30 Days of Night (2007)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

David Slade

Writers (WGA):

Steve Niles (screenplay) and
Stuart Beattie (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

19 October 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

They're Coming!

Plot:

After an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, it is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires.

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Sheriff | Alaska | Small Town | Lunatic

Awards:

9 nominations

Cast

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

MPAA:

Rated R for strong horror violence and language.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

Ireland:16 | Australia:MA (re-rating on appeal) | Australia:R (original rating) | Singapore:R21 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #42767) | Germany:18 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:M18 (edited for re-rating) | Finland:K-18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Taiwan:R-18 | Malaysia:18SG | Philippines:R-13 (cut) | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 | France:-12 | Sweden:15 | Italy:VM14 | New Zealand:R16 | UK:15 (original rating) | UK:18 (DVD rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | Brazil:18 | Chile:14 | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | Japan:R-15

Filming Locations:

Auckland, New Zealand

Company:

30 Days of Night

Trivia:

Josh Hartnett did his own stunts, and Melissa George did most of Stella's driving.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In Barrow, the sun doesn't come back above the horizon for 67 days, but it still gets somewhat light between noon and 4:00 p.m.. It does not stay pitch black, as represented in the film.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Sheriff Eben Oleson: Strange.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2007-10-20)" (2007)

A Breath of Fresh Bloody Air for the Vampire Legend!!

"30 Days of Night" is a very welcome addition to the ranks of vampire movies. This one is strictly for horror fans, not for doily-draped gender-confused romantics dreaming of third degree hickies from pretty fanged lovers in New Orleans.

The fun begins in the first frame, courtesy of the evocative setting, a snowbound town at the Northern edge of America. The only iffy moment comes with the introduction of Josh Hartnett as the town sheriff. Young and movie star handsome, he threatens to come off as unbelievable, like the Ben Affleck sheriff in "Phantoms." Hartnett, however, despite his young years, has the gravitas to pull off this role, and director David Slade gets masterful performances from all the fine actors in this film.

Melissa George is scrumptiously beautiful. (Her mouth is so cute it should be patented.) She's also an excellent actress, who horror fans should remember from the recent (and highly recommended) remake of The Amityville Horror. With her endearing little girl face and keen talent for playing it straight under the most fantastic of circumstances, she's likable, sympathetic and totally believable in this role.

What really sets this film apart though is its portrayal of the vampires. Someone obviously boned up on ancient vampire legends, because these are the most authentic movie vampires since Boris Karloff's "wurdalak" in Mario Bava's "Black Sabbath" 40 years ago.

Speaking in a strange Eastern European tongue (Romanian? or Hungarian?) these creatures bear the remains of human personalities, but are purely evil; cunning and vicious and blood-stained, like vampires were before Bram Stoker introduced the "new improved" (i.e. sanitized) Victorian model and Anne Rice gussied it up even more.

Fans of Kathryn Bigelow's "Near Dark" and John Carpenter's "Vampires" will appreciate the high action and body count. The story is a bit slimmer than either of those two films (it is based on a comic book, after all) but it's very atmospheric and suspenseful, with superb production values all around.

The visual efx are topnotch, especially when they're subtle, such as snowflakes adding their magical luster to a scene. The special make-up efx (blood and guts et al) are completely believable, but aside from a few very graphic images and much spilled blood in the snow, are not as overwhelming as some overly squeamish reviewers have claimed.

The cinematography is gorgeous, and is enhanced by the seamlessly integrated visual effects noted above.

If you're in the mood for a nicely paced, well-produced, superbly directed movie that'll satisfy your craving for a dose of traditional horror, you can't go wrong with this one.