30 Days of Night is one of the best vampire movies in recent years. The movie is set in Alaska during the long winter night, where a group of vampires descends upon a small town to feed. The townspeople are initially helpless against the vampires, but they soon realize that they must work together if they want to survive.
The story – people trapped in a snowed in village, a night that lasts for errr look at the title lol, and a posse of blood hungry Vampires who can move like an olympic athlete on amphetamines and fight like Bruce Lee with a rocket up his arse? Chuck in the townies fighting desperately for survival and to avoid being a Vamps main course, it sounds like it should be a treat.
And, it does have a lot going for it. There are some nice set piece action scenes, the story in itself is nothing truly special but adequate, special effects are fun, and in typical horror tradition there are plot holes you could drive a snow plow through. But, it is marred by idiocy and cliche.
Proceeding with a feel of John Carpenters The Thing meets Stephen Kings Salems Lott (the Vampire through the window at tea time scene really did make me think of the similar scene from Kings classic with David Soul) it did have promise. It could have been so much more than the limp effort it developed into. The Vampires themselves look pretty good in a way very reminiscent of the Blade movies I thought, though they don’t seem to be the cleverest bunch. Still, their scenes worked, there are some nice enough throwaway set pieces.
SPOILER! : But…..the ending. Christ did that leave one feeling robbed. Yes, there are a lot of other problems with the film, but the ending was the real kicker. What a piece of crap with its washed down love conquers all even the vampire infection type message. Even by the standard of mainstream Hollywood gems of the 70s and 80s where everything has to work out for the hero and the sexy lady, where hero battles through hell itself to save his love, this was corny. You wouldn’t even believe it if I typed it here, just watch for yourself. Not only that, it also involved plain stupidity on the heros part. As well as his love, he was spurred on to action by the fact that next year the vampires would be back to destroy a neighbouring town and munch on its denizens. With that in mind, when he gets opportunity to do so, he briefly ponders destroying all the bloodsuckers, then decides fuck it, he’ll watch the sunset and chill out instead. Way to go Mr Hero, sure the next town will thank ya for it. Course, it also paves the way for the inevitable sequel.
What we end up with is that party I mentioned in the beginning. It’s got many of the right ingredients for a good night, but it’s just a wash out, it leaves that sour feeling of “well, it could of been worse I guess, but it also coulda been so much better”. Shame, I had much higher hopes for it.
The movie is full of suspense and horror, and it is very well-made. The acting is also excellent, particularly by Josh Hartnett, who plays the town sheriff. The vampires are truly scary, and the movie is very gory. Overall, this is a great movie for fans of horror movies.
Synopsis
The movie opens with a group of Alaskan vampires attacking a small town in Alaska. The town is left in ruins, with only a few survivors. The vampires then head to Los Angeles, where they begin to feed on the population. The survivors of the Alaska attack, led by the town’s sheriff, Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett), travel to Los Angeles to warn the people there of the vampires. They also want to find out why the vampires are attacking Alaska.
In Los Angeles, the vampires are attacking people at random. They are also targeting specific people, such as police officers and people who work in the media. The survivors discover that the vampires are controlled by a master vampire, who is using them to create an army of vampires. The master vampire is also using the vampires to kill people who he believes are a threat to his plans.
The survivors form a plan to stop the master vampire. They lure him into a trap and kill him. With the master vampire gone, the vampires lose control and begin to kill each other. The survivors then escape from Los Angeles.
The movie ends with the survivors arriving back in Alaska. They are greeted by the people of the town, who have been waiting for them. The townspeople then rebuild their town, and the movie ends with the survivors living happily ever after.
Movie Details
Director: David Slade
Writer: Steve Niles
Actors: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston
Release Year: 2007