Comparable to Jack O’Connell’s performance as Remmick from Sinners, Bill Paxton’s portrayal of Severen in the 1987 film Near Dark offers a compellingly deranged and intoxicating villain. Severen’s chilling introduction immediately establishes his uniquely chaotic nature within the vampire narrative.
Like Ryan Coogler’s exquisite vampire horror, Near Dark innovatively merges genres, blending Western elements with a timely 1980s vampire resurgence. Director Kathryn Bigelow’s film crafts a distinct Southern Gothic atmosphere that arguably contributed to the inspiration for the following two decades of vampire movies and TV.
Near Dark Is Another Surprise Vampire Movie With Bill Paxton As The Villain
Severen From Near Dark Is Deranged And Intoxicating
One of the many things that made Sinners brilliant was the unhinged energy of its lead vampire, Remmick. Although the character’s true accent is Irish, hinting at his origins, he speaks in a Southern accent throughout most of the movie. The more overtly predatory his character becomes as the chaos unfolds brings to mind possible influences from vampire villains of the 1980s. One example is David from The Lost Boys (Kiefer Sutherland) – another, less-cited example is Severen from the vampire Western Near Dark (played by Bill Paxton).
If you loved Sinners and want to go on the road with the vampires, Near Dark is the unconventional vampire movie to see next. Severen’s first line upon his introduction in the movie is, “I’m gonna separate your head from your shoulders. Hope you don’t mind none,” setting the tone for his character. Although the rest of Near Dark’s immortal family are vampires to their very core, save for Mae (Jenny Wright), Severen shows an especial delight in violence and chaos. The way he behaves when preying on humans is comparable to Remmick in Southern charm, with his unnerving grin and bolo tie.
How Near Dark Is Similar To Sinners
Both Movies Cross Genres And Are Visually Stunning In Their Own Ways
Sinners is a masterpiece of blended genres. Near Dark is also the brilliant result of multiple genres colliding. The co-creators, Kathryn Bigelow and Eric Red, originally wanted to make a Western (per Stacey Abbott, Near Dark). They faced too many challenges getting financial backing, so they decided to blend the Western and vampire genres. Vampires had a major resurgence in 1980s cinema, so Near Dark was timely. Additionally, it’s a road movie – the vampire family of the movie are drifters, with much of the film taking place at gas stations, roadhouses, and motels.
Sinners has a clever and nuanced message.
Like Sinners, a major fight scene in Near Dark happens in a bar. Props typical of its Southern Gothic setting are utilized for its violence and pulp, including bootspurs. However, the major difference between the movies is that Sinners has a clever and nuanced message, especially related to its setting in 1930s Mississippi – although Near Dark quickly establishes itself as Southern, it is true to its cultural context, complete with a Tangerine Dream Soundtrack, and it doesn’t satisfy the same historical political itch.
This said, it is interesting that all the Near Dark vampires are white, and their paternal figure, Jesse (Lance Henriksen), says he “fought for the South” when asked how old he is. Although Sinners’ racial message is in no way simplistic, Remmick’s initial recruits are white Klan members and together they play upbeat country music with sinister lyrics, juxtaposed with the blues music played in Sinners inside the party. They then try to seduce the rest of the cast with language of inclusion and family. Both depictions, therefore, arguably put a sinister predatory tinge on white vampirism.
Source: Abbott, Near Dark
