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Posted By: Doc Clockwork at 12:31am, August 18, 2008
Some nice imagery and a descent adaptation, but could've been better. I wish this one had done a better job conveying the sense of isolation and hopelessness I got from movies like John Carpenter's The Thing. I understand the idea was to make the vampires more animalistic, but in doing so also made them less interesting. Also, I didn't care about the damn couple and their relationship crap. And that ending was better when I saw it in Blade II.
Blood and snow. Cold, dark and hostile.
This is a slick, creepy and atmospheric movie that oozes class. The best vampire flick I have seen in a long while. If you liked Near Dark, you will like this. Not entirely sure about the ending which I think lets it down a bit but the rest of the movie is well worth this minor hiccup.
30 Days Of Night puts vampires back in the spotlight they should be in, BEING SCARY AS HELL!!! This movie is frightening, as gory as can be, and emotionally intense. I also love the camerawork and how they make it look very gritty. Overall, a solid movie and one the best of 2007.
"30 Days of Night is set in the (very) small town of Barrow in Alaska which has the distinction of being the northern most town in the U.S., it is isolated in 80 miles of road-less wilderness which is cut off & plunged into total darkness all day every winter for thirty days straight. During this time the population of Barrow drops from 563 to 152 as most of the townspeople head to somewhere more hospitable for the winter, the few that do stay this particular winter are in for a rough time as a group of blood drinking Vampire like creatures descend on the town in order to kill everyone & drink their blood. A small group of assorted survivors lead by Sheriff Eben Olesen (Josh Hartnett) & his wife Stella (Melissa George) must try to hide & make it through the 30 days of night until helps arrives in the form of the sun...
This New Zealand & American co-production was directed by David Slade & this horror film did pretty good box-office back in 2007 & I have to say I rather liked it, I didn't think it was any sort of classic but I definitely liked it. The script by Steve Niles, Stuart Beattie & Brian Nelson was based on the Dark Horse graphic novel of the same name by Niles & is a pretty grim 'base under siege' type horror thriller that is best described as a cross between The Thing (1982) & John Carpenter's Vampires (1998) (coincidently both of which were directed by John Carpenter which means absolutely nothing, come to think of it it's not to dissimilar to Ghosts of Mars (2001) also directed by Carpenter...) as it's set in a freezing snow covered isolated location & features hordes of blood drinking vampires, it certainly takes itself very seriously & there isn't a light hearted moment in it but it is quite often very intense & I did like it's conviction. The character's are slightly better than what one would expect, both Sheriff Oleson & his wife have personality which makes the downbeat ending a bit of a bummer. I mean after watching a fairly grim & intense Vampire flick for 100 odd minutes featuring plenty of death & destruction I would have liked a bit more cheerful ending but that's just me. There's enough action & gore to satisfy hardened horror addicts although not all aspects of the story are as good as I would have liked. For instance who were the Vampires? Where did they come from? If it was blood they were after why did they kill people in such a way all their blood was splattered over the wall or floor? Why did that main Vampire at the end fight Sheriff Oleson? Why did all the other Vampires just stand there & watch as their leader was killed? Why didn't they then kill Oleson?
Director Slade does a very good job here & films with style in full 2:35:1 widescreen, some of the opening shots of the Alaskan horizon as the sun sets over the snow covered landscape looks great & he thankfully keeps his camera nice & steady so we can actually see the carnage. I loved the aerial shot from above the town as the camera moved over the main street as the vampires attack, there are huge red splodges of blood everywhere, fires burning & Vampires attacking people all viewed in one continuous cool looking shot from the sky! The special effects are impressive, both the CGI computer variety & the more traditional prosthetic make-up effects sort. The Vampire creatures look very good & quite intimidating, I love how they walk around with old blood stains from their victims on their faces & clothes & don't bother to wash it off. There's some good gore here as well, there is plenty of blood splatter with chopped off heads, decapitations, slashed & bitten out throats, gunshot wounds including Vampires having their heads literally shot off, blood drinking & a real crowd pleasing moment when a huge trench is used to carve up several Vampires as well as a cool scene at the end when a Vampire falls into a masher & is suitably mashed. The film has a good atmosphere & a real sense of isolation, there's some nice jump out of your seat moments too.
With a supposed budget of about $32,000,000 30 Days of Night is well made with high production values. Although set entirely within the snow covered confines of Alaska in the U.S. 30 Days of Night was in fact filmed entirely in New Zealand. The acting is good from all involved, in case any football fans from the UK are wondering the main Vampire played by Ben Foster is not the same Ben Foster who is currently one of Manchester United's goalkeepers! Credit where credit is due Melissa George is nice & easy on the eye too.
