Not since John Carpenter’s Halloween has a film come along and hit absolutely every nail on the head for its genre. 30 Days of Night is the best horror movie in a long, long time.
Today’s scary movies are anything but scary. They are all watered-down versions of films we have already seen, filled with blandness, predictability and slapped with a PG-13 rating. 30 Days of Night brings nothing specifically new to the genre, it just does everything that makes a horror movie work perfectly.
Screenwriters Stuart Beattie and Brian Nelson did a superb job of adapting the innovative comic-book series by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith. Director David Slade brings the graphic novel to life, in what is only his second full-length film.
Slade started off his career directing music videos for bands such as AFI, Muse and Stone Temple Pilots, until his first film, 2005’s psychological thriller, Hard Candy. Longtime horror director Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Spiderman), produced the film because the project was "unlike the horror films in recent years," he said in a press release.
Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) is the sheriff of small town Barrow, Alaska when odd occurrences begin taking place: sled dogs are mysteriously murdered, cell phones are being stolen and the power begins to fail. Oleson’s estranged wife, Stella (Melissa George) is stranded in the town when a bizarre stranger warns that "they" are coming reunite them. It isn’t long until a clan of vampires invades the town and begins its feast. Oleson rounds up the remaining town members in a fight for survival that spans 30 pitch-black days.
The movie works on so many levels. First, the vampires look horrifying. They don’t have the euro-chic look we are accustomed to from today’s modern vampire flicks. The vampires are evil, unforgiving monsters with dilated eyes, long nails that resemble claws and protruding fangs. Fans of gore will not be disappointed, as the film is a vivid splatter-fest that paints the snow-white Alaskan town blood red.
Gore aside, the mood is set by the dark, freezing imagery of the town done shown through beautiful cinematography. The movie actually feels cold, as if you were there in Alaska. The suspense and shocks are unexpected, and are done with precision and perfection.
Hartnett’s performance as Oleson elevates the character-driven story arc. The audience can easily relate to Hartnett, as his portrayal of Oleson reminds us of our best friend who no one dislikes.
With Halloween approaching, and the lack of good horror movies coming out
(Saw IV, I’m looking at you), 30 Days of Night is the quintessential horror movie. The film is a macabre masterpiece with its plot- and character-driven story, savvy directing and horrific images.
