An excellent, inspired and supremely unsettling vampire horror knockout

Rating: 9/10 (7 August 2008)

A vicious clan of deadly vampires lead by the ferocious Marlow (a positively terrifying portrayal by Danny Huston) lay siege to the remote small town of Barrows, Alaska during a month long period of total darkness. Gallant Sheriff Eben Oleson (a fine and likable performance by Josh Hartnett), his feisty estranged wife Stella (well played by Melissa George), and a motley handful of others do their best to survive this nightmarish ordeal.
Director David Slade makes the most out of the ingenious script by Steve Niles, Stuart Beattie, and Brian Nelson: the gripping story unfolds at a constant brisk pace, the suspense gradually builds to a harrowing fever pitch (the protracted sequence with the vampires killing all the townspeople is absolutely bloodcurdling), the bleak wintry landscape evokes a strong sense of isolation and vulnerability, the outbursts of savage violence are truly jolting, and the human characters react in a plausible way to their impossible situation. Moreover, the stellar acting by the sturdy cast qualifies as another significant asset: Harnett and George both excel in their roles, Huston makes for a perfectly malevolent head ghoul, plus there are sound supporting turns by Mark Boone Junior as the gruff, bearish Beau Brewer, Ben Foster as the deranged the Stranger, Mark Rendall as Eben's sweet younger brother Jake, Amber Sainsbury as the spunky Denise, Manu Bennett as the amiable Deputy Billy Kitka, Megan Franich as lethal vampiress Iris, Nathaniel Lees as the easygoing Carter Davis, Joel Tobeck as the hotheaded Doug Hertz, Elizabeth Hawthorne as gutsy diner owner Lucy Ikos, and Abbey-May Wakefield as a nasty little girl vampire. The vampires themselves are wonderfully vile and grotesque: they're hideously malformed subhuman beasts with long nails, pasty complexions, super human strength and speed, and their own odd guttural language. The striking cinematography by Jo Willems offers a wealth of amazing visuals while Brian Reitzell's hypnotically chilling score hits the shivery spot. But what really makes this fright feature such a winner is its grim, harsh, no-nonsense tone: the central protagonists are forced to make some hard choices in order to stay alive, the merciless vampires spare no one from their bloodthirsty wrath, and the film stays fiercely true to itself to the literal bitter end. A splendidly tough and gritty treat.