Day for Night

Rating: Null/10 (1 October 2016)

Vampires invade a snowbound Alaskan town during a month of complete darkness in this horror movie from 'Hard Candy' director David Slade. It is a pretty nifty idea (where would be a more appropriate place for creatures of the night to feed?) and Slade sets up the movie well with lots of uncertainty in the air before it is made clear that vampires are afoot. Ben Foster is delightfully sinister as a stranger in town who predicts the vampire plague and the icebound vistas appear appropriately ominous. Despite such promise, the film falls apart as it progresses because none of the characters are defined beyond broad stereotypes and none of the actors (Foster aside) have the charisma to render their characters relatable. Setting the film over 30 days is problematic too. It is hard to keep track of time and without scenes set aside to show the characters sleeping, eating, etc., it feels like the whole film has occurred over two or three days - not ten times as many. Most disappointing of all though is the highly repetitive nature of the film. With limited characterisation, everything basically amounts to one vicious attack after another, all of which are filmed in such a frenzied manner that it is impossible to keep track of what is going on. The film does at least recognise the irony of the premise and what one character says early on, "we live out here for a little freedom", echoes throughout.