30 Days of Night (2007)
Starring Josh Hartnett & Melissa George
Directed by David Slade
Written by Steve Niles & Stuart Beattie

 

This acclaimed, yet over-looked, film had a short run at the multiplexes in 2007. Ghost House Pictures, director Sam Raimi’s horror film production company, has been putting out several horror films in recent years, and is promising another in “Drag me to hell” this year. This previous Ghost House production is a vampire bloodfest and it gives a no-holds-barred look at what would happen to a small town attacked by vampires.

“30 Days of Night” is based on a 3-issue comic book mini-series by Steve Niles. David Slade directed “30 Days of Night” and is going to direct the third movie in the popular “Twilight” saga “Eclipse”. Niles co-wrote the film version of “30 Days of Night”.

The film is a welcome R-rated delight for horror film fans. The taut direction keeps the film moving and the viewer interested. Josh Hartnett and Melissa George, the film’s two lead actors, bring their considerable acting talents and elevate what could have easily been just another vampire movie.

What separates “30 Days of Night” from other vampire films is less emphasis on the humor (e.g. John Landis’ “Innocent Blood” and “John Carpenter’s Vampires”) and the sexuality (e.g. Neil Jordan’s “Interview with the Vampire” and Francis Ford Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”). Niles, Slade and the rest of the filmmakers have delivered a literally darker story about a group of relentless bloodsuckers and the townspeople who are the target of their nocturnal cravings.

The film, as in the mini-series, is set in Barrow, Alaska. The remote town is located so far north that for a period of time, there is no daylight. The lack of sunlight is very inviting for a group of vampires, led by Marlowe, played by Danny Huston.

There’s been a series of unexplained crimes in Barrow, and its sheriff Eben (Hartnett) sets out to find out what is happening in this small town. His estranged wife Stella (George) misses the last plane out of town and is forced to spend the next 30 days in Barrow.

Life in Barrow goes from bad to worse when the darkness comes. Stella and Eben’s relationship is also falling apart. The tension between the two is evident in their conversations. The fact that their hometown’s been inhabited by vampires is not helping matters either.

The vampires are relentless in their stalking of Barrow’s citizens. The townspeople may try to run or drive away but these badass vampires literally turn the town (and other things) upside down to find their dinner.

The human survivors may get an occasional breather to rotate sleep shifts. However, the vampires proceed to go house-by-house until they locate the humans’ hiding place. These sly vampires even use a frightened human woman as bait to lure the survivors out. Danny Huston’s minimal dialogue (in a language only the vampires understand, and is conveniently subtitled for human viewers) to this female heightens the tension until it reaches its climax. You can imagine the victim’s fate just by watching the expression on Eben’s face. The viewer doesn’t have to see the gore and can just imagine what would have pushed the movie into NC-17 territory.

As the survivors desperately think of an escape plan, one of them sarcastically quips “Just because something stopped Bela Lugosi, doesn’t mean it could stop these things”. This negativity adds to the already hopeless situation the townspeople are facing.

Beau Brower (played by Mark Boone Jr. who also appeared in Carpenter’s Vampires) is a brave human who has a showdown with these badass vampires to divert attention from where Eben is going. Unfortunately, it only buys the survivors a little more time. As the survivors drop down to a small group of six, the revelations that follow are enough for Eben and the rest to do whatever it takes to escape the vampires’ grasp.

The creep factor is present in some scenes of the film. For instance, a family man, hoping to save his family who has all been infected, is left with no choice other than to execute the family before they turn into the living dead.

Another is when one of the main vampires enters a house and it’s almost as if he can track where the humans are hiding. He’s like a terminator – a gory, bloody, fanged terminator.

Finally, there is a scene with an infected little girl. The survivors confront her and the blood-curling screams and growls that come out of her mouth recall another possessed young girl (Regan) except for the absence of projectile vomit here.

Many vampire movies have a femme fatale or an insanely beautiful male lead actor to make it appeal to the masses. And yes, “30 Days of Night” has two lovely lead actors in Hartnett and George, but it’s the story of Eben and Stella’s strained relationship throughout that makes this movie unique. Without spoiling the ending, the viewer is taken on an incredible journey in this movie and arrives at the end with a very poignant emotion.

If you want a meatier vampire movie, “30 Days of Night” is an excellent choice. There are rumors of a sequel to this movie. Also, with the increase of many vampire-related movies and TV series on the current pop culture landscape, it would be an ideal time for the filmmakers to bring out another chapter of “30 Days of Night”. Ghost House Pictures has been consistently releasing good films and with Raimi revitalized in the genre with his latest film, it would be a welcome sight to see a “30 Days of Night” trilogy. Since vampires supposedly never die, and Hollywood never kills any money-making ideas, why wouldn’t they be tempted to satisfy Twilighters’ older siblings’ craving for an intense vampire movie?