30 Days of Night is a really good horror thriller that I enjoyed a lot, the story isn't quite as tight as I would have liked (how did that kid who popped up at the end survive for so long?) but it makes for good late night entertainment which might even give you a few scares. Followed by the made-for-TV mini-series 30 Days of Night: Blood Trails (2007)." --Paul Andrews (poolandrews@hotmail.com), imdb.com
I really enjoy this movie. Watched it for the second time tonite. I like the flow of the movie, the gore is good, and the vampires are rather cool looking. Josh Hartnett does and excellent job, and Melissa George did an alright job as well. The head vampire was a pretty fun time. The female vamp aggravates me a bit(she gots more gums than wrigley). I like Ben Foster, he was creepy in this film, but I feel he did not get enough screen time. I would've given his character a larger role, due mainly in part to how great of an actor he is. Another thing I would change about the film is the damn screeching. The vamp language is pretty cool, but only the head vamp can speak it? The others just screech like the put their hand on the stove. Woulndt mind seeing a sequel to this film, but I dont think that will happpen. Anyways, I enjoyed this film, and if you are on the fence on wether to watch it or not, hope off and take a seat on the watch it side.
I rate this a 7.85 out of 10, but I will round up and score it an eight.
Hello there, just wanted to drop a line about this insane little flick after I revisited it for the first time last night since the day it was released. Perhaps it was the fact that my girl and I had just watched the "Shutter" remake previous to viewing this, but it just struck me as amazing. I really enjoyed it the first time I viewed it, as well. Though for some reason, this time around, I just thought it was excellent. I would have given this movie 10/10 for their creative depiction of vampires alone, but there was one line in this brilliant film that lowered it two stars for me. The little vamp girl, in the store slowly turns around after apparently eating all of this man's stomach. Now, not only would I assume a little girl like that would be full after that sort of indulgence, but she just says the most ridiculous and cliche shit I've heard in awhile and it just totally took me out of the realism that was so well conveyed and consistently distributed until then. Those whom have seen it know what I'm refering to. I do really appreciate how they took care of her though. Other than that it was A grade, awesome baby! Yeah baby little vampire babies!
WOW !! Finally, Ghost House Pictures (with the backing of Sony’s Columbia Pictures) delivers a great R-rated horror movie with 30 DAYS OF NIGHT (which also happens to be a great adaption of Steve Niles graphic novel) ..... if you're a fan of the original graphic novels then you will enjoy this film (compared to all the other failed attempts at bringing comic books to the screen) ..... if you're not a fan - watched the film - but didn't understand it ? (come on, go read the graphic novels eeediot) ..... I don't know whether or not there should be a prequel vs. a sequel (there's a lot which hasn't been explored about our Alaska bound Nosferatus)!
It's Great To See The Vampire Back Where It Belongs! And That's Scaring The Pants Of People, Rather Than Charming The Pants Of People. Great Movie. Now there's the possibility of a Prequel/Sequel, in the works. Hope so!.:)
Violent,Gory,Scary,Terrific,Suspenful,Nasty,Bloody etc...all a perfect horror movie should have and i must say i dont like very much vampire movies but this one is the excepcion.
30 Days of Night was shameful. There were a few moments where it had potential- such as where the vampires attacked the SUV or were inside the house attacking the family, the camera work and editing was very Danny Boyle-esque which I loved. But really, the movie was lost in an awful plot and even worse dialogue and acting. From the second it started, the lines were so cheesy and the acting was atrocious. The best part of the movie was when one of the ushers in the theatre fell walking up the stairs.
Overall- a lot of potential, most of which was squandered
This movie was pretty good. The vampires for me were more like creatures not the classic suave and sexy vampire. That was a turn off for me. Other than that the story was excellent. The choices that are made are really great. The idea of alaska is awesome. I really had never given the idea any thought but was impressed that someone out there had really thought about it.
This movie is very good if you like vampire movies then you should check it out.
For a vampire movie, i thought that this was very well done and i didnt mind it. i thought that there could have been more blood.
the beginning was slow and kind of dragged on though. and i thought the vampires were a little lame. but it is better than most vampire films.
wish i was more scary though!
um, this movie was pretty good, but I feel like it could have been a lot better.
The ending seemed like a cop out to me and I was left feeling unfulfilled.
On the plus sideit had a great premise and beautiful cinematography, worth a watch but nothing amazing.
This is a really well made movie but its missing an element. I know good acting! Seriously this movie is the coolest but the acting sucks horribly. It seemed like Josh Harnett wanted nothing to do with this film but did it for a paycheck.
Just dull watching him, but the film, its pretty good.
When I first saw it, I really hated it. And still part of me hates it. I was never a fan of vampire movies; mainly because they’re so . . . cheesy. I thought Stephen King’s modern-vampire book ‘Salem’s Lot was decent, but I have never seen a vampire movie that didn’t bore me. And I can’t say 30 Days of Night changed that, either.
The good:
- Quite bloody, compared to modern movies.
- Camerawork was brilliant.
- The premise was brilliant.
- The ending was neat.
The bad:
- The vampires were as cheesy as humanly possible.
- I was so bored I almost left the theater.
- They couldn’t resist using the insanely cliché possessed-little-girl scene.
