Series: 30 Days of Night

Related Links

0

Review: '30 Days of Night'

When I was told I was invited to a screening of '30 Days of Night' I certainly did not expect to be scared nor did I expect to actually enjoy this adaptation of the graphic novel written by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith.

I was wrong.

Within the first five minutes I, along with the rest of the theater, gasped in horror as the menacing figures in the shadows suddenly tear an innocent man apart. Directed by David Slade ('Hard Candy') and starring Josh Hartnett and Melissa George, '30 Days of Night' is bringing back the vampire genre.

The story takes place in the town of Barrow, Alaska, that is thrust into 30 days of complete darkness as winter settles in. Vampires overrun the town, devouring everyone in sight. A small number are able to survive including Sheriff Eben (played by Hartnett) his wife Stella Eben's brother and a handful of townspeople. The survivors must stay one step ahead or face the same fate as the rest of townspeople.

Slade's direction definitely keeps the integrity of the graphic novel visually, however some of the dialogue written by Steve Niles, Stuart Bettie and Brian Nelson leaves a lot to be desired. Also Slade had some help in the visuals department by New Zealand's Weta Workshop, best known for their work on the 'Lord of the Rings Trilogy'. The score, by Brian Reitzell, helps propel the story and helps keep the audience on the edge of their seat.

Though Hartnett comes across as a bit unsympathetic early on in the movie, by the end you are definitely routing for him to survive. Ben Foster ('3:10 to Yuma', 'Alphadog') makes a splash on the screen as a sinister stranger that mysteriously shows up in town. His performance is both gruesome and heart wrenching and his Cajun accent is spot on. Other noteworthy performances include Mark Rendall who plays Hartnett's kid brother Jake.

Like most horror films about vampires be prepared for a great deal of blood to be shed, a lot of necks to be ripped open and in this particular film a lot of heads to be chopped off. However, unlike many horror films today that are barely watch able and almost always laughable, '30 Days of Night' will leave you scared to go out into the dark alone.