20 Vampire Movies You Must See Before You Die

3. Near Dark (1987)

Forget recent efforts like The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty: Kathryn Bigelow's best film to date is her sophomore feature, Near Dark, a vampire western starring Adrian Pasdar, Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton. It also stands as one of the most underrated vampire films ever put to celluloid, so complete is its tragic vision of lost youth in the outer rims. The plot hones in on a farm boy who - lured by a beautiful vampire - ends up joining a group of hillbilly vampires (led by Henriksen), who terrorise wherever and whoever they happen upon. Aside from its intoxicating and melancholic atmosphere, one Bigelow expertly maintains for the entire film without putting a step wrong, it's Near Dark's beautiful compositions - the pictures that frame the movie - that leave a lasting impression. Taking its cues from a number of genres (and succeeding in all of them), this is a B-movie that works equally as a slice of genuine artistry - one of very few that manages such a feat. Not to mention it manages to be both sexy and scary in equal measure, without ever becoming just an erotic thriller or just a horror film: an essential, timeless vampire film.