It’s a proven fact that I hate anything and everything having to do with the snow. So pretty much any horror movie set in a cold environment becomes about 10 times more frightening to me (No I still haven’t seen Frozen). So why anyone would want to live in a barren snow village and stay there for the 30 days out of the year that the sun doesn’t rise is beyond me. Although, having made it my civil duty to watch movies and tell you exactly how I feel about them, I bucked up, put on a coat and settled in for a viewing of 30 Days of Night. You can thank and commend me later.
Based on the comic book series or graphic novel as the kids call them, 30 Days of Night is about the town of Barrow Alaska, which readies itself every year for it’s annual “30 Days of Night” in which the sun is absent for an entire month. If you were thinking gee that would be the perfect time for a pack of wild vampires to strike, you would be right! It’s not long before strange things start to happen, cell phones are destroyed, sled dogs slaughtered, and human heads are skewered on sticks! The sheriff in town Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) and his fire marshal wife Stella (Melissa George) whom he is separated from, band together with the rest of the town in hopes of escaping a brutal clan of other worldly vampires. Will they be able to survive for a month? Or will they all fall victim to those scary toothed gross vampires?
First off- the atmosphere in this movie is pretty incredible. If you want cold and hopeless darkness, this movie delivers 100%. It even feels like the pages of a comic book in some regards. The snow and the very idea that these people are cut off from civilization for the next month is excruciating, whether you despise the cold or not. You can literally just feel the cold and the fear, which I believe is the film’s biggest strength.
The vampires are pretty terrifying. I remember when this trailer first came out and I would cringe in fear when that one bald vampire would say “No God.” and shake his head and look at the woman with this black button, lifeless, doll eyes. Dare I say that trailer was a bit scarier than that actual part- but regardless these vampires are pretty horrifying. It’s certainly a trip back to the lovely days of Nosferatu, where vampires were dead, disgusting, and loving it. They weren’t these magically suave heart breakers with an appetite for sex and blood. They were just gross and scary. Period. I loved the black eyes, the unconventional teeth (absent are the typical enlarged fangs) and even the different language they spoke. Sure it’s a little Middle Earth, but it still presents the vampires as completely foreign entities and like I said, other worldly demons.
One sort of downside with the vampires was that they made their presence known a bit too fast. I would have liked to see them not reveal themselves so suddenly, and all in one pack. It’d be nice to have them be a bit illustrious, or hidden- that way their final reveal would be all the more terrifying. I suppose people just love jumping the gun though.
Another downside would be that the movie kind of starts to drag at some point. We find our main characters huddled up inside an attic and hiding from the vampires, but from there where can we really go? We wait diligently to see each survivor picked off in some way shape or form- but it is vital to the suspense of the film, or just killing time until the ultimate show down at the end?
Speaking of showdowns, the ending is pretty surprising….and also partially stupid. I’m not sure I entirely agree with the drastic measures that are taken, nor do I think that it was necessary (there had to have been an easier way) but I suppose it was somewhat exciting. The ending gives you heart break, and the movie fills you with fear and bitter coldness. All in all, a pretty solid addition into the vampire legacy, that I was pleasantly surprised to see. Sure the vampires sort of lose their scary appeal halfway through, but the characters are somewhat likable, and the carnage is lovely. My only major beef is that the dogs get killed! Waaah! Oh and a Granny who likes smoking pot. Waaaah!
Buy 30 Days of Night at Horror Movie Empire
Andre Dumas
I quite agree that they pulled out all the stops too early in this film; there was too short a build, and then it just drug on and on. Also, the screaming vampires worked my last nerve, and not in a good way. Check out my review: http://bit.ly/a1PIjt