3. Near Dark (1987)
Now let's get considerably darker.
Near Dark takes the vampire concept and strips away much of the goofy suburban fun, replacing it with a gritty, violent road movie.
A young man becomes involved with a group of nomadic vampires and discovers that immortality isn't nearly as glamorous when you're constantly running from the law and murdering people for dinner.
The movie is atmospheric, brutal and surprisingly grim.
It also features an incredible cast, including Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Jenette Goldstein and Adrian Pasdar.
And Bill Paxton's performance alone makes this worth watching.
Where Fright Night gives us the fantasy of a vampire secretly moving into the neighborhood, Near Dark asks a much nastier question:
What if you actually became one of them?
The answer is apparently:
"Congratulations. Your family is going to have a really awkward Christmas."
