Review - 30 Days of Night

I myself am terribly afraid of the dark so the prospect of 30 Days of Night in general does not sit well with me . . .

. . . add to this the freezing cold of the Alaska winter and we can bet for sure that I won’t be moving to Barrow anytime soon.

Of course this has nothing to do with the movie but just thought I’d let you know my feelings. Now back to the film. One thing I will say for 30 Days of Night is that it was certainly blood filled. If you are squeamish at all, you may want to steer clear of this one. I mean, I like a lot of blood in my horror films but golly there was one boatload of blood going on here. It was almost too much for me . . . almost.

These are not your typical vampires either. They have no interest in seducing their victims using their good looks and charm – they really weren’t equipped with these traits in the first place if I am being honest. They seemed to me to be a cross between vampires and fast moving zombies. They were mean and nasty and they loved them some blood.

When the film begins we find a town getting ready for their season of darkness. The town sheriff, Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) is busy preparing when some strange things start to take place (there is a rash of satellite phones used as a bonfire, vandalism of a helicopter and let us not forget the mutilation of all of the town’s sled dogs). Many residents including Stella Oleson (Melissa George) have opted to leave Barrow until the sun decides to return. Unfortunately Stella has a bit of a run in with an ice breaker which causes her to miss her flight.

Once night falls, the real horror begins as the vampires unleash themselves onto the unsuspecting townsfolk. The townsfolk that are left try to race to the one place in town where they feel they will be safe. But the vamps have other ideas and won’t rest until the town is no more. After all they have worked this hard to make the world believe they are the stuff of legend, they can’t take the chance that any survivors might leak their dirty little secret.

I thoroughly enjoyed 30 Days of Night. Although there were some parts that I didn’t feel quite flowed right, overall it was a neat twist on your typical vampire story. Based on a graphic novel that was originally an unsuccessful film pitch, this tale of blood thirsty vampires is a must see for any fan of vampire lore - a definite recommend.

Directed by
David Slade

Writing credits
(WGA)
Steve Niles (screenplay) and
Stuart Beattie (screenplay) and
Brian Nelson (screenplay)
Steve Niles (comic) and
Ben Templesmith (comic)

Cast (in credits order)
Josh Hartnett ... Sheriff Eben Oleson
Melissa George ... Stella Oleson
Danny Huston ... Marlow
Ben Foster ... The Stranger
Mark Boone Junior ... Beau Brower
Mark Rendall ... Jake Oleson
Amber Sainsbury ... Denise
Manu Bennett ... Deputy Billy Kitka
Megan Franich ... Iris
Joel Tobeck ... Doug Hertz
Elizabeth Hawthorne ... Lucy Ikos
Nathaniel Lees ... Carter Davies
Craig Hall ... Wilson Bulosan
Chic Littlewood ... Issac Bulosan
Peter Feeney ... John Riis
Min Windle ... Ally Riis
Camille Keenan ... Kirsten Toomey
Jack Walley ... Peter Toomey
Elizabeth McRae ... Helen Munson
Joe Dekkers-Reihana ... Tom Melanson
Scott Taylor ... Paul Jayko
Grant Tilly ... Gus Lambert
Pua Magasiva ... Malekai Hamm
Jared Turner ... Aaron
Kelson Henderson ... Gabe
John Wraight ... Adam Colletta
Dayna Porter ... Jeannie Colletta
Kate Butler ... Michelle Robbins (as Kate S. Butler)
Patrick Kake ... Frank Robbins
Thomas Newman ... Larry Robbins
Rachel Maitland-Smith ... Gail Robbins
Abbey-May Wakefield ... Little Girl Vampire
John Rawls ... Zurial
Andrew Stehlin ... Arvin
Tim McLachlan ... Archibald
Ben Fransham ... Heron
Kate Elliott ... Dawn
Allan Smith ... Khan
Jarrod Martin ... Edgar
Sam La Hood ... Strigoi
Jacob Tomuri ... Seth
Kate O'Rourke ... Inika
Melissa Billington ... Kali
Aaron Cortesi ... Cicero
Matt Gillanders ... Daeron