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 | Death Of Hero

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:

Though they're never mentioned in the film until the credits, all of the vampires have names.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Everyone is eager to get the "last flight out" before the airport closes down for 30 days. The airport may close for occasional storms, but it never shuts down for 30 days. Alaska Airlines flies to Barrow at least once a day all year.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Sheriff Eben Oleson: Strange.

Movie Connections:

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

30 Days of Night (2007)

Rating: 4 out of 5

Genre: Horror, Vampires, Comic Book

Director: David Slade

Stars: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Ben Foster, Mark Boone Junior, Mark Rendall, Amber Sainsbury, Manu Bennett, Megan Franich, Joel Tobeck

Synopsis: "30 Days of Night" is an adaptation of the 2002 Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith comic book series about Barrow, Alaska. Barrow is as about far north as a town can get and as a result during the winter the town spends thirty days in complete darkness. The remaining townsfolk must fend for their lives when the town comes under the attack of a band of nasty vampires looking to drain the town dry. Will the Sheriff (Hartnett) help the survivors who are cut off from the rest of the world by paying the ultimate price?

Thoughts: Director David Slade (fresh off the popular "Hard Candy") creates a nicely stylized adaptation of the popular graphic novel. The grimy, disgusting vampires make for a wonderfully tense time as the darkness and setting make for some quick and fun gruesomeness. I'm not the biggest Hartnett fan but he and the rest of the cast do a fine job conveying the terror and the lead vampire is particularly nasty to behold.

In Conclusion: "30 Days of Night" is a wonderfully welcomed change of pace to the tired vampire genre. It has plenty of excellent technical design should give vampire fans something to sink their teeth into and the comic fans to be happy about.