Aug 16 2008
3O DAYS OF NIGHT
A vampire film that I have to applaud for re-inventing the vampire film is the Josh Hartnett vehicle 30 DAYS OF NIGHT. This is the film that makes vampires scary again. It takes place in a small town in Alaska that is in constant darkness for thirty days. Josh Hartnett plays the sheriff of the small town and has to stay the month to keep the order and keep the hundred remaining town people safe from dishonest behavior (Most of the town leaves for the month). When a ship carrying an unknown cargo lands near the town all hell breaks loose as a murderous bunch of blood sucking creatures descend the town as sunset creeps down for a nap for the thirty days. What makes this film great is the fact of the realistic actions of the cast of the characters. You don’t have a lonely hero who does a rote automatic battle with the creatures, or do you have characters that go into basements to investigate strange noises. The vampires enter these people’s lives like an army invading another country, and take their land, destroy their possessions and takes there lives. There is karate in the movie, nobody brandishing a sword cutting off the vampire’s heads. In fact the vampire to human kill ratio in this film is on the side of the vampires. The band of humans might have killed a dozen of them compared to almost sixty or so people the vampires’ slaughter. The violence is extreme, so when somebody throws and axe at somebody the results are believable. The survivors are lead by Josh Hartnett and you are in the horror with him and the rest of the people. You are frightened for their lives as you are for the rest of humanity. This film is a real treat, edge of your seat, soon to be classic horror film. This is a turn off the lights and grabs your teddy bear kind of movie. Just don’t drink any wine while watching the film because I’m sure you’re going to have to reupholster something.
