HER HORROR STORY

“Kathryn Bigelow is one of the most original and commanding filmmakers of our time, and her engagement with the codes and conventions of genre cinema in her classic vampire Western Near Dark is a master class in staying true to a vision.” —Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

It’s love at first sight when cowboy Caleb meets the pale and mysterious Mae outside a small-town bar. But when Mae unexpectedly bites him, Caleb is thrust into the underbelly of night with a gang of ruthless vampires terrorizing the American heartland. Their lifestyle is clear: Kill or die. “Don’t think of it as killing,” Mae urges. “Don’t think at all.”

In this discussion, critic and author Alexandra Heller-Nicholas will explore this greatly underrated cult favorite from 1987, diving into genre, gender and authorship, and reflecting on the question: What does it mean when a woman makes a film? Prepare to sink your teeth in.

Heller-Nicholas is a multi-award-winning film critic, editor and author of 14 books exploring cult, horror and exploitation cinema with an emphasis on gender politics. These include the 2020 book 1000 Women in Horror: 1895–2018, featured in Esquire magazine’s list “125 Best Books about Hollywood.”