Apparently, while living in a sparsely populated arctic town, you still have a pretty good shot at finding a gorgeous arctic mate. Such is one lesson I learned from the Hollywood adaptation of the graphic novel 30 Days of Night, directed by David Slade (who is, interestingly enough, directing the third Twilight movie, due out this summer). Josh Hartnett stars as the sheriff of a tiny Alaskan village that is plunged into 30 days of darkness every year. It is upon such an event that the town is besieged by vampires. Havoc ensues.
Slade takes a fairly good premise and shoots it well, using the dark landscapes for some beautiful imagery. The story itself is nothing special, providing the usual plot twists, turns, actions, and characters you expect from the horror genre. 30 Days cranks up the intensity a few notches by amping up the awesomeness of the vampires a few levels; however, I would have liked to see more of them. Apparently, the comic centered more on the vampire leader, portrayed brilliantly in the film by Danny Huston. Huston, the most interesting part of the movie, takes a supporting role, leaving us to watch the humans struggle improbably for survival.
It is a mostly entertaining struggle, however. The violence is doled out sparingly and satisfyingly, never being overly graphic or gimmicky. The humans are mostly smart characters who react realistically to the awful things happening to them. My favorite horror movies deal more in psychological terror rather than pure jumps and startles, and in that respect, 30 Days is an enjoyable movie to watch. Overall, nothing new, but a fun ride.
19/30
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