30 Days of Night B
Starring Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, and Danny Huston
Rated R for strong horror violence and language
Appropriate for ages 17+
The Story: In the middle of winter, in the town of Barrows, Alaska, the sun sets for an entire month, leaving the town in complete darkness for thirty days. A group of savvy vampires discovers this and thrusts itself upon this small town, bent on devouring every inch of life that occupies it. Now it’s up to a young sheriff (Hartnett) and his soon to be ex-wife (George) to save Barrows from total destruction.
The Good: Based on the famous graphic novel by the same title, 30 Days proves to be as intense as it looks. While more disturbing and chilling than frightening, it still makes for an effective horror flick. I appreciated the unique look of the vampires and the resemblance to the creatures from the novel. The spooky moments are relentless and the pacing makes this a fast, thrill ride of a scary pic. This is the perfect film to help you get a head start on Halloween.
The Bad: Like many films in this genre, this one is based on stupid people doing stupid things. The hero and his gang could have easily just camped out in their original hiding place till sunrise, but instead they chose to keep running around the town exposing themselves to their predators. Granted, without this there wouldn’t be much of a movie, but still, it would be nice if the characters didn’t act so irrationally.
The Summary: The excess of scares more than make up for the film’s lack of brains.