Tuesday, October 5, 2010

31 Days Of Horror - Day 5 (30 Days Of Night)

30 Days of Night

A very different kind of vampire movie that is very effective. Set in a small Alaskan town called Barrow, the residents get ready for a month long of no sunlight. Most head south, but some stay to ride it out. On the last day of sunlight a stranger comes in to town, taking out the town's power and communication. And also kills all the sled dogs just for good measure. He's played with relish by Ben Foster (who was a nonfactor as Angel in X-Men 3). Josh Hartnett and Melissa George play the husband and wife sheriff team who must sort out all the weird happenings. When the sun finally goes down, all hell breaks loose. Savage vampires descend on the town led by Marlow (wonderfully played by Danny Huston). And this bunch of bloodsuckers are quite vicious. They paint the town red with their brutal attacks. I thought this movie was pretty cool for a couple of reasons. It showed vampires in a different light, more like killing machines than suave romantics. And the townsfolk are potrayed as regular people. None of them have access to fancy weaponry or training ala Blade and Underworld. But they do fight back the best way they can. With axes, firearms, dynamite, and heavy duty snow plow equipment. The cast is solid led by Hartnett and George. They are very strong in their roles, and to make matters even more complex, they're in the middle of a separation. The vampires are intense-they move very fast and kill even faster. And the look of the film is great. The story does have some holes in it during the down time when our heroes are hiding out and trying to stay quiet. But it doesn't last too long before an attack occurs. Definetly a good movie to see over Halloween. And be prepared because the gore factor is quite high with decapitations, bodies being gutted and chomped on, and vampires being skewered left and right.


30 Days of Night

2007. Starring Josh Harnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston.

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