Walrus Comix DVD Review: 30 Days of Night

The human psyche is such that nothing motivates us quite like a good old fashioned bump in the night. As the sun sets on Barrow, Alaska in 30 Days of Night, there is motivation to spare courtesy of a lot of things doing a lot of bumping over the course of what amounts to a month-long hiatus from the sun. Helmed by Hard Candy director David Slade and produced by Sam Raimi, the movie brings to life (or most frequently death) the graphic novel of the same name via magnetic performances by Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, and Danny Huston and a frenetically ominous tone that envelops the unnatural nocturnal proceedings. 30 Days of Night emerges as a film that gives the vampire genre a nice jumpstart by combining elements of psychological horror alongside its straightforward depictions of unbridled bloodlust.

Life has to be hard enough when you live a snowball's throw from the North Pole, but the residents of Barrow, Alaska have the added bonus of a 30-day period where the tilt of the earth's axis is such that they find themselves in perpetual darkness. Not surprisingly, most of the residents head for lower ground as the final sunset approaches. Local sheriff Eben Oleson (Hartnett) is used to the routine, but this year's mass exodus proves a bit nervier for him due to the desertion of his wife (George) and the discovery of some increasingly worrisome acts of vandalism. By the time the fates align in a way that precludes Oleson's wife from boarding the last plane out of town, the sheriff finds himself knee-deep in the middle of an investigation of these recent events that leads him to a menacing stranger (Ben Foster) who unbeknownst to the rest of the town has docked a large boat off the nearby coastline. As the sheriff, now reunited with his estranged wife, marches the stranger off to a cell, the stranger (seriously, his name is "The Stranger") begins to drop increasingly less subtle taunts about the horror that's fast-arriving courtesy of his ship's undead bounty.  As the sun makes its decisive downward turn, a cadre of vampires led by Huston begins to lay siege to Barrow in methodical fashion after taking pains to eliminate both methods of escape and contact with the outside world.

From the moment the vampires make their way inland, it's clear that these guys are apparently a few subspecies over from the elegantly wasted fops conjured by the likes of Anne Rice. Whereas some vampires are seemingly bestowed with an innate sexiness that often provokes a wanton sense of submission in their intended victims, Huston's lot quickly settles for revulsion and elemental abhorrence. As their siege begins in earnest, the remaining Barrow citizens quickly learn these vampires share a ravenous thirst for blood that is matched only by a desire for chaos and mortal terror. Oleson does his best to gather the survivors into groups that can evade the onslaught, but the overhead shots of the ongoing carnage in the streets as they literally begin to run red lend credence to the impossible nature of the task he has undertaken. As he huddles with his group in an effort to outlast the vampires, the screams of those left unattended emanate throughout the town. Slade expertly meshes slices of psychological horror with the visceral looming undead threat, and both qualities are enhanced by the barren landscape that Barrow provides. The only thing worse than the way the vampires look is the shrieking that accompanies their forays, as they communicate a distinct dedication to their craft. When it becomes apparent that they are willing to trot out bait in the form of pleading innocents in the hopes of ensnaring further human capital, the effect is chilling in much the same fashion as Roy Scheider's realization in Jaws that the titular beast seemed to enjoy the chase as much as the eventual kill.

30 Days of Night makes no effort to advance a byzantine plotline. In terms of plot, it's a pretty straightforward supernatural survival story, and the movie is all the better for eschewing any need for excessive exposition. While the dynamic of the Oleson's deteriorating union is introduced, Hartnett and George give believably focused performances in which it's clear that their primary goal is to emerge from this darkness with their mortality intact before tackling any martial woes. The couple interacts with one another in ways that highlight their compatibility without hammering home any overly sugary subtext. Slade smartly allows them to be fighters first and lovers second, and Huston proves to be the kind of villain worthy of a unified front. The fateful confrontation between Hartnett and Huston feels a bit too concise, but the method in which the groundwork for the resolution is applied is very clever. Slade combines excellent performances from his cast with the duality of threats both very real and perceived in an effort to elevate 30 Days of Night from the standard B-movie fare that less inventive minds would have produced. The movie remains true to the look and feel of the original graphic novel by Steve Niles, and in doing so offers an invigorated take on the vampire genre. The DVD is available on Blu-Ray (which only augments what stands as some pretty cool cinematography even in standard definition), though the special features are pretty minimal. The special features do include commentary by Slade and Hartnett and an episode of the anime series Blood+.

- Brant Miles