Movie Review: 30 Days of Night

Halloween is coming up and what better way to start off a spooky weekend than watching a scary movie? This weekend I had seen 30 Days of Night, a movie which apparently is based off series of graphic novels written by Steve Niles. Friday was opening night for this film and I’ve been looking forward to seeing it, I knew it was going to be pretty good and I’m surprised the cinema wasn’t more busy with such a hyped release.

I haven’t read the books so I can’t compare the accuracy of the story or brag about how the book was better etc. Be that as it may, I like the idea of how the story is set in a small town in Northern Alaska. The cold and isolation felt in this movie really gives it that definition that you wouldn’t get with your typical vampire film. The setting gives it a whole new level of scary, like it could happen just because you wouldn’t know about it if it did.

The weird part is that the movie expresses this without having the characters talk about it, I mean I guess they do towards the end, about how no one would know about what’s going on… I don’t want to give it all away but the movie explains a lot without having to spend time explaining it if you know what I mean. At the same time the story leaves a lot unexplained, you learn very little about the creatures that are taking over the town by force and where they came from. I guess there really is only one thing that you need to know… These are real vampires and they are very well dressed. Normally I’m a stickler with not having enough background information going in a movie; I know I’ve mentioned it many times before. 30 Days of Night is different though, I think the whole point is to freak out the viewer and ditch the details as they shouldn’t be important. The story is about survival, getting through the 30 days of darkness.

I’ve noticed that a lot of the “scary” movies coming out these days are nothing more than gore flicks where there isn’t any real element of physiological terror or mystery, just blood and body parts. While 30 Days of Night is no exception I think it’s the first movie in a LONG time to offer a good balance of both gore and that freaky element that I personally seek in a good horror movie.

30 Days of Night is just under 2 hours long at 113 minutes but it feels short, I say this because it keeps you going to the end with plenty of good action/horror scenes. It’s great. There is some good acting too with Josh Hartnett playing the lead role as Sheriff Eben Oleson. All of the characters are definitely believable which is what makes this movie good. The ending was somewhat unexpected, it left it open for a sequel. I think it would be perfect if they left it just the way it is as this movie could easily become a classic.

So in a nutshell; the story, effects, action, and acting were all very well put together and if you’re looking for something new and original that will keep you biting your nails and sinking into your seat this Halloween or if you are a fan of the genre - 30 Days of Night just might be the movie worth seeing on the big screen.