For people in the 1980s trying to understand goth – a dark offshoot of punk immersed in morbidity, despondency, and sexual freedom – the obvious ‘in’ was vampires. The beautiful, shadowy figures behind the emerging genre, as well as widespread designer drug addiction within the art scene and the mounting AIDS epidemic, made the idea of saying young forever at a terrible cost seem relatable. As such, the ‘80s saw a boom in interesting mainstream vampire movies – 1983’s stark The Hunger, 1985’s campy throwback Fright Night, and 1987’s gritty highway drama Near Dark. Each had its own flavour defined by its soundtrack, filled with music that examined the decade’s blossoming nocturnal lifestyles. But of the big ’80s vampire films, none has become more of a cultural ...