- The cut-off scenes (and there were quite a few) dumbed it down.
Overall: I guess I’m just glad someone made an atmospheric, bloody movie with somewhat of a punk spin to it.
The most badass vampire movie I have ever seen. I loved almost everything about this movie. I just didnt like some of the acting. The vampires were kick ass and creepy as hell. Their faces kinda reminded me of sharks in a feeding frenzy, which was a cool touch. The movie was awesome and that one scene were the guy gets his head chopped off at the end....wow..great effects. One of the coolest death scenes ive seen in a movie.
Worst vampire movie EVER! Decent plot and a great background (the graphic novel and all) but fell flat on its @$$ for a movie.
And the official review is 4/5?!?!?!
Wow...
I like this film I was siked cuz I had the comix not yhe graphic novel. I'm a huge fan of vamps I usually really like vampires in movies, these nt so much more like animals. But I like it all around
Great idea, great comic book (oh sorry I mean graphic novel)but a so-so movie. I was surprised the film makers made subtle changes to the original story and I think it hurt the film. These were a different type of vampire more nasty looking than ussual so why did I feel bored by them? I was expecting more from this film. I guess my rating would be different if I had no expectations going in.
Small town in Alaska gets overrun by undead Microsoft executives. Fucking terrible movie. Great story, great graphic novel, terrible movie. Josh Hartnett belongs in acting jail, as does that big-gummed actress who plays his ex-girlfriend. A few nifty gore sequences, but then squashed by unintentional comedy and ridiculous plot holes. Do yourself a favor and go pick up GOOD vampire flicks like 'The Lost Boys', 'Near Dark' and 'Fright Night'. If you enjoyed this film, you might be in danger of being a complete dumbass.
I got this movie 2day and watched iot as soon asi brought it. The movie was good and, violent and, had good acting. the only thing I didn;t like about the nmovie was that it was longer than it needed to be. some horror movies such as house of wax and, the hills have eyes were this lon but they had more caring and story elements with it. this movie didn't have a good story with it. just vampires attacking for no reason.
this movie isn't worth the 19.99 i payed for but maybe worth the 5.75 admission ticket at my movie theatre.
This movie was an insult to my intelligence.I've been looking through the ratings and maybe people don't like plot structure in their movies. I do like violence but not when the whole movie is just violence and occasional clips of Josh Hartnett pondering about what to do. This was one of the worst horror movies I have ever seen. If you enjoy plot structure do not see this film.
Andrew Kasch from Dreadcentral.com says "The most terrifying vampire movie ever made". Well, I guess if the makers are trying to promote their work, they need SOMEONE'S opinion. Frankly, I find comments like these to a) question the credibility of the reviewer and b) do nothing for the state of horror. 30 Days of Nights is nothing more than a mediocre tale riddled with bad acting and dialogue to boot.(note to self, stay away from Josh Hartnett--has this guy been in a decent movie yet? Pearl Harbor and Black Dahlia listed as his credits on the sleeve aren't exactly anything to rave about). Sure, there's a promising set up here, but too many throw-away lines in place of character development (just what in the hell was Hartnett's and George's beef, anyways?), and don't forget the best axing to the head on celluloid--but overall, this seems aimed at those with attention deficit disorder.
Posted By: kaufmanfan at 8:29pm, February 21, 2008
good vampire film, but it had a few problems. i think josh hartnett could have done a better job. the gore was pretty good. i liked some of the vampire's strategies. good is my final word.
Wonderfully gory, well acted Vampire flick that adds a new twist on the genre. First off David Slade can really make a strong movie, the direction is top notch. Everything about this movie was fairly enjoyable the only gripe that I had personally was the tension. Or lack there of, there was little to know attempt at scaring you. It was pretty much straight forward violence and gore. Nothing wrong with that. I liked how the vampires were more like monsters than the romanticized version of what they commonly are. Also this didn't follow the comic really closely; but if you read the comic and see this I don't think that you will be disappointed. I strongly recommend this.
I've always been one for old-school, gory, horror flicks, and this is clearly one of them. The whole movie is similar to Stephen King's Salem's Lot, which is awesome in itself, and it is represented nicely.
The plot is about the small Alaskan town of Barrow, in which the sun is blotted out during December, or "30 days of night". During that time, many go on vacation. Thanks to the preparation of a stranger, such as destroying cell phones, the town is open to attack by vampires. Basically, they just ransack the town 24/7, killing everyone. It is all up to a final stand by a group of survivors with a week left until the sun returns.
This movie is a total throwback to the olden days when things were as simple as killing, blood, and gore. In a way, this movie is a lot like Hatchet because of this. I also love the way that you really get connected to the antagonists, which would be the huge, terrifying head vampire and his crew of recently recruited undead.
Speaking of which, the designs for the vampires are very well made. They really look like undead demons from hell and not just stoned people with blood at their lips.
Overall, anyone who enjoys vampires, Salem's Lot or really any horror movie should owe it to themselves to watch this one.
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