Near Dark (DVD)

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It may have been considered "lost" at one time, but Anchor Bay apparently had no issues with finding a nearly pristine print and they have given the film its dues by delivering a stunning 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The dark presentation of the film exhibits very strong black levels and shadow detail. Even during the darkest scenes, detail is not lost. I had just watched a "DVD" of "Blood of Heroes" and that DVD was subpar when even compared to poor VHS and dark scenes approached becoming a complete blur. It was literally night and day between watching these films back to back. Grain, scratches, dirt, edge enhancment and anything else you can think of that could plague a DVD transfer is abolished from this transfer. For a film that has just celebrated its fifteenth birthday and came from a very modest budget, "Near Dark" looks incredible.

Audio :
If there comes a low point in the experience of watching "Near Dark," it is in the Eighties conceived theatrical score. Thank the maker that synthesizers have nearly been abolished. The soundtrack to "Near Dark" is just grating at times, especially when romance is in the air. Was these noises actually supposed to inspire a feeling of love and affection? Or, was this music supposed to inspire a complete feeling of horror? I suppose that fifteen years ago, this low-budget soundtrack was passable, but in today´s society we have shown some social progress and I´m sure passed laws and signed accords that stipulate a "Near Dark" like soundtrack can never again be created.

What makes it worse is the very good acoustic treatment Anchor Bay has given "Near Dark." DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 surround mixes are all readily selectable. The two 5.1 multi-channel surround tracks are nearly identical, with the less capable stereo surround mix sounding ancient compared to the six channel offerings. Bass response is good and dialog is clear. The horrendous synthesized score is nicely rendered. About the only complaint I have (aside from the music) is the lack of usage in the rear surrounds. Though much of the film they are noticeably quiet, but for a fifteen-year-old film, I was pleasantly surprised.

Extras :
"Near Dark" is not publicized or marked as a special edition. However, the highly attractive and shiny casing and its contained 2-discs speak and ten page booklet speak otherwise. This is a worthwhile special edition treatment. Most of the supplements are contained on the second disc of the set, but the first DVD does feature an Audio Commentary by Kathryn Bigelow. Having just listened to a very good Bill Paxton commentary on "Frailty," I was hoping for his involvement in this project, but only director Bigelow lends her time. This is unfortunate; it is quite the tedious and boring affair to listen to her discussing this movie. Perhaps only the Norman Jewison commentary on "Rollerball" is worse. Bigelow does offer a few significant tidbits, but she is not somebody who is easy to listen to and there is a lot of dead air coming from her microphone. Only die-hard fans will want to subject themselves to this commentary.

Disc two springs to life with some very nice supplements. First up to bat is a brand new documentary, Living In Darkness. Running for slightly longer than forty-seven minutes, this documentary is exceptionally well done. Much of the principle cast and crew has been gathered for reflection on the experience of making "Near Dark" and what they have to say is worthwhile. Their fond memories are told in an organized manner that also lends some juicy tidbits on the making of the film. The films origins, box office failure and eventual cult status are all covered nicely. "Living In Darkness" is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen.

I had certainly hoped that Anchor Bay would not subject us to a CD of the cinematic score as they did with "Night of the Living Dead" or include any of it in the supplemental materials. Unfortunately, they did. Original Storyboards terrorizes viewers for nearly a half an hour with the Tangerine Dream soundtrack and animated storyboards of five scenes selected from the film. Even the much-loved "Roadhouse Slaughter" is reproduced in storyboard film and I felt compelled to endure the sonic torture long enough to watch it. Other scenes shown in storyboard form are "Caleb´s Tansformation," "A Taste of Blood," "Feeding," and "Motel-Shoot Out." I suppose the soundtrack isn´t so bad that you should avoid this inclusion, but it makes for a challenging half an hour.

But wait! There´s more! And this time there is no Tangerine Dream. A Deleted Scene runs for 1m:19s and features a touching minute between Caleb and Mae. Shot in black and white and featuring no audio, a Kathyrn Bigelow commentary is provided. A set of Still Galleries shows behind-the-scenes and promotional stills pertaining to the film. Talent Biographies and two Theatrical Trailers end the list of basic DVD features. Additional DVD-ROM supplements include a complete copy of the Original Screenplay in Adobe PDF format and two Screensavers.

Summary :
There is a lot to be thankful of with this Anchor Bay release of "Near Dark." The first and most important thing is the sheer existence of the picture. It was rumored to have been "lost" forever. That has proven to not be true and the extremely good DVD presentation of this picture and the collection of supplemental materials should be enough to attract more fans to this wonderful little tale of gunslinging vampires and more than please the loyal fans that have embraced it over the past fifteen years. "Near Dark" is a vampire film that is only classified as such because if features near immortal beings who have a seriously bad allergic reaction to sunlight and require human blood as nourishment. Aside from that, it functions more like a western than it does a horror film. If you enjoyed the opening moments of the second half of "From Dusk Till Dawn," you haven´t seen anything. This reviewer highly recommends this DVD.

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