30 Days of Night

2007, ***, R
Starring: Melissa George, Josh Hartnett

By: Meredith A. Iager


Eben Oleson, (Josh Hartnett, “Mozart & the Whale,” “The Black Dahlia”) is the sheriff in the town of Barrow, Alaska. On the eve of the last sunset, before a month of complete darkness, he discovers a series of sled dog killings. He soon discovers people in his town are also being murdered as well. In the midst of this Eben is phoned by his wife Stella (Melissa George, “The Amityville Horror”) who gets into a car accident on her way to the airport. Little do they know there is a gang of vampires about to slaughter their town.

Alaska with its freezing temperatures alone would make anyone want to run. But, when you put a grungy looking man that says “You’re all dead,” and a clan of the most hostile vampires into the snowy mix, the cold weather seems a bit nicer.

This horror flick is very gruesome and takes the cake for 2007’s most frightening film. I for one am a fan of all horror-thriller films, but even I jumped in the theatres, back in October. This graphic novel turned film is some serious edge of your seat material. Each horror film seems to out-do the previous years bloodbath.

For centuries a group of vampires (who speak in their own ‘vamp’ language) planned to wipe out the town of Barrow. Their leader Marlow (Danny Huston, “Children of Men,” “The Kingdom”) says they must separate the heads from the bodies; he doesn’t want to turn the people of Barrow into vampires. They are for food purposes only. These vampires aren’t the kind to sit back, and drink blood from a goblet; these are vicious creatures that stalk their prey like a lion out of the grasslands of Africa.

The guy everyone remembers in movies like “Get Over It” and “Liberty Heights,” has certainly proved his range of acting skills. Over the last 3 years he has taken darker-violent roles such as, the Bruce Willis film “Hostage” and another comic turned film in the Thomas Jane movie “The Punisher.” In “30 Days of Night,” Ben Foster does a knock-out performance as The Stranger. This is his creepiest role to date.

The film as a daring ending and seems like the only solution our main character Eben has, in this no-win situation. Well, you must check it out for yourself, or maybe with a friend. If you are a true vampire-genre lover, this is a must buy film.