Best Vampire movies in some time!

Rating: 7/10 (2 November 2007)

Having read the graphic novel in which this movie was inspired and not being very impressed (good concept, not very good anything else) , I was still optimistic for this movie adaptation. Director David Slade has made me happy in the past with his work in the disturbing film Hard Candy. Though Hard Candy deals with a real life monster (pedophiles), in 30 Days of Night Slade manages to fully realize supernatural horror and revitalize the vampire genre in a way not seen since the first Blade.
The movie begins with a fighting husband and wife played by the dreadfully dead-pan Josh Hartnett (who is the only "name" actor in the movie)and the equally boring Melissa George. Hartnett is the sheriff of a small isolated town in Alaska called Barrow and his soon to be ex wife, along with half of the town, are leaving because Barrow is about to see its last sunset in 30 days. However, his wife gets in an accident with a local tractor and decides to begrudgingly stay in town and help Hartnett with some strange cases of vandalism. These vandalism's include every police dog being ripped to sheds, every cell phone in the town being stolen, only to be found burnt to a crisp, and the towns radio/power being shut off, leaving Barrow unable to communicate with the rest of the world. After a violent run in with an accented visiting vagrant, we soon figure out what's really going on. It seems traveling vampires have singled out Barrow Alaska and are exploiting its 30 days without the sunlight. Needless to say this movie gets violent fast, never pulls its punches, and can be adequately described as f***** up.
Though the movie starts slow and there is some less than great acting as well as some overly simplistic dialogue, once the movie picks up it quickly brings you to the edge of your seat hiding behind your palms. Not only is this a good vampire movie, but a truly effective horror movie in general. Though I previously compare this movie with the more action/martial arts oriented Blade, this movie is far more chilling and adult. At times the violence was so unbearable and viscous I found my self wincing away from the screen (not easy for me anymore), other times the violence was handled more strategically off camera. Regardless, which ever way it was dealt with, the decision was made with how best to scare/disturb the audience. Also, unlike Anne Rice's beautiful homo-erotic vampires, these monsters are more like a pack of demonic wolves who will remind you why you thought Marilyn Manson was creepy when you were a kid. This Combined with the best aspects of Romero-esk zombie survival and the isolative snowy terror of John Carpenters The Thing makes 30 Days the best vampire movie in a very long time. However, the movie does have a somewhat disappointing ending (unfortunately one of few things that wasn't changed from the book) but it still manages to work in the end.