A Good, Action-Packed Horror Movie

Rating: 7/10 (1 October 2012)

There are several good things about this film that differentiates it from the average vampire story line. The idea of using a small, Arctic town like Barrow, Alaska, creates all kinds of unique opportunities that most movies of this genre don't have available to them. For example, because of its geographic location it has "30 days of night" which gives the vampires a totally new lethal capability as they now have 24 hours in a day to wreck havoc. And they take maximum advantage of this new opportunity. Additionally, the extreme winter environment and the geographic isolation provide a new set of difficulties for the humans in their desperate attempt to stay alive. Another difference is the ugliness of these vampires and their behavior which is much more savage than most "typical" vampires presented in films today. They enjoy tormenting their prey. As far as the film is concerned, it was nominated in 2008 for a Saturn Award for "Best Horror Film" along with "Best Makeup". It boasts plenty of action but this detracts a bit from the overall acting performances. While both Josh Hartnett (playing the lead character of Sheriff "Eben Oleson") and Melissa George (playing his estranged wife "Stella Oleson") performed adequately, the rest of the characters weren't well-developed and it showed. All in all though, this was a good, action-packed horror movie that makes good use of the dark ambiance and original concepts.