devil is in the detail indeed...