It took us centuries to make them believe that we are no more than just bad dreams.

Rating: 8/10 (1 June 2013)

30 Days of Night is directed by David Slade and written by Steve Niles, Stuart Beattie and Brian Nelson. It stars Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Mark Boone Junior and Ben Foster. Music is by Brian Reitzell and cinematography by Jo Willems.
Every year for thirty days the town of Barrow, North Alaska goes without sunlight. This year Barrow has visitors, Vampires
Based on Steve Niles' own graphic comic, 30 Days of Night strips the vampire characterisation down to the core and triumphs because of it. There is nothing dandy or sexy about the vampires who have come to Barrow to feed for a month, these are ugly feral, insect like beasts who speak in their own language. The backdrop is a cold and snowy small town where no daylight is due for weeks, the population small, is about to become smaller with every passing hour. The set-up and execution is well handled by Slade (Hard Candy), antagonists and protagonists introductions are smooth, then the carnage unfolds and we shift into a tense game of cat and mouse as Hartnett, his estranged wife (George) and a few hardy souls try and survive until the 30 days of night have passed. And of course kick some vampire ass where possible.
Problems arise with the fact that it never once feels like more than one night of horror, so the questions of sleep, eat and toilet habits don't come into until you start to realise this is spread over 30 days! Is that picky? Well no not really, especially since there is little to no depth of characterisations to feed off either, back story is minimal and only reserved for Hartnett and George to let us know they are separated but love each other, thus our hero has something extra to fight for! For a story spread over 30 days it sure does lack, erm, story. Yet the constant sense of dread, a number of breath holding scenes and some bona fide bloody terror, ensures that it's a thrilling addition to the vampire splinter of horror. Cast performances are fine for the material to hand, with Huston as the lead vampire standing out and tech credits elsewhere, again, are perfect for the material as written.
Don't think about it too hard and there's a great time to be had here, while it makes for a great double with The Mist (also 2007). 7.5/